AGP Executive Report

K-pop Box Office & Tours: HYBE swung back to operating profit in Q2, with BTS’s ARIRANG world tour driving a huge jump in concert revenue and recorded music gains. K-pop Streaming Buzz: ILLIT’s “Tick-Tack” passed 200M Spotify streams, fueled by short-form dance virality. K-pop Awards: The 2026 K World Dream Awards named AKMU, I.O.I, aespa, IVE, HWASA and YENA as Best Song winners. K-pop Live Moments: TOMORROW X TOGETHER marks its 7th anniversary with the immersive “LAYERS OF US” exhibition in Seoul, while the Asia Artist Awards 2026 lineup adds LNGSHOT, &TEAM and ATEEZ for a two-day show in Kaohsiung. Regional Music Scene: Bangkok ordered 79 entertainment venues to halt operations after a week of safety and licensing checks, including suspensions of live music at some sites. Nepal Live Return: Madan Krishna Shrestha returns to the Paleti stage after 18 years, performing with his son Yaman. India Pop Culture: Mahira Sharma’s “Ranaji 2.0” remake sparked backlash from fans who say the original magic is missing.

K-Pop Live Circuit: ILLIT adds encore dates to its debut tour “PRESS START♥,” extending the run in South Korea and Japan after sold-out momentum, while BE BOYS wrap Japan free showcases with a surprise encore and H1-KEY turns Waterbomb Seoul into a vocal-and-visual showcase. Philippines Spotlight: AHOF returns to Manila for “The First Spark” fan concert, and XG brings its “THE CORE” stage to the city with tight vocals, rap, and unit performances. Anime Music Drop: BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity releases its opening and ending themes—jo0ji’s “I-BULL” and 9Lana’s “RASEN”—now streaming via Hulu. China Pop Culture Industry: The 16th China International Animation Copyright Fair opens in Dongguan in August, aiming to connect IP, tech, manufacturing and designer-toy culture. Local Scene & Culture: Bangkok’s malls keep evolving into social hubs, while Qinghai’s international traditional archery tournament concludes with youth categories and folk-music-led festivities.

Philippines Tourism: P-pop supergroup SB19 has been named a new tourism ambassador for the Philippines, with the Department of Tourism pointing to their US and ASEAN fan pull as more people book trips to see them live. Japan x AI OOH: Asahi Super Dry teamed up with Japanese-born artist-musician Hisham Akira Bharoocha and AI for a London Piccadilly Lights takeover, “The Infinite Can,” designed from his work and shown across 400+ outdoor designs. China Pop Culture on Screen: A new documentary, WHAM! 10 Days in China, lands in theaters, revisiting George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s 1985 Beijing/Guangzhou concerts and the behind-the-scenes pressure and politics. UK Music Loss: Bill Oddie of The Goodies has died at 85, remembered as a comedian, musician, and longtime conservation campaigner. Music Tech (Asia): Tokyo-based ChainBow released Otoha, an iOS/macOS audio player that creates sentence-level subtitles for local recordings and can explain lines for language learners. India Pop Spotlight: Indian Idol 16 winner Jyotirmayee Nayak took home Rs 20 lakh and says she wants to lend her voice to Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone. K-pop/Live Culture: ILLIT wrapped its first Japan tour after 11 sold-out shows, while FIFTY FIFTY teased its first-ever Asia fan concert tour across Seoul, Tokyo, and Manila.

K-pop Live Buzz (Seoul): Stray Kids keep rolling through Seoul’s KSPO Dome (RUN IT SEOUL) with more dates through Aug 2, while Indie/Rock Picks (Seoul): American Football hit YES24 Wanderloch Hall and Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival returns with Khruangbin and Silica Gel. Korean Summer Events (Busan): Busan Cinema Center lines up film-music nights and silent-film screenings, plus an outdoor concert series paired with a bakery market. Pacific Music & AI Debate: Nesian All Stars artists from Solomon Islands and PNG say AI can help with production, but “soul” and real stage presence still matter to listeners. India Music Heritage Spotlight: Tripura’s CM says PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat highlighted the Chongpreng instrument and local preservation efforts. Live/Community Culture: Belfast’s Fleadh in Belfast is set to draw ~800,000 visitors with cross-community trad, dhol, Indian dance and more (Aug 2–9). Box Office (India): Kiran Abbavaram’s Chennai Love Story improves Day 2 collections (+11.1%) and pushes worldwide gross past Rs 15 crore. Reality TV Music-Adjacent: Big Brother Naija Season 11 opens with 24 new housemates under the “Show ya sef” theme.

