BLACKPINK and YG Entertainment's (YG) renewed contract has become a topic of interest as their exclusive agreement is set to expire in August.

BLACKPINK, which debuted in 2016, is approaching its 7th anniversary. Following the industry-standard practice of a 7-year contract, the current agreement between BLACKPINK and YG is expected to come to an end in August.

The investment industry has offered positive analysis regarding the possibility of a contract renewal between BLACKPINK and YG.

NH Investment & Securities stated in January, "There is no need to anticipate or respond negatively to the contract renewal in advance. The process of renewing BLACKPINK's contract is expected to proceed smoothly, alleviating concerns." In February, Hana Financial Investment expressed, "

The success of BLACKPINK's contract renewal could have a significant impact on the stock price, including the potential of their sub-unit Baby Monster.

Baby Monster, a multinational girl group consisting of seven members, is poised to make their debut in the latter half of this year.

This will mark YG's first girl group in seven years since BLACKPINK's debut. Hana Financial Investment anticipated, "If BLACKPINK's contract is renewed, the stock price of YG is expected to experience a substantial increase, positioning it as the second-highest growth rate within the entertainment industry, following SM Entertainment."

In May, Yuanta Securities analyzed the sustained growth of BLACKPINK, a major intellectual property (IP) owned by YG.

A researcher from Yuanta Securities stated, "As a girl group in their 7th year since debut, BLACKPINK continues to attract new fandom and exhibit growth. If their contract is renewed, long-term monetization appears feasible."

In June, NH Investment & Securities even raised their target price for YG from 96,000 KRW to 105,000 KRW.

Researchers from NH Investment & Securities suggested that instead of concerns surrounding G-Dragon's exclusive contract expiration, attention should be directed towards the pre-release success of Baby Monster's debut, as well as the potential contract renewal for BLACKPINK.

However, there are speculations that BLACKPINK members may prioritize individual activities, raising concerns about the possibility of a contract renewal.

Jennie achieved significant success in 2018 with her solo album 'SOLO' and recently made her acting debut in HBO's 'The Idol'.

Jisoo received a great response with her solo album 'ME', which sold 159,800 copies within 24 hours of pre-sales, breaking the record for the highest sales within 24 hours by a female solo artist in Korea.

Lisa has been garnering global attention for her exceptional dance skills. In 2020 and 2021, she served as a dance mentor on the girl group formation project 'Youth With You' hosted by the Chinese video platform iQIYI.

Her solo album 'LALISA', released in 2021, also achieved commercial success. Rosé achieved remarkable results with her solo album 'R' released in 2021, recording 280,000 sales on the first day and reaching the top of the debut chart for female solo artists in a short period.

BLACKPINK has also gained recognition in the Guinness World Records as the artist with the most views on a K-pop solo online channel within 24 hours and as the first artist to top the Billboard Global chart both as a group and a solo artist.

There are rumors that YG is making every effort for a reunion with BLACKPINK through the contract renewal.

Recently, reports have emerged suggesting that all BLACKPINK members have expressed their intentions to renew the contract.

During a concert in Singapore in May, Rosé said, "We are aware that you have been waiting for us to return to Singapore. BLACKPINK won't go anywhere."

Therefore, attention is now focused on whether the reunion of BLACKPINK and YG will extend their time together with their fans.

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BTS’s Jimin is once again proving his global dominance, especially in Japan, where his solo music continues to break records!

Jimin's hit song "Who", from his second album MUSE, has just been awarded the prestigious Gold streaming certification from the Japan Record Association (RIAJ).

This honor comes after "Who" surpassed a remarkable 50 million streams in February, making it the first solo song by Jimin to receive this certification in Japan!

The Japan Record Association certifies music based on total streams, with Gold for 50 million streams, Platinum for 100 million, and Diamond for a massive 500 million.

This achievement adds another significant milestone to Jimin’s growing solo career.

Previously, Jimin also earned a Platinum certification for his first album FACE (for 250,000 units shipped) and a Gold certification for MUSE (for over 100,000 units shipped).

With the Gold streaming certification for "Who", Jimin now holds a total of three prestigious certifications from the Japan Record Association, solidifying his place as a solo artist.

Not only that, but "Who" made waves on the Billboard charts, staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for an impressive 33 weeks, setting a record for the longest-charting K-pop solo song! It also spent 32 weeks on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, showing just how much love fans have for his music.

Jimin’s solo success doesn’t stop there, as GOLDEN also spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, and Jimin continues to dominate the Billboard Japan Artist 100, where he has now charted for 47 weeks! Clearly, Jimin’s popularity is unstoppable!

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