Media Play or Facts? SM Employee's Claim Against EXO-CBX Sparks Heated Debate
A statement from an SM employee against EXO-CBX is gaining the attention of netizens, who drew in divided opinions about the claim.
What happened?
SM Entertainment Employee Issues Public Statement Regarding EXO-CBX's Claims Against Agency
On June 8, a post made by an SM staff member was uploaded in a forum, who appeared to be calling out Chen, Baekhyun, and Xiumin, members of EXO-CBX.
In the statement, the staff elaborated topics regarding the privacy of documents, consent on contract signing, settlements, and CBX's claims on how SM Entertainment perceives its artists.
Read the full statement below:
"Their second statement? I'm offended on the way they talk. How are we supposed to disclose the company's accounting documents to freelancers and contracted employees (artists) if these were company secrets? We even established a space for artists to inquire and view documents.
That's why you guys turned the accounting room into a 'truth' room, held one of its accountants to validate when and how much you ate and asked to split the costs between members. I also found it funny when you guys mentioned that you were coerced to sign 17-to-18-year contracts, when it was you who gave full consent.
I want to remind you that you guys are grown adults, who are fully capable of taking accountability for your actions and make decisions, so it seemed to surprise you that we included a third party.
However, it surprises me more that you guys fought for the preferred splits in your second contracts, and now, you guys are acting as if you were rookie idols and were scared not to sign contracts. You guys have been stars from the top for so long.
If you guys are pertaining to your first settlement, I would understand the argument declaring that you guys were rookies and naïve. But were you still rookies when you re-signed your contracts? No you weren't, but you decided to sign again, and now you're claiming that you're rookies.
I laughed so much when you wrote about how the agency sees its artists. There are hundreds of your slaves here. I already know that you were that type who didn't appreciate the employees inside the label, but the way you wrote your initial statement amazes me.
We are the label that can keep a father (celebrity) of two kids even if he doesn't contribute money to the company. Many employees here tippy toe around artists for fear they get offended. Out of all these artists we tend to be careful with, the most consistent we are on this is with EXO, so hearing these words from your mouth is beyond belief.
I also think that it's crazy for fans to criticize the label after reading the news. Money is the reason why your oppas want to leave that bad. They may be crying "We Are One," but just like normal people who want a raise or a company transfer, artists just want to get a bigger share.
They really don't care about keeping the team together! They claimed that an alternative way was offered to get EXO intact after their departure and trying to break their contract for silly reasons. Why did they make that offer in the first place? Because the agency that has to defend the contract will be unable to accept it.
So if they got removed from EXO, they can say 'Oh, we wanted to stay in EXO, but the label didn't let us." It's transparent of them to do this for money without a shred of accountability.
The agency still treat you as if you are the best even if you weren't as popular as you were before. I was astounded when I heard that a random artist heard some absurd advice elsewhere, and asked to lower their fees, raise their guarantee, and see all accounting documents.
When we obliged and cut their services, they made a fuss about the agency mistreating them. I wish artists weren't influenced by other artists' accounts, and that they should closely examine the situation, as well as their own popularity first. Employees from the label are still grinding their bones for artists despite the low compensation.
The label isn't some evil syndicate that steals artists' money but is their partner. You will understand once you set up your own independent agency, where you can take all the cash. It would probably be better if you go to the label you've been talking to and experience worse accounting procedures."
Netizens seemed to agree with the statement, as they expressed their disappointment with EXO-CBX.
"As expected this is why you need to hear both sides!"
"Chen seriously is so thoughtless."
"If you want to leave that bad, just leave and go run your one-man company. Why insist on staying in EXO and creating a fuss like that?"
"Wow, I can totally agree to this post. Me too, I'm working in a similar industry, and I can relate to all of this."
"I can understand the employee's point of view. The way CBX is doing whatever they want is giving a hard time to the workers."
"Just look at the quality of their solos, they're all the best quality they can ever get, which other company does that to their artists?"
"This was seriously so refreshing, they negotiated their contract renewal on the top so of course, they were probably also able to power trip too."
"Now I can understand how the company views their artists, do you think that it's always one sided from SM?"
"Do you think someone who's already supposed to be considered a has-been can get a solo album and go on world tour right away as soon as you discharge?"
Meanwhile, some netizens argued that none of the three members have had bad experiences with SM's staff and pointed out the agency is "manipulating the narrative" in order to turn general public opinion.
"None of the three members have had bad encounters with staff so they're just throwing anything out hoping it sticks."
"It's crazy how good SM is at manipulating the narrative and turning the public against the artists. From what I know, it doesn't seem like any other big companies have so many ex-artists suing them for exploitation."
"None of these comments sound like they were left by a real person."
"You clown, who signs your pay checks? You're not grinding your bones for the artists. You're grinding your bones for a company that's not even paying you your time's worth."
"Y'all really believe SM employees have so much free time to just sit around and defend SM for minimal pay, I admit they do media play but minimal comments like these don't do anything."
"The entire post doesn't even make much sense. Like if the artist themselves are complaining about not getting paid properly, then wouldn't you as a staff realize that you too are paid even way less?"
"If I were their staff, I would be advocating for transparency too, so my wages can be increased. But they really want us to believe SM staff are so loyal they would rather shield the company than be curious about their own payments. It's not making sense."
What are your thoughts on this?
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