May I send you my resume, sir?

I like this interview: Lee Soo Man

I may not like the SM Entertainment handling of a lot of things and them acting as if the entire world owes them, but I have to take my hat off for Mr. Lee.

I love how he stands strong by his vision and how he is able to make me see the things he has done for SME from his point of view.

I may not agree with the slave contracts and the mad hours my boys are put through, but I have to admit, Mr. Lee has a point about the investment bit.

He is genius in making culture into business. I wish I can work under him and learn everything he has to offer for the music industry.

It is much different from the type of business we have been exposed to, and the type of artist management style is different too. (I would not sign a 13-year contract for ANYTHING.)

My favourite bits:

About Culture Technology:
“The IT (information technology) industry is often said to be a high risk-high profit industry. However, CT is an industry with an even bigger risk-profit ratio. In an industry like this, the most important thing is to avoid things that happen by chance or only once. To give an example, a talented artisan possesses pottery making skills that are unrivaled by anyone. His skills lie in his sense of touch and his fingertips. If you want to learn these skills, you have no choice but to train under him. However, if this skill can be written out carefully and taught to the disciples, and if he could pass this skill down successfully and receive copyright fees – this could become an industry. This is what SM Entertainment is trying to do. Whatever skills I, or one of our employees possess, are written out and passed down through training and education. Only then can something become continuous. If this kind of system cannot be established, everything will only have happened by chance and end as a one-time occurrence.”

I learnt about culture technology in class, but I think Mr. Lee has summed up beautifully what it is about. The idea of it is brilliant, but even more so the implementation of it. *in awe*

About breaking the US market:
“No, it’s not like that. Rather than venturing into the U.S., we are just holding a concert as a consolation for the people we consider a part of an imaginary country called SM TOWN. The markets of China and Asia will be bigger than the U.S. market. Thus, it isn’t really necessary to go into the U.S. In the near future, when a ‘Hollywood of Asia’ appears, the cultural center of the world will make a big shift to Asia. Asian songs are not well known in the U.S.? Totally irrelevant because Asia will soon become the center.”

Very bold, and very frank. Both traits I aim to foster in myself. Everyone talks as if the US/Westernisation is the way to go. While some Western traits will help Asian culture, it's time for an Asian Revolution. Mr. Lee talks as if he don't give two hoots about the Western music industry, they're gonna come knocking on his door in due time.

Mr. Lee, may I please be your disciple?