Photo Credit: SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment artists will join HYBE’s fan platform Weverse next week on September 12.
Around 13 groups and solo artists will move from SM Entertainment’s proprietary fan platform Kwangya Club to Weverse. SM Entertainment confirmed that fan club memberships purchased on the first platform will automatically transfer to Weverse. Fans can then use Weverse to communicate with one another, watch livestreams on the platform, and purchase official merchandise using Weverse Shop.
Artists from SM Entertainment have been using YouTube and Instagram Live over the last few months following the closure of VLIVE. VLIVE was acquired by HYBE in 2022.
“We welcome artists of SM Entertainment, who are loved by fans around the world, to Weverse,” adds Weverse CEO Choi Joon-won in a press release. Meanwhile, Kwangya Club will end its services on September 11. The artists joining Weverse include:
- Aespa
- Boa
- EXO
- Girls’ Generation
- Kangta
- NCT 127
- NCT Dream
- Red Velvet
- Riize
- Shinee
- Super Junior
- TVXQ
- WayV
Weverse allows artists to interact with their fans directly since 2019. Initially, it was only utilized by HYBE artists like TXT, BTS, and Seventeen. However, the platform has become a destination for artists from other entertainment companies—including Blackpink and Stayc. Weverse currently hosts around 80 artists and actors from around the globe, allowing fans to see text posts, photos, videos, and live content.
“We don’t limit our boundaries or fandom only within K-pop,” CEO Joon Choi told Mashable recently. “We call our service a fandom business and you can be a fan of anything. The thing we’re really digging into is the psychological mechanism of falling in love with something or someone.”
“When there’s a fan that’s passionate about something or someone, we understand what they want and provide them with an all-in-one package. For artists, we are the best tool for cultivating their super fans, and we provide a monetization ecosystem.”
