KWAVESCOPE · AGENCY PROFILE
BIGHIT MUSIC
The HYBE music label behind BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and CORTIS.
Updated October 20, 2026 · Back to all K-POP agencies
BIGHIT MUSIC at a glance
- Origin: Big Hit Entertainment was founded in 2005 by producer Bang Si-hyuk; BIGHIT MUSIC now operates as a label under HYBE.
- Label roster: BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, CORTIS and the solo artist Lee Hyun/MIDNATT, as listed in HYBE’s company/artist materials.
- Location: HYBE headquarters, 42 Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. This is the parent company’s building, not a separate public BIGHIT tourist centre.
- FY2025 financial context: HYBE consolidated revenue of approximately KRW 2.650 trillion, with operating profit around KRW 49.3 billion. These are HYBE group figures, not BIGHIT MUSIC standalone results.
- Fan platform: Weverse carries artist-community notices, memberships and many time-sensitive event instructions; the label and artist sites carry discographies and official visual material.
- Visitor rule: the original Yongsan HYBE INSIGHT museum closed in January 2023; special pop-ups may require separate reservations.
Company overview
Ask three fans what BIGHIT MUSIC means to them and you may get three very different answers. One grew up with BTS’s early records; another found TOMORROW X TOGETHER through a concept film; the third discovered CORTIS’s restless, hands-on approach to music and video. They are all looking at the same label, but not the same musical story. That variety is a useful starting point for understanding BIGHIT today.
Company, labels and artist relationships
BTS has seven members and an extensive group catalog, yet each member also has individual releases to explore. TXT arrived in 2019 as a five-member act with a separate name, sound and narrative. CORTIS, the newest of these groups, debuted in 2025 and has been presented as a five-person team involved in its own creative process. None is a unit of another.
KWaveScope A–Z groups
The links below lead to BIGHIT’s three groups already indexed in KWaveScope’s A–Z profiles. Lee Hyun/MIDNATT and the members’ solo careers are discussed later, as are earlier acts from the company’s history.
How to verify official news
Finding the right official source matters more here than it might appear. HYBE’s newsroom covers many labels; an entry tagged BIGHIT MUSIC concerns this label, while news about ENHYPEN, SEVENTEEN or LE SSERAFIM belongs to their own companies. For a precise tracklist or a music video, the BTS, TXT and CORTIS artist pages are often the clearest starting point.
A deeper look: history, finances and fan visits
The story also has a physical address. Fans travel to Yongsan to see the HYBE building, but the building is not a public rehearsal-room tour or a permanent museum. We’ll look at what the company makes public, where past exhibitions were held and which kinds of temporary events are actually open to visitors.
Company history and milestones
2005: the origin of Big Hit
Bang Si-hyuk founded Big Hit Entertainment in 2005, long before HYBE became a multi-label group. The early company worked with singers and vocal projects as it gradually developed its own identity. Those beginnings help explain why the name ‘Big Hit’ has a history separate from the wider corporate brand it later helped create.
2013: BTS begins a new chapter
When BTS debuted in 2013, the company was still much smaller than the international operation it would become. Over the following years, BTS developed a catalog that moved between rap, pop, personal storytelling and ambitious live performance. The band’s seven-member identity remained clear even as the members released their own records.
2019: TOMORROW X TOGETHER
TOMORROW X TOGETHER debuted in 2019, six years after BTS. Its five members—Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai—built their own musical world rather than becoming an extension of the earlier group. Stories of friendship, uncertainty and change run through their connected album chapters.
2021: HYBE and the label structure
In 2021, the parent company reorganized under the HYBE name while BIGHIT MUSIC continued as a label. This is the dividing line that readers should remember: a HYBE financial report covers a much wider business, while a BIGHIT artist announcement concerns the label itself.
2025: CORTIS and a new generation
CORTIS joined the label’s roster in 2025. The five members—Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho—were introduced with a particular emphasis on helping make their own music, choreography and visual work. Their second EP ‘GREENGREEN’ followed in 2026. Lee Hyun, also associated with the MIDNATT project, gives the label another, older musical thread.
