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Troubling Details About NewJeans’ Exploitative Contracts Come To Light
A New York Times report has revealed contract terms for NewJeans, the K-pop group whose attempt to leave their label Ador ended in a court ruling that they could not quit. The details have renewed scrutiny of the industry’s treatment of young performers and show how difficult it can be for artists to challenge their labels.
The members were children when they signed, and their parents had to agree to the contracts. The report says the contracts removed protections for health, education and sleep found in a South Korean government template, required members to repay some trainee beauty-treatment costs, and let the label seek exit fees; Ador is suing 20-year-old Danielle Marsh for $22 million. The contracts also allow continued use of members’ identities for voice clones and AI chatbots after they expire in 2029, and continued music sales on reduced royalties.
In short
- NewJeans’ contracts reportedly removed several protections for young performers.
- Ador is seeking $22 million in exit fees from Danielle Marsh.
- The label can use members’ identities and music after the contracts end.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The reported terms raise serious questions about whether young performers and their families could meaningfully assess the long-term consequences of contracts signed during childhood. Removing template protections for health, education and sleep, imposing trainee costs and exit fees, and permitting post-contract uses of performers’ identities could leave artists with limited control and make it harder to challenge a powerful label.
The case against
A label may argue that long-term contracts and provisions on costs, royalties and continued use of recorded material provide commercial certainty and help recover investment in developing and promoting a group. The members’ parents agreed to the contracts, and a court has ruled that the group could not leave; supporters of enforcing the agreements may therefore stress that disputes should be settled through the agreed legal process, while still allowing scrutiny of whether the terms are fair.