Being a trainee here has its perks.
Koreaboo
A small entertainment agency is making waves online for their unique system.
Ryud, the co-founder of Hi-Hat Entertainment and a renowned choreographer in his own right, announced on May 6 that their trainees will not be in any financial burden after their debut. In an interview on Naver regarding their upcoming girl group, he revealed that the company will not charge any of them the so-called “trainee debt.”
Unlike majority of entertainment companies where costs are borne by the artist upfront and then deducted from their income post-debut, Hi-Hat Entertainment covers all expenses from the beginning.
Even large entertainment companies such as SM Entertainment are known to have charged training expenses on their artists. Other groups that are public about no longer being in debt include MONSTA X, MAMAMOO, EXID, and more.
RYUD explained that they decided on this so that there is no burden on the trainees and their parents. Moreover, they want the former to feel wanted at the company and are ensuring this in a tangible way.
Since the company covers all training costs, parents don’t have to worry about their children accumulating debt while learning here. With good systems, facilities, and producers, there’s an atmosphere among the trainees that says, ‘I want to debut here.’
— RYUD
Thus, every single class that the trainees attend—such as vocals, dancing, language, etc.—is completely free. This builds trust among them that the company considers invaluable.
In fact, because classes are free, we want to ensure that the trainees don’t feel like they’re wasting their time here. While it’s important for our group to succeed, in the future as the company grows, this aspect will also be something the trainees can trust.
— RYUD
Hi Hat Entertainment’s first girl group will make their debut in early 2025. RYUD was confident that they will be ready to take the K-Pop industry head-on with their skills and talent.
I didn’t want to send out unprepared ones. Now that the debut group is ready, we definitely plan to debut in early next year.
— RYUD
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