Hello82

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hello82
IndustryMusic entertainment
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
FounderJae Yoon Choi
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California,
United States
Key people
  • Jae Yoon Choi (CEO)
  • Sang H. Cho (COO)
  • Moo Hyun Kim (CSO)
Websitehello82.com

Hello82 (stylized as hello82) is an American music and entertainment company founded in Los Angeles, California. The company serves as a record label specializing in distribution, marketing, event-planning, and content production. It operates with a global focus on promoting K-pop to audiences worldwide.[1]

History[edit]

KAI Media, operating as hello82 was founded in 2018. The company was founded in Los Angeles, California by Jae Yoon Choi as a digital media company,[2] and has served as an independent music label since 2021.[3] It has offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Seoul. In 2019, hello82 became an official Facebook media partner and started producing Facebook original shows such as 82Challenge and 82minutes.[4]

In 2021, the South Korean girl group ITZY collaborated with hello82 to introduce a new series titled IT'z Playtime.[5] Additionally, hello82 began partnering with K-pop artists for music distribution online and in-person for the United States and Europe market during the same year. In 2022, hello82 initiated their in-person event series, PLAY82, with NMIXX. In 2022, hello82 established over twelve pop-up stores in various locations which were decorated with photo walls, offered giveaways, and featured customized merchandise during the ATEEZ tour.[6] Moreover, they unveiled their flagship fan space, hello82 LA.[4] Subsequently, in 2024, an additional flagship fan space was established in Atlanta.[3]

In March 2024, hello82 announced that it secured funding from CRIT Ventures, Kakao Entertainment, and Snow Corp. bringing funding to $8 million to date.[7] hello82's Youtube channel has over 1.8 million followers with K-pop celebrities doing viral challenges, playing celebrity babysitter to kids and singing karaoke in foreign languages.[8]

Artists[edit]

Releases[edit]

P1Harmony's sixth mini-album, "HARMONY: ALL-IN", which was distributed by hello82, entered the Billboard 200 chart in June 2023. This marked the group's first Billboard 200 entry.[9] Later on in 2023, hello82 did the physical distribution and promotion of, ATEEZ's The World EP.Fin: Will, which debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart with 152,000 album-equivalent units, including 146,000 pure album sales. This marked ATEEZ's first number-one and fourth top-10 album in the United States.[6][10] The album also performed well in the United Kingdom, reaching a peak position of 2.[11] In 2024, hello82 released a special vinyl version of The World Ep.Fin: Will (X Ver.) for Record Store Day, marking their venture into vinyl distribution.[12][1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Aniftos, Rania (2024-02-05). "ATEEZ Is Record Store Day's First-Ever K-Pop Artist of the Year". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  2. ^ Yoo, Hong (2024-04-10). "[Herald Interview] K-pop at forefront of changing music consumption: Hello82 founder". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  3. ^ a b Peoples, Glenn (2024-04-03). "KAI Media, Company Behind K-Pop Label hello82, Raises More Funding for Expansion". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  4. ^ a b Fell, Nicole (2024-04-11). "Hello82 and Grammy Museum Open K-Pop Pop-Ups Ahead of Coachella". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  5. ^ "Girl group ITZY releases first episode of YouTube series 'IT'z Playtime'". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff (2022-12-08). "How hello82 Brought K-Pop Fan E-Commerce to the Top of the Charts & On Tour With ATEEZ". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  7. ^ "KAI Media, Company Behind K-Pop Label hello82, Raises More Funding for Expansion". Yahoo Finance. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  8. ^ "hello82 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  9. ^ "P1Harmony enters Billboard 200 chart for first time". koreatimes. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  10. ^ Benjamin, Jeff. "ATEEZ's Album Collaboration With Hello82 Leads A Virtual Reinvention Of Record Store Experiences". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  11. ^ "THE WORLD EP.FIN: WILL". Official Charts. 2023-12-14. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  12. ^ Kocharian, Joseph (2023-12-11). "ATEEZ, 'THE WORLD EP.FIN : WILL' review". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
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