{"id":139811,"date":"2022-10-04T20:12:10","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T19:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=139811"},"modified":"2022-10-04T20:46:42","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T19:46:42","slug":"hybe-acquires-fake-voice-ai-company-supertone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/hybe-acquires-fake-voice-ai-company-supertone\/","title":{"rendered":"HYBE acquires fake voice AI company Supertone in $32m deal (report)"},"content":{"rendered":"

HYBE, the publicly-traded music giant behind superstars BTS, is in ‘diversification mode<\/a>‘ to become less financially reliant on its flagship act.<\/p>\n

Moves hinting at a broadening of HYBE’s strategy in recent times include the expansion of its games business<\/a>, and its $1 billion acquisition<\/a> of Scooter Braun\u2019s Ithaca Holdings.<\/p>\n

HYBE has also announced new high-priority artists in 2022, including NewJeans<\/a> and Japanese boy band &TEAM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The South Korean company even launched<\/a> a global audition in June “<\/span>for a boy group that will lead the next generation of K-pop”.<\/p>\n

Could a major push into artificial intelligence be next on the agenda?<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div> <\/div> \n

Last February, HYBE invested USD $3.6 million into a Korea-based AI sound company called Supertone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, HYBE has reportedly upped its investment in the startup, by fully acquiring it for 45 billion South Korea Won<\/strong> (approx $31.75m<\/strong> at current exchange rates).<\/p>\n

That’s according to Korea-based news publication Pulse News,<\/em>\u00a0the online home of South Korea’s largest domestic business newspaper, Maeil Business Newspaper<\/em>.<\/b><\/p>\n

Pulse reports<\/a> that HYBE’s original investment saw it acquire an 18%<\/strong> stake in Supertone \u2013 and that HYBE has now acquired the remaining 82%<\/strong> interest in the company.<\/p>\n

At the time of publication, HYBE had not responded to MBW’s request for comment.<\/p>\n

<\/div> <\/div> \n

Founded in 2020, Supertone claims to be able to create \u201ca hyper-realistic and expressive voice that [is not] distinguishable from real humans\u201d.<\/p>\n

The startup generated global media attention in January 2021 with its so-called Singing Voice Synthesis (SVS) technology.<\/p>\n

\n