K-pop Spotlight: Stray Kids will release digital album “SKZ-REPLAY 2026 Pt.1” on Aug. 1, kicking off “2026 STAYweeK” ahead of their new mini album “THIS & THAT” (Aug. 7). Tourism x Pop: Philippines’ DOT names SB19 as new tourism ambassadors, betting on the group’s global reach to pull more visitors to the country. Live Music & Culture: Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri returns with centuries-old float processions, Shinto rituals, and music-led parades drawing huge crowds. Privacy & Pop Safety: CORTIS faces renewed sasaeng concerns after two Chinese women were arrested for alleged dorm trespassing in Seoul. Fan Moments: FIFTY FIFTY shares spoilers for its first fan concert via a surprise live stream, teasing live singing and a setlist highlight. India Music & Protest: Ram Shankar and Sneha Shankar back students’ education demands at an album launch centered on the Hanuman Chalisa. Global AI Governance: China’s Xi calls for stronger international AI governance at WAIC in Shanghai, pushing a fair framework as AI reshapes economies.

K-pop Heat: aespa’s first Japanese mini album KISS N TELL debuts at No. 1 on Oricon’s Daily Album Chart, while Jennie’s “Less than a Lover” hits #1 on iTunes in 27 regions and tops major China platforms. J-pop Comeback: ILLIT teases its Japan return with “I Got Your Back,” set for July 26 digital release and July 29 physical drop. Live & Culture in Asia: Malaysia’s Citrawarna 2026 kicks off in Kuala Lumpur with a parade featuring 3,500 dancers and music/dance showcases. Heritage with a Music Angle: Beijing marks the 2nd anniversary of the UNESCO-listed Central Axis with free openings and new exhibitions. Regional Youth Anthem: Fiji hands over a Pacific Youth Anthem created by its National Youth Band for use across 14 Pacific Island countries. Classical Education Push: SPIC MACAY’s Virasat-2026 brings Kuchipudi workshops to government schools in Telangana. Music Storytelling: Canadian melodic rock band Fatal Vision releases “Maybe Someday,” continuing the cinematic world of Four Sides to Every Story.

K-pop Idol Safety: CORTIS’ Seoul dorm case is back in the spotlight after two women were detained over alleged privacy breaches, reigniting fears around sasaeng behavior and celebrity intrusion. Commonwealth Games Music: Composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan will perform at Glasgow 2026’s closing ceremony, promising a set built around Indian sports and classics including a Vande Mataram recreation with his sons. AI & Copyright in India: Delhi High Court rejected ANI’s bid for an interim stop against OpenAI, citing fair dealing and public interest concerns for millions of ChatGPT users. Tech Outage: OpenAI’s services went down for many users, with reports of “too many concurrent requests” and failures across ChatGPT and related tools. Cultural Exchange via Music: Inner Mongolia folk-rockers Hanggai return to Lincoln Center for Chinese Arts Week, blending throat singing and traditional instruments with modern rock. Diaspora Spotlight: India’s President Murmu praised the Indian community in Romania as “true representatives of India,” highlighting cultural ties and cooperation. Live Music & Venues: Sydney’s Afterpay Arena officially reopened after a major overhaul, rolling out payment flexibility across the fan experience.

South Asia in the spotlight (Toronto): The free 9th annual Taste of India Festival takes over Nathan Phillips Square Aug. 1–2 with non-stop live entertainment, food stalls, and a headline performance by dancer/actress Lauren Gottlieb, plus sets from Team Oorja, Natya Usha Dance Academy and Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Game music AMA (Japan): Square Enix Music’s Discord is running an AMA with Elliot: The Millennium Tales composers Yūto Moritani and Tomohiro Nakamachi, with questions open until July 29 and the session set for Aug. 7. Anime English dub rollout (Japan/Asia): Though I Am an Inept Villainess drops an English-dub trailer ahead of its July 26 streaming debut on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix (Asia). K-pop live (Philippines): AHOF brings its “The First Spark” Manila concerts July 25–26 at SM Mall of Asia Arena. Classical crossovers (Vienna): A Vienna Golden July recital spotlights Chinese piano works, pairing pieces like Moonlight Sonata with Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon. K-pop tour broadcast (global): CORTIS’ “PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN” LA tour gets a live cinema broadcast Aug. 13–14. Pasifika album drop (global): Disney Music Group reveals Moana: Voices Across the Ocean tracklist, with Dwayne Johnson on “Your Dad,” releasing July 31. Bangladesh milestone: Runa Laila performs her first-ever solo concert at Shilpakala Academy, marking 62 years in music.

