- Weverse Dominates as the Premier Global K-pop Platform 목차
Weverse, Hive's fan community platform, is expanding its influence by welcoming artists from some of the biggest K-pop agencies. With its recent partnership with SM Entertainment, Weverse now represents artists from three out of the four major domestic agencies, solidifying its status as the go-to global K-pop platform.
As of April 26, a total of 86 singers have joined Weverse, including major groups from Hive such as BTS, Seventeen, and Tomorrow by Together. The platform also hosts artists from other agencies like Blackpink (YG), Billy (Mystic Story), Pentagon (Cube), and StayC (High Up). This diverse lineup has contributed to an impressive 23.5% increase in monthly active users (MAU), reaching 8.4 million in the fourth quarter of last year and estimated to grow to 10 million this year.
Seven groups among last year's 'Top 10' album sales are now on Weverse, including (G)I-DLE, who recently joined the platform after their mega-hit song "TOMBOY." The platform is also making its mark beyond the domestic music industry, hosting international artists such as American boy band Pretty Much and Japanese girl group Keyakizaka46. AKB48, Japan's leading girl group, is set to join Weverse on April 27.
Weverse aims to become a global fandom life platform by continually enhancing its services, including supporting various media contents and commerce functions. With the entry of SM Entertainment's artists scheduled for September, Weverse will house singers from Hive, SM, and YG, further solidifying its position as the top K-pop platform.
The platform is also working to increase profitability to serve as a new growth engine for Hive. Weverse is introducing new features like Weverse DM, a paid one-on-one communication service, to secure revenue. The platform also plans to release 'byFans', a digital product for in-app use, and 'Jelly', a subscription-based membership service, within this year.
According to Yumi Cha, a researcher at Mirae Asset Securities, paid services will not only attract new users but also help vitalize the Weverse ecosystem, creating synergies with new businesses being prepared. As Weverse continues to expand and develop, its influence in the K-pop industry is expected to grow exponentially.