Former and notable artists: who shaped the agency?
The current core label roster is more focused than HYBE’s giant artist directory: Lee Hyun/MIDNATT, BTS, TXT and CORTIS. You’ll find these alongside each other in official business materials. Fans searching for ILLIT or SEVENTEEN should use their respective label pages rather than treating every HYBE act as a BIGHIT performer.
How big is BIGHIT MUSIC / HYBE?
KRW 2,649.9 billion (HYBE GROUP, not BIGHIT MUSIC)
KRW 49.3 billion (HYBE GROUP, not BIGHIT MUSIC)
The figures below belong to HYBE’s FY2025 consolidated group accounts, not to BIGHIT MUSIC alone. HYBE combines more than one label with concerts, fan services and other businesses. Assigning all of that revenue to BTS or any single BIGHIT group would give readers the wrong impression.
Financial figures refer to the year ended December 31, 2025 and are presented in Korean won. They should be compared with other companies only on the same accounting basis.
Headquarters address and Google Maps
English: 42 Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Korean for taxis and map apps: 서울특별시 용산구 한강대로 42
Open on Google Maps ↗Get directions ↗
How do I get there by subway?
For the HYBE building, Sinyongsan Station on Line 4 and nearby Yongsan Station are useful arrival points. Check a current Korean map for the exit and walk to 42 Hangang-daero. A photo stop at a corporate building is very different from arriving for a ticketed exhibition, so make sure you have the actual event address before travelling.
The address is public company information, not a clue to artists’ schedules. There is no reason to assume that a BTS member or TXT member will enter the building while a visitor is there. A live map will help with the walking route; an official artist announcement is what helps with concert and event plans.
Can fans go inside or meet artists?
The headquarters is first and foremost a workplace. Staff offices, dance practice areas and recording rooms are not part of a standing visitor tour. During a specially announced public program, one floor or entrance may have different access rules, but those rules apply only to the event and dates specified.
What is special inside the agency?
The building is often discussed as if it were a single giant music studio. In practice, the parent company brings together a range of people whose work runs from label management and video production to platforms, live events and business operations. The available workplace descriptions are interesting precisely because they show those behind-the-scenes roles.
Fitness and well-being
HYBE describes exercise, wellness and other employee benefits in its recruitment information. Such amenities are intended for people working within the company. The fact that a fitness area exists does not make it a tourist gym, and a staff benefit at one HYBE entity should not automatically be assumed at every overseas subsidiary.
Cafeteria and creative break spaces
The company also describes meal support and spaces to rest between working sessions, including lounge facilities. Those details help explain how an office with creative and administrative teams operates throughout the day. They aren’t a menu of facilities fans can book during a headquarters visit.
Office, studios and label teams
It is tempting to imagine that every HYBE label works from one identical studio, but the organization is much broader. BIGHIT MUSIC shares a corporate environment with other businesses while retaining its own artist identity. Visitors should not expect public access to production rooms, rehearsal schedules or label staff.
What happened to HYBE INSIGHT?
Older travel posts still recommend the HYBE INSIGHT museum in Yongsan. The museum’s own website states that it closed there in January 2023. HYBE INSIGHT remains an exhibition brand that can stage projects elsewhere, so check the newest official exhibition announcement rather than going to the old address expecting a permanent museum.
Temporary public pop-ups do happen
There have been exceptions to the no-public-tour rule. Official BTS notices described an ‘ARIRANG’ pop-up on part of the Yongsan premises from March 20 to April 12, 2026, with another window in June. Both have finished. They show that a special fan experience can take place at the headquarters, not that the entire building is regularly open to the public.
What else can a fan do nearby?
After an exterior photo, Yongsan and nearby Yongridan-gil make a pleasant public walking route with cafes and stores. Museums or concerts elsewhere in Seoul can also turn a short stop into a full outing. Just check the precise venue for any HYBE event—it may be in another district entirely.
