K-pop, The Black Label raises 80 million led by Tencent and Krafton

The Black Label has raised about 120 billion won (about USD 80 million) in a Series B financing round, Bloomberg reported. The deal gives the company a valuation of 1 trillion won (about $660 million), confirming the growing interest of global investors in the K-pop entertainment industry.

The South Korean K-pop label, whose producers contributed key tracks to the soundtrack of KPop Demon Hunters for Netflix, has attracted as co-lead investors Krafton, the company that invested in "PUBG: Battlegrounds" the video game developed and published by Bluehole for Microsoft Windows, and Tencent Music Entertainment Group, China's largest streaming music operator. The deal, which values The Black Label at 1 trillion won (about USD 660 million), also involved Saehan Ventures, an existing shareholder of the company.

The CEO of the Korean company, Jung Kyoung In, said that the deal represents a 'solid foundation to take a leap forward as an entertainment company capable of leading the global market'.

The Black Label, co-founded in 2015 by Teddy Park, author of numerous hits for Blackpink and Bigbang, together with producer Kush. The label split from YG Entertainment in 2020 and now represents artists such as Rosé, Taeyang and Jeon Somi, as well as new groups MEOVV and AllDay Project.

The label's visibility increased significantly over the past year thanks to the soundtrack of KPop Demon Hunters, co-produced by Park. The Sony Pictures Animation film became the most-watched title ever on Netflix after its June 2025 release, subsequently winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards, as well as winning two Golden Globes. The soundtrack, released through Visva/Republic Records, dominated the charts in 2025, with the single 'Golden' reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.