K-pop in Manila: AHOF (All-time Hall Of Famer) will bring its “The First Spark” two-day concert to SM Mall of Asia Arena on July 25–26, with the nine-member group (including Filipino performer JL) performing hits like “Rendezvous” and “The Universe.” Protest playlists in India: NEET demonstrations across Mizoram and beyond keep turning to familiar songs—“Give Me Some Sunshine” from 3 Idiots, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s “Hum Dekhenge,” and “Saadda Haq”—as chants and solidarity. Japan summer festival heat: Kyoto’s Gion Festival crowds packed in for the Saki Matsuri float processions, with Gion-bayashi festival music driving the moving “museum” of decorated floats. Car culture meets AI (India): Jeep launched the Meridian 85th Anniversary Edition (limited to 85 units) and rolled out Stellantis CARA AI across the range, supporting voice control in 52 languages including major Indian ones. Court ruling on music/news IP (India): Delhi High Court refused ANI’s interim injunction against OpenAI, saying training on copyrighted material can fall under fair dealing and that outputs weren’t substantially similar. K-pop global momentum: Jennie dropped the “Less than a Lover” music video, already pulling millions of views as she explores the blurry line between friendship and romance.

Pacific & South Asia Live Culture: The Sault Malayalee Association’s Aaravam 2026 Onam lands Aug. 22 with a 24-dish Kerala Sadya plus Onam dance, music, art and games at Marconi Multicultural Event Centre. Sri Lanka Arts + Music: The first Colombo Literary Festival opens today (July 24) as a trilingual event (Sinhala, Tamil, English) mixing talks with music and cinema across Colombo venues. Pacific Pop Milestone: Opetaia Foa’i receives a “Billions Award” for “We Know The Way” from Moana, highlighting how Oceanic languages and storytelling are reaching global audiences. India Youth Protest Turns Viral Through Song: Mizoram protesters in the CJP movement sing “Give Me Some Sunshine” from 3 Idiots instead of chanting slogans, spreading a calm, emotional message online. K-Pop Comeback Buzz: aespa drops the “KISS N TELL” MV for its Japan return, while RIIZE shares a “Do Your Dance” performance recap from N Seoul Tower. Charts (South Korea): Circle Chart lists top digital singles and physical albums for July 12–18, with RESCENE, CORTIS and aespa leading. Music in Film/Global Screen: Sony’s Ramayana adaptation gets worldwide rights outside India, with music from Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman.

P-pop Spotlight: SB19 teased a new single, “Lawless,” arriving July 31, with the music video dropping the same day—plus major US appearances including Grammy Museum “Global Spin Live,” a Chicago White Sox/Yankees first pitch, and Lollapalooza (first Filipino homegrown act there). Live-Market Expansion: SM Prime is ramping up Cebu’s concert scene with 20+ big events planned for the new SM Seaside Cebu Arena, aiming to pull more regional live entertainment demand and tourism. India Film Buzz: Vijay’s final film “Jana Nayagan” opened strongly with early India estimates showing Tamil Nadu leading collections, while trade watches whether word-of-mouth can carry it beyond the first weekend. Cantopop & Cultural Ties: RTHK staged “Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs – Shanghai Gold Songs Showcase,” using Cantopop and a vinyl pop-up to deepen Shanghai–Hong Kong music exchange. Tech Meets Music/Creation: Japan is considering 11.5 billion yen in subsidies to boost overseas anime, manga and related entertainment sales—potentially including music-linked firms and Crunchyroll. Music + Community: A grief-and-remembrance piece for Hiroshima/Nagasaki highlights a Bay Area commemoration featuring speakers, music, and Bon Dance.

K-pop x TV Tie-Up: ILLIT’s Japanese single “I Got Your Back” is set as the opening theme for ABEMA drama “Vacation Law,” pushing the group deeper into Japan’s OTT spotlight. Solo Comeback Buzz: BLACKPINK’s Jennie drops an audio preview for “Less Than a Lover,” with the full release slated for July 25 KST and festival appearances already building hype. New Japan Releases: X:IN announces a Japan pre-debut single for Aug. 21, while anime music keeps moving too—Inherit the Winds reveals Ryōhei Kimura as Nagakura Shinpachi and Crunchyroll starts streaming the English dub for “Tomb Raider King.” Streaming & Music Business: NetEase Cloud Music and Warner Music Group sign a multi-year licensing renewal, and a new report claims cloud music services could surge to $50.96B by 2035. Live Music Calendar: Anchorage’s summer series and community events include free outdoor performances, plus the Lakes Area Music Festival’s Prelude Series brings free chamber concerts across Minnesota.