Frequently asked questions before visiting
Is HYBE INSIGHT still open at Yongsan?
No. HYBE’s official exhibition website says the Yongsan museum closed in January 2023.
Can I enter the HYBE headquarters without a reservation?
Not as a general office tourist. Temporary public events have their own rules; a past pop-up is not proof of access today.
Did BTS hold a pop-up inside the building in 2026?
Yes. Weverse announced a first-floor ARIRANG pop-up with advance reservations in March–April and a further June schedule. Both have ended.
Is HYBE’s revenue the same as BIGHIT MUSIC’s revenue?
No. The published KRW 2,649.9 billion figure is HYBE’s consolidated group revenue for FY 2025, not a comparable BIGHIT-only amount.
Can I use the staff restaurant or gym?
They are company workplace benefits. There is no standing tourist-use policy established by these sources.
What is the best way to find legitimate fan events?
Check the official artist site, Weverse notices or HYBE’s newsroom. Confirm the actual venue, dates and reservation requirements for each event.
Official sources used for this expanded guide
- BIGHIT MUSIC official current artist list ↗
- HYBE company overview and history ↗
- HYBE careers: employee benefits ↗
Visitor access and store schedules can change. This guide distinguishes an exterior visit or announced public retail event from a private workplace. Do not follow artists, crowd entrances, photograph staff against their wishes or enter restricted areas.
Beyond A–Z: BIGHIT MUSIC’s complete core lineup and solo careers
People often say ‘HYBE artists’ when they mean ‘BIGHIT artists’, but those are not interchangeable lists. BIGHIT is the label home of BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and CORTIS, with Lee Hyun/MIDNATT also identified in HYBE’s label descriptions. Other popular HYBE groups are run through different companies. That separation is the starting point for understanding this page.
Below, group members and solo recording projects are shown separately. Listing all seven BTS members is not meant to count them as seven extra independent groups. It lets readers find the right discography and distinguish a concert announcement from a member’s own release.
| Artist / project | Relationship to BIGHIT MUSIC | Members and context |
|---|---|---|
| BTS | Seven-member BIGHIT MUSIC group | RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. Group discography and members’ solo recordings coexist, but they are different release categories. |
| RM | BTS member and solo recording artist | A leader and songwriter whose individual albums are part of his personal discography, not BTS group album releases. |
| Jin | BTS member and solo recording artist | His solo music and fan-facing programs should be filed under Jin even while BTS activities continue. |
| SUGA / Agust D | BTS member and solo artist | ‘Agust D’ is an established solo moniker; avoid treating it as a separate group or a separate HYBE label. |
| j-hope | BTS member and solo recording artist | His personal recording projects and performance events require their own official scheduling checks. |
| Jimin | BTS member and solo recording artist | Solo releases are distinct from BTS records and are not attributed to the entire group. |
| V | BTS member and solo recording artist | His own recordings and appearances have individual timelines, even when he participates in a BTS group comeback. |
| Jung Kook | BTS member and solo recording artist | Global solo singles and albums belong to his individual discography rather than a group release listing. |
| TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) | Five-member BIGHIT MUSIC group | Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai. TXT is an independent group—not a BTS subunit. |
| Yeonjun | TXT member with solo releases and stages | The official HYBE newsroom carried his individual performance coverage in 2026; do not mistake it for a whole TXT group show. |
| CORTIS | Five-member BIGHIT MUSIC group | Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho. Official materials emphasize co-creation in writing, choreography and visuals. |
| Lee Hyun / MIDNATT | Solo artist associated with the label | The same artist may be referred to by the name Lee Hyun and the MIDNATT project. He also links the current label to its earlier vocal-group history. |
| BTS group catalog | Album releases, touring and official group performances | The 2026 ‘ARIRANG’ era and its tour are BTS group activities; members’ personal projects have their own separate notices. |
| TXT group catalog | Records, visual storytelling and live events | A five-person repertoire covering the Dream, Chaos and Star chapters, with its own official artist site. |
| CORTIS group catalog | Debut and second EP | The 2025 ‘COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES’ and 2026 ‘GREENGREEN’ projects are the group’s own material. |
| Earlier label projects | Historical affiliations only | 8Eight, Homme and the earlier Big Hit-era catalog belong to the company’s story; they are not current BIGHIT boy-group entries. |
The labels and artist names above follow HYBE’s current business-and-label description ↗ and the artists’ official sites. The CORTIS member names are also published on the group’s official Japanese profile ↗.
