On June 6, a YG ENTERTAINMENT official told a news source that their exclusive deal with G-DRAGON had expired, but that they are still working for him on follow-up projects such as advertisement deals under a separate arrangement.
And about G-DRAGON's next step in his music, they added, "Further contracts will be on the table if the singer is to resume music activities. In that regard, YG ENTERTAINMENT will provide full support to G-DRAGON."
The K-pop star's exit from the company he had worked for his whole career was not a surprise, since G-DRAGON's name was removed from YG ENTERTAINMENT's list of musicians in their quarterly business report dated March 31.
The most popular opinion is that G-DRAGON is leaving the agency, following the other members of BIGBANG.
TAEYEANG is now with THE BLACK LABEL, DAESUNG is with RND COMPANY, and T.O.P is a free agent, who also recently left the group.
In most cases, signing a termination and settlement agreement occurs when there are left-over tasks between the K-pop artist and the agency, such as unpaid bills or follow-up work that demands cooperation from both sides.
So, the singer is expected to end with the agency as soon as he has completed his commitments with the businesses for whom he is doing advertisements.
"Considering G-DRAGON's passion for music, my prediction is that he will renew his contract with YG ENTERTAINMENT.", one show business official stated, "It is unclear whether G-DRAGON will leave YG ENTERTAINMENT. G-DRAGON is worth a lot. It would be burdening for other agencies to offer him an exclusive contract."
"For the newly-hired agency to make a profit, G-DRAGON would be required to make music and shoot commercials as actively as he did at his best. So my guess is that G-DRAGON will stay with YG ENTERTAINMENT."
According to this side of opinion, the contract renewal might just have been delayed, altering the timetable for the singer's solo album.
Given this, some see G-DRAGON's current deal with YG ENTERTAINMENT for brand commercials as a first step toward subsequent partnerships.
However, others argue that G-DRAGON is done with YG ENTERTAINMENT, but the agency is just taking care of him until he signs new contracts with other management companies, which is common courtesy in the industry.
The question of whether or not G-DRAGON would eventually leave YG ENTERTAINMENT is drawing attention.
(SBS Star)