K-Pop Live: BIGBANG confirms ticket details for Sydney’s Oct 31 Accor Stadium stop on the 2026-27 WORLD TOUR < XX : COSMOS >, with general sale set for July 31. K-Pop Buzz: NewJeans signals a comeback with fresh anniversary videos, but ADOR says nothing is decided yet. Hip-Hop & Pop Culture: Ye’s Aug 14 Almaty concert sold about half the tickets in presales, with a virtual queue and limits to curb scalping. Music Meets Tech: Instagram rolls out Replace Audio, letting users swap music on existing posts without deleting or reuploading. Regional Scene: Cambodian singer-rapper G-Devith says he’s exploring collaborations with SB19 and BINI, after connecting with Pinoy artists like Alex Bruce and HORI7ON. Live Music Calendar: Beijing’s August lineup highlights jazz, indie rock and folk-pop across venues like Blue Note Beijing. Cultural Education: India’s National Book Trust launches “Rajatarangini”-based novels to teach Kashmir history to young readers. Community & Protest: Haryana rappers and singers back NEET protest efforts, turning the movement into a soundtrack.

K-Pop Spotlight: Jennie (BLACKPINK) is set to drop “Less Than a Lover” on Friday, with the singer co-directing and writing/producing the track—previewed at major US and Europe festivals and leaning into a softer, lo-fi sound. K-Pop Comeback: U-Know Yunho (TVXQ) hits No. 1 on Japan’s RecoChoku Daily Album Ranking with “Time’s Tickin’,” a pop-dance single featuring clock-ticking motifs and a cinematic MV. Japan Pop/Industry Moves: Sandara Park’s “rePRISM” project in Japan is getting a boost from veteran exec Hajime Taniguchi, as she prepares a Japan-focused mini-album and leans into band-based, localized promotions. Anime/Streaming Business: AnimEigo released Episode 18 of “The Anime Business,” featuring Crunchyroll co-founder Kun Gao on building streaming, licensing trade-offs, and the growing impact of AI. Live & Community: JLF USA expands to six US cities in 2026, adding Los Angeles, while the Lowell Folk Festival announces Indian-origin performers Kunal Gunjal and Amit Kavthekar for its July 24–26 run. Music + Tech/Business: Warner Music Group renews its NetEase Cloud Music licensing deal, signaling continued streaming momentum across China.

K-pop Spotlight: Jennie (BLACKPINK) is set to drop new single “Less Than a Lover” on Friday, after previewing it at major US and Europe festivals; she also helped direct and produce the track, which leans into lo-fi guitar and vintage keyboard textures. India Music & Politics: Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh postponed the “Moonlight” teaser to July 24, citing solidarity with students protesting alleged NEET irregularities; meanwhile Tamil rapper Arivu was detained in Chennai during an anti-NEET protest, as the debate keeps spilling into mainstream celebrity culture. Bollywood Soundtrack Buzz: Arijit Singh returns with “Yeh Awarapan” from “Awarapan 2,” reuniting with Amaal Mallik and featuring Emraan Hashmi. Live Music & Events: A new 250-capacity grassroots venue, radial, is opening in Tottenham, London, backed by Arts Council England’s SGM scheme. Anime Music: Kento Nakajima releases “ONIGOTO,” the opening theme for “The Elusive Samurai Season 2,” with a matching music video. Asia Pop Culture: Otakon 2026 adds J-pop galaxy idol Yumemi as a guest performer.

Streaming Economy: Global paid music subscriptions hit 865 million in 2025 and streaming now drives 86% of recorded-music spending, with Futuresource projecting $50B+ in 2026 and near-total subscription dominance by 2030. South Asia Pop News: Atif Aslam announces his long-awaited fourth studio album, “Subah Aye Na,” his first in 18 years, with eight tracks shared on Instagram. K-Pop & J-Pop Buzz: BTS’ “NORMAL” breaks Spotify records with its new video, while Japan’s Snow Man’s “Good Time” tops the Japan Hot 100. Live Music Calendar (Korea): Busan and Seoul publish their July 20–26 music picks, including jazz nights, street festa performances, and major K-pop/J-rock arena shows. Pakistan/India Music: “Music wins hearts” as Abida Parveen and Asim Azhar perform in Karachi. Touring & Releases: Zerobaseone’s “Ascend-” mini-album review highlights the group’s new direction as it continues post-lineup changes.