BIGHIT is a HYBE label—not another name for HYBE
When Big Hit Entertainment reorganized under the HYBE corporate name in 2021, BIGHIT MUSIC continued as a label. That history creates understandable confusion: the name on BTS records is BIGHIT, while HYBE financial statements may combine results from many labels, ticketing activities, music products and platforms. A label can share an office with a parent company without managing every artist in the building.
| Company or business | Artists / activity generally linked to it | Why it is not BIGHIT MUSIC |
|---|---|---|
| BIGHIT MUSIC | BTS, TXT, CORTIS, Lee Hyun/MIDNATT | This page’s actual label subject; BIGHIT is part of the HYBE corporate family. |
| BELIFT LAB | ENHYPEN, ILLIT, EVAN | A different HYBE label with separate artist management and official announcements. |
| PLEDIS Entertainment | SEVENTEEN, TWS, Hwang Min-hyun and other acts | Its artists should be listed under PLEDIS even when a HYBE press release covers them. |
| SOURCE MUSIC | LE SSERAFIM | A separate corporate music label; sharing HYBE ownership does not make LE SSERAFIM a BIGHIT act. |
| KOZ Entertainment | ZICO, BOYNEXTDOOR | Another HYBE-affiliated music business, with its own current artist roster. |
| ADOR | NewJeans | A separate HYBE-related company; do not transfer its artists into BIGHIT based on parentage. |
| HYBE LABELS JAPAN / Japanese operations | &TEAM, aoen and other Japan-led projects | Regional management and overseas debuts require label-specific verification. |
| HYBE’s American joint ventures | KATSEYE and other American/global artists | HYBE participation in a business venture does not make that performer a BIGHIT MUSIC artist. |
| Weverse and related platform businesses | Fans, memberships, content and commerce tools | A platform used by an artist is not automatically that artist’s management company. |
For example, an ENHYPEN announcement may appear in HYBE’s press room because BELIFT LAB is part of the group, but it is not a BIGHIT MUSIC press release. Likewise, HYBE’s platform products are available to artists from different companies. The most accurate agency entry names both the label and its parent rather than merging them.
Former and legacy artists from the Big Hit era
BIGHIT’s history started as a much smaller production company. Early vocal projects such as 8Eight and Homme help explain the road to BTS, yet they belong to a different chapter in the business. Not every collaboration, joint-management project or past recording contract remains active. Historical context is valuable precisely because it stays separate from the current roster.
Lee Hyun provides a bridge between that earlier period and the modern label. Readers may encounter him under his personal name or as MIDNATT. It is one artist’s evolving career rather than two unrelated BIGHIT acts. Collaborative projects involving other companies should not be used to imply a present exclusive contract.
A listening journey from BTS to TXT and CORTIS
Each generation has its own musical vocabulary. BTS built an unusually broad discography, from its early hip-hop-inflected debut to the global-pop era and the 2026 ‘ARIRANG’ chapter. TXT developed its own youthful concept stories, while CORTIS’s creative work is presented by the label as a five-person shared process.
