Label
IST Entertainment
IST Entertainment (아이에스티엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean record label and talent management agency currently under Content Technologies. Over fifteen years it has cycled through four corporate names while maintaining an unbroken track record of launching some of K-pop's most durable acts.
The company was founded January 3, 2011 as A Cube Entertainment by Choi Jin-ho, initially an independent label under Cube Entertainment. Its first major act was solo vocalist Huh Gak, followed immediately by girl group Apink, debuting April 19, 2011 - a group that went on to become one of the most resilient acts of the third generation of K-pop, with members continuing solo activities over a decade later.
In November 2015, LOEN Entertainment (later Kakao M, then Kakao Entertainment) acquired 70% of the label. A Cube was renamed Plan A Entertainment in March 2016, cutting the Cube affiliation. That same year, Plan A launched Victon, its first boy group. In 2019, Plan A merged with Fave Entertainment - absorbing its artists and trainees - and was renamed Play M Entertainment. Weeekly debuted under the Play M name in 2020. By November 2021, the label adopted its current name: IST Entertainment, consolidating further with Cre.ker Entertainment (home of The Boyz) into the IST group structure.
In 2022, IST launched ATBO through the reality competition The Origin - A, B, Or What? In February 2025, Beyond Music acquired IST from Kakao Entertainment. Weeekly disbanded the same month. By September 2025, ownership transferred to Content Technologies. The agency's most recent debut is TUNEXX, a seven-member boy group launched March 3, 2026.
Fans Also Ask
What artists are signed to IST Entertainment?
IST Entertainment's current and past roster includes Apink, VICTON, The Boyz, and new 2026 debut act TUNEXX. The label has maintained a focus on idol group development across more than fifteen years, operating under the Content Technologies corporate umbrella.
What was IST Entertainment called before?
IST Entertainment has operated under four names: it launched as A Cube Entertainment in 2010, rebranded to Play A Entertainment, then to IST Entertainment in 2021 following a merger with Stone Music Entertainment. The current name integrates IS Dongin Entertainment's legacy.
When was IST Entertainment founded?
IST Entertainment traces its roots to 2010 with the founding of A Cube Entertainment, which was established primarily to manage Apink, who debuted on April 19, 2011. The label has been through several corporate restructurings but has maintained continuous operations throughout.
Who are the most successful acts from IST Entertainment?
Apink and The Boyz are IST Entertainment's most commercially successful acts. Apink charted across multiple eras from their 2011 debut through the mid-2020s. The Boyz, who debuted in 2017, built an international fanbase and competed on Road to Kingdom in 2021. TUNEXX debuted in March 2026 as the label's newest boy group.
Is IST Entertainment part of a larger company?
IST Entertainment operates as a subsidiary under Content Technologies, a South Korean entertainment conglomerate. The parent structure allows IST to share resources while maintaining its own artist development and label identity. IST's Korean branch is based in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
