YG Entertainment (Korean: YG 엔터테인먼트) is a record label and talent agency founded by Yang Hyun-suk and based in Seoul, South Korea. It specializes in producing R&B and hip hop music. YG stands for Yang Goon and are also the initials of the chief executive officer, Yang Hyun-suk.
The entertainment company is one of the "big three" record companies in Korea along with SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment because of strong market share and international operations, spreading the Hallyu wave across the globe. Records release through YG Entertainment's distributor, Mnet Media. Avex Entertainment and YG Entertainment have recently formed a new project in Japan called YGEX.
Once the home of hip-hop groups Jinusean and 1TYM, its current roster of recording artists includes K-Pop idols such as Big Bang, 2NE1, PSY, Se7en, Epik High, Lee Hi and Gummy. Artists under the agency had grown to be the front runners and leaders of Hallyu and the Korean music itself around the world. Videos of YG Entertainment and its artists have cumulatively more than 3 billion views and are subscribed by over 5 million users in YouTube alone, making them the most viewed and subscribed artists and entertainment agency in Asia-Pacific.
Since the late 2010s, YG Entertainment has earned worldwide recognition after BIGBANG edged out Britney Spears to win Best Worldwide Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, and PSY's Gangnam Style attained more than 1 billion views on YouTube after successfully competing with music videos by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry to win Best Video at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards. As a result of the achievements of its music artists, share prices of the record label have seen a year-over-year increase by more than 50%.
Read more about YG Entertainment: History, Partnership, Initial Public Offering, Philanthropy, Former Notable Trainees, Current Trainees, YG Family Concerts and Tours