| Era | Artist | Suggested listen | What it tells us |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 onward | Big Hit Entertainment’s early years | Music-production and artist-development company | The original company history begins before the HYBE multi-label group existed. |
| 2007–2014 era | 8Eight / Lee Hyun | ‘Without a Heart’ and Lee Hyun’s early recordings | A vocal-and-ballad heritage that predates the global BTS years. |
| 2010s | Homme | ‘I Was Able to Eat Well’ | A collaborative vocal project associated with the earlier Big Hit catalog. |
| 2013 | BTS | ‘No More Dream’ | The beginning of BTS as a seven-member group with its own story. |
| 2015 | BTS | ‘I NEED U’, ‘RUN’ | A turning point in the group’s narrative-driven music. |
| 2016–17 | BTS | ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’, ‘Spring Day’ | Two distinct musical moods at a pivotal stage in the band’s ascent. |
| 2018 | BTS | ‘FAKE LOVE’, ‘IDOL’ | Records from the LOVE YOURSELF period that brought a much broader global audience. |
| 2019 | TOMORROW X TOGETHER | ‘CROWN’ | A new group, not a continuation or subunit of BTS. |
| 2020 | BTS | ‘Dynamite’ | An English-language hit that brought the group into a new pop context. |
| 2020 | TXT | ‘Blue Hour’ | A different take on youthful pop and performance. |
| 2021 | BTS | ‘Butter’, ‘Permission to Dance’ | A more mainstream-facing phase of the group’s international catalog. |
| 2021 | TXT | ‘0X1=LOVESONG’, ‘LO$ER=LO♡ER’ | A rock-influenced emotional sound that differs sharply from early TXT. |
| 2022 | BTS | ‘Yet to Come’ / ‘Proof’ | A retrospective moment that connected the band’s history with its next chapter. |
| 2023–2024 | BTS members’ solo releases | ‘Seven’, ‘Like Crazy’, ‘Standing Next to You’ and other solo tracks | Member credits and solo record labels should be checked per release. |
| 2024–2025 | TXT | ‘Deja Vu’, ‘Beautiful Strangers’ | The group’s evolving album narratives beyond its debut chapters. |
| 2025 | CORTIS | ‘GO!’, ‘What You Want’, ‘FaSHioN’ | A five-member creator-oriented act with a distinct debut direction. |
| 2026 | BTS | ‘ARIRANG’ | A new group chapter documented in HYBE and the official BTS discography. |
| 2026 | CORTIS | ‘GREENGREEN’ | A second EP with documented contributions across songwriting and creative production. |
Eight questions people ask about BIGHIT MUSIC
1. Who founded BIGHIT MUSIC, and where does Bang Si-hyuk fit in?
Bang Si-hyuk founded Big Hit Entertainment in 2005. The company grew far beyond its early size during BTS’s rise, eventually adopting the HYBE name at the parent-company level while BIGHIT MUSIC carried on as the music label. The founder’s creative and corporate roles are part of the story, but today’s records involve many artists, writers, production teams and managers.
The name change matters for research. Searching only for ‘Big Hit Entertainment’ can return older documents; searching only for ‘HYBE’ can mix together unrelated label announcements. For today’s BIGHIT performers, use the label’s official artist websites and HYBE’s newsroom entries that identify BIGHIT MUSIC as the relevant label.
2. How do BTS, TXT and CORTIS differ musically?
BTS began with a strong youth narrative and rap-centred early releases, then expanded across dance-pop, ballads, global-chart singles and solo projects. TXT entered in 2019 with a separate five-member identity, telling coming-of-age stories across connected albums. CORTIS debuted in 2025, with the label emphasizing shared songwriting and production among five young creators.
The best way to hear the difference is to compare official tracks rather than press descriptions: try BTS’s ‘Spring Day’, TXT’s ‘0X1=LOVESONG’ and CORTIS’s ‘What You Want’. Three groups from the same label can sound nothing alike, and that variety is worth preserving in their individual profiles.
3. Is HYBE the same company as BIGHIT MUSIC?
No. HYBE is the wider corporate group. BIGHIT MUSIC is one music label under that umbrella. HYBE also has other artist companies, platform activity and international partnerships, and they publish news through different channels. An idol using Weverse does not become a BIGHIT artist merely because HYBE owns part of the platform business.
