Second Concert Date Added for SMTown Live in Paris

The announcement of the June 10 SMTown Paris concert generated enormous excitement, with tickets selling out within 15 minutes. The cost of the cheapest seats were 56 Euros (~88,000 won) and VIP seats at 111 Euros (~175,000 won), but there were VIP tickets being scalped for 399 Euros (~620,000 won) online on the first day that tickets were being sold.

The high difficulty of purchasing seats for the single concert date caused many European fans to urge SM Entertainment to put on an additional performance. The request by fans for a second concert date culminated in a flash-mob outside the Louvre Museum in Paris attended by over 300 people. As a result of the huge demand, SM Entertainment confirmed a second performance date for June 11. SM Entertainment expects the total two-day attendance number to reach 13,000 fans.

[Update: Korean Connection has issued a message with their apologies that the ticket sales have been indefinitely postponed. This article will be updated when more information is made available.]

Check out the Soshified Projects section for more information on fellow fans heading to SMTown Live in Paris as well!

Source: dongA, KoMe_France
Written by: michaelroni@soshified.com
Translated by: jreddevil07@soshified.com

SMTOWN LIVE heading to South America in July!

Will SMTOWN be heading to South America this summer?

It has been revealed that a South American tour with SM Entertainment artists including BoA, TVXQ,Super Junior, SNSD, SHINee, and f(x) is currently in the works. According to several music industry representatives, SM Entertainment will be continuing their ‘SM Town Live World Tour‘ by heading to South America in July, making stops in Brazil, Chile, among other countries.

The reason for this South American tour is that the popularity of SM Entertainment artists in these countries has been steeply rising. In February, a Brazilian TV network held a survey regarding which Korean artist they would like to have visit their country. The top four spots were claimed by Super Junior, BoA, SNSD, and SHINee, respectively. Also, last November the Korean Cultural Industry Foundation held a survey amongst Brazilian fans regarding popular Korean singers. The results revealed that Super Junior, SHINee, BoA, and SNSD came in at 1st, joint 2nd, and 3rd place respectively.

Last month, SM Entertainment announced that they would be heading to France for their ‘SM Town Live in Paris‘ concert on June 10th. As this concert sold out almost immediately after tickets were released, the possibility of adding another day is currently being reviewed.

The ‘SM Town Live World Tour’ has already made stops in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Shanghai. By visiting both Europe and South America, this tour will become a legitimate world tour.

Source: Sports Seoul via Nate

SM Entertainment might hold 'SM Town Live World Tour' in South America this July

SNSD might be travelling to the ‘Land of Passion’ South America this summer.

SNSD and other SM Entertainment artistes including BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee, f(x), etc might possibly be going on a South American tour this July. According to an official from the music industry, there is a plan for SM Entertainment artistes to have a concert in South American countries such as Brazil, Chile, etc in July. The South American concerts will be part of the ‘SM Town Live World Tour’ kicked off last year.

SM’s plan to tour South America was also fueled by the artistes huge popularity in the region. In February this year, in a survey entitled ‘Which artiste will have a concert in Brazil?’conducted via a TV broadcast, SM Entertainment artistes, namely Super Junior, BoA, SNSD and SHINee grabbed the top 4 spots. In addition to that, in November last year, Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) conducted a survey to find out Brazilian fans’ choice of famous Korean singers. The results – Super Junior in 1st place, SHINee, BoA and SNSD were in 2nd, 4th and 5th place respectively.

Music industry official said, “SM’s ripple effect is really great. Not only in US, Japan, China, the artistes have managed to make impact even to Europe and South America and this is such a rare phenomenon for Korean artistes. Isn’t this the way of the true ‘World Stars’?”.

source: sportsseoul.com
cr: fanwonder.com

K-Pop arrives in Europe

Hundreds of French fans gathered in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday demanded an extension of a Korean pop concert, symbolizing the spread of the Korean Wave beyond Asia and into Europe.

Around 200 diehard K-pop fans picketed while dancing to Korean pop tunes for over an hour in front of the museum, demanding that a concert by TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and f(x) scheduled for June 10 be extended for another day.

The 6,000 tickets for the concert sold out in just 15 minutes online. SM Entertainment, the organizer, is considering an unscheduled additional concert on June 9 to reward the enthusiasm of the French fans.

K-pop is popular in other European countries including the United Kingdom and Germany as well. On Feb. 25 this year, British teens formed a 200 m long queue in front of the Korean Cultural Centre in Trafalgar Square to see the first K-pop concert hosted by the centre. Around 700 fans were in line to watch the concert, including from Scotland, 600 km away. British teens surprised cultural centre staff by imitating dance moves by K-pop groups such as Big Bang, 2NE1 and Super Junior and singing their songs in Korean.

