“Our beloved AB6IX, Avenue, and everyone at Brand New, you’ve all worked so hard. Thanks to you, I was able to dream a new dream, and I’ve been truly happy.”
Rhymaster, the head of Brand New Music, left a message on social media on the 25th that felt quite different from a typical agency CEO’s farewell. By adding, “I want to tell my fearless and passionate youth that it also worked hard,” it suggests he is closing a chapter of his own intense past, rather than just seeing off a group of artists.
Instead of the dry, conventional “we support your future” phrasing, this emotional confession transparently reveals the relationship Brand New Music and the boy group AB6IX have shared over the past seven years.
This message captures the symbolism of AB6IX. For Brand New Music, which had a strong image as a producer of Hip-hop and R&B artists, AB6IX was the first result that proved how they could survive and expand within the massive and alien jungle of the idol industry.
It wasn’t just a reckless attempt to say, “We can make idols too.” From the planning stages, the members actively participated in producing, building a unique identity as “Brand New Music style idols.” The reason Rhymaster was seen as a reliable “guardian-type producer” by fans and the industry was that they built a tight narrative while pioneering the unfamiliar path of being the first idol group from a hip-hop powerhouse.
This is why the end of the exclusive contract with the team, a symbol of the company’s first success, first expansion, and first identity shift, is by no means a light event in Brand New Music’s history.
The establishment of “Para Music,” a K-pop specialized subsidiary label launched in January, was the first hint. At the time, Brand New Music placed YOUNITE as Para Music’s first artist, declaring their intent to focus on nurturing K-pop artists and promoting systematic and independent activities.
This was a very clever business decision. Along with the recent parting from AB6IX, these are all pieces of a larger structural reorganization puzzle that Brand New Music is currently navigating.
In a recent interview, Rhymaster honestly confessed to management difficulties and a slump, stating, “For the first time in running the company, I’ve struggled, and seeing the negatives over the last three years has made me feel intimidated and lose confidence.”
He also emphasized his “initial mindset” to the author, saying, “I will pull myself together once more.” Recognizing the financial burden and management overload caused by a period of focusing on expansion, Rhymaster has decided to break through by utilizing “differentiation” and “selection and focus.”
Signs are appearing everywhere that Brand New Music is trying to return to the agile and sharp production instincts of its early days.
As they conclude their seven-year journey, Rhymaster’s farewell, saying he “dreamed a new dream” thanks to them, reads like a firm declaration from Brand New Music as they stand at the starting line again to reclaim their pride as a hip-hop powerhouse. (However, since the company stated that discussions regarding contract renewals with AB6IX members are ongoing, the possibility of a new form of partnership remains open.)