The distinction also applies to financial reporting. HYBE reported around KRW 2.650 trillion in 2025 consolidated revenue and about KRW 49.3 billion in operating profit. Those amounts cover the HYBE group, not a separately published BIGHIT MUSIC standalone income statement.
4. How can someone audition for BIGHIT MUSIC?
Look for a current audition notice issued by BIGHIT MUSIC or an official HYBE recruitment or audition program that expressly names the label. Requirements can differ between an open casting event, a global search, a trainee project and a regional audition. Do not rely on outdated posters, fan-account applications or emails that mimic the company’s branding.
Check birth-year limits, nationalities accepted, performance categories, whether files are submitted online and the exact closing date. An official application is not an invitation to turn up at HYBE’s Seoul office without an appointment. Minors should involve a parent or guardian when sharing personal information or making travel arrangements.
5. Where can fans buy official BTS, TXT and CORTIS merchandise?
Artist-specific notices and official commerce channels are the practical starting point. Merchandise may be sold online, at concert venues or through short-lived pop-ups. A limited item can have membership presales, pickup restrictions or identity checks that are explained only in the event notice.
Do not assume every Weverse Shop item is produced by BIGHIT MUSIC, because Weverse hosts merchandise for many artists. Likewise, a HYBE event in one city does not mean the Yongsan building has a permanent retail store. Check the artist and product name, seller, venue, dates and official purchase link each time.
6. Can fans enter the HYBE building or visit HYBE INSIGHT?
The parent-company headquarters is at 42 Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. It is an active office, and rehearsal rooms, recording facilities and staff spaces are not regular public attractions. The original HYBE INSIGHT museum at Yongsan closed in January 2023, as its own website confirms; old tourist listings that describe it as an open museum are outdated.
Special events are a separate matter. Official notices documented a limited BTS ‘ARIRANG’ pop-up at the building in March–April and again in June 2026, with dates and reservation rules. Both periods have ended. A visitor should book only events that are genuinely announced for the date of the trip.
7. Where should ARMY, MOA or CORTIS fans send letters?
There is no single universal mailing policy that automatically covers every artist or every kind of gift. A fan-community notice may accept letters, reject packages or provide a specific method for a particular event. Being able to find the corporate street address online does not guarantee that a package handed to reception will reach an artist.
Use the current notices for BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER or CORTIS to find the permitted channel. Follow individual instructions for labels, wrapping and prohibited items. Do not send to private residences, wait at staff entrances or assume an artist can receive gifts during a concert without a published arrangement.
8. What does HYBE’s revenue say about BIGHIT’s importance?
HYBE’s consolidated results bring together multiple music labels and other activities. Financial scale can offer context for investment in touring, recorded music, merchandise, content and technology, but it is not a reliable measure of one label’s independent profit. BIGHIT’s contribution should not be estimated by simply assigning all of HYBE’s revenue to BTS, TXT or CORTIS.
HYBE’s July 2026 press release reported a record second quarter supported in part by BTS touring and other label activity. That is strong evidence about the wider corporate business, not a standalone BIGHIT earnings statement. A responsible comparison with SM, JYP and YG keeps parent-group and subsidiary accounting clearly labelled.
Official resources and where to check first
- HYBE’s business and label directory ↗
- Official BTS discography ↗
- Official TOMORROW X TOGETHER profile ↗
- Official CORTIS profile ↗
Editorial check: October 20, 2026. Artist rosters, merchandise windows, pop-up exhibitions, solo activities and casting programs can change. BIGHIT MUSIC and its parent HYBE should remain separate throughout financial and artist reporting.
Looking ahead
It is remarkable how much different music fits under the BIGHIT name. BTS’s long journey, TXT’s album storytelling and CORTIS’s new creative identity have little need to imitate one another. The larger HYBE group makes those careers part of a substantial global business, but the music still belongs to the artists and teams who make it. Following the right label is one way to keep those stories clear.