What is it the appeal to European teens? One French teenager who said she is an avid fan said, “K-pop stars can sing and dance well and they have perfect faces and bodies. They make great music videos, so when you watch that you get addicted to them and watch them again and again.” Websites like YouTube have played a huge role in bringing K-pop to Europe. Diehard French fans have created websites where visitors can download K-pop music videos and TV dramas featuring the artists.

Another factor is that a large number of K-pop songs were created by European songwriters. The Girls’ Generation song “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)” was created by a European team of songwriters. “Chu~♡” by f(x) was written by a Swedish songwriting team, while TVXQ’s “Mirotic” was written by a Danish team.

K-pop has captured the attention of the European media. Early this year, French state-run broadcaster TF2 featured a documentary called “Korea, Hidden Strength” about K-pop stars and their lives. The BBC reported last Tuesday that the Korean Wave has spread past Asia to Europe and the U.S. “While conglomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai still form the backbone of the country’s financial structure, many people now believe that the Korean national brand itself is changing to reflect this new passion for Korean Wave,” the BBC said.

Source: [The Chosun Ilbo]

K-Pop Fans Request Additional Date for SMTown Paris

More than 300 fans held a flash mob at the Louvre Museum in Paris, urging for an extension of the sold-out 'SMTown Live World Tour in Paris'. The star-studded concert featuring artists from SM Entertainment is to be held on June 10th, and many are requesting for an extension of the one-day event.

On April 26th, ticket sales for the concert started and were deemed sold out within only 15 minutes. Many fans of groups like Girls' Generation, TVXQ, Super Junior, Shinee and f(x) were not able to secure a place in the concert hall, causing them to move into action.

Here's a clip of the flash mob:

It was later reported that SM Entertainment is in the midst of considering an additional show, but needs to take into account other factors first before making a final decision.

In other news, as of 9.10AM on May 2nd, SM Entertainment's stock prices rose by 3.36% on the KOSDAQ market. This is most likely due to the sold out 'SMTown Live World Tour in Paris' concert to be held next month.

Written by: shizzles9@soshified.com
Source: Nate 1, 2, OrientExtreme@youtube

SM confirms "SM TOWN LIVE IN TOKYO" for September

SM Entertainment’s “SM TOWN LIVE in TOKYO SPECIAL EDITION” has been confirmed for September 3rd and 4th!

The two-day concert was originally scheduled for April 9th and 10th at the Tokyo Dome concert hall, but due to the natural disasters affecting Japan, SM Entertainment had no option but to postpone the date.

As the Tokyo Dome can house a 50,000 member audience, representatives are expecting over a 100,000 member audience over the two days.

Aside from Tokyo, “SM TOWN LIVE” will be heading to Paris, France on June 10th as well and all tickets were snapped up almost immediately after going on sale on April 26th.

Source: Newsen via Nate

Rush for Paris SMTown Tickets

Tickets for SMTown Paris went on sale on April 26th at 10:00 AM. Prestige tickets, which cost 111.50€ each, sold out in four minutes. The VIP packages at 89.50€, soundcheck packages at 221.50€, and pit seats at 51€ each sold out immediately, and category 1 seats at 67.50€ each sold out in less than fifteen minutes.

Because of cancellations and re-listed tickets as well as Live Nation providing goodie packages, a few lucky fans were able to buy tickets even after the initial offering was sold out. However, the best bet for those unable to buy a ticket so far is to visit resale or auction sites, which have marked up tickets to 225 to 500€.

SMTown Paris will be held at Le Zenith de Paris on June 10th, and in addition to Girls' Generation will feature Super Junior, TVXQ, f(x), and Shinee.

Source: Orient Extreme
Written by: residentbenchwarmer@soshified.com
Contributor: Soy@soshified.com

SMTown Live in Paris Confirmed for June 10

SM Entertainment is going to Europe and they are holding a concert in France, Paris for the first time.

SM revealed on the 20th, "SMTown World Tour that's has been held in Seoul, LA, Tokyo, Shanghai, etc, will also be held in 'Le Zenith de Paris', which is located in France, Paris, on June 10th. They plan to meet the music fans in Paris".

SM Entertainment is first Korean entertainment company to hold a joint concert in Europe.

The venue that the concert will be held in, 'Le Zenith de Paris', is also famous as a stage that world star singers like Ne-Yo, PCD, and the Jonas Brothers have performed in.

The SM artists that will participate in Paris performance include: TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, and f(x) are the leaders of the K-pop sensation in Europe. Because it's the first performance that popular K-pop singers will be holding in Paris, this will gain attention from music fans from Europe.

Also, last January, France TV Channel 2TV reported the Hallyu sensation with SM artists mainly.

SM Entertainment revealed that, "After performances in Asia and now through this concert in Paris, they plan to broaden their activities to US and Europe, and have their artists participate in global activities by using a variety of networking."

Translated by 오이사랑싴@soshified.com
Source: Asia Economy