A Useful Guide to the SM Entertainment Auditions

Here's a quick guide that I've compiled based on my own experience and other sources.  This is a guide for the SM Entertainment online audition, e-mail audition, and post audition.

For more answers:

•  "Basic Audition Q&A" - the answers to the big general questions.
• "Tell Me Your Wish...Er, Questions" - the answers to the commonly questions I receive via comments and email.
• "Congratulations!  Now You're A Trainee...:  A Speculative Look At Your Future"

Treat this as a job application (after all, if you do indeed become an idol, this will be your job and career).  Make sure your grammar and spelling is to the best of your ability.  Also, do away with comments like "plz support!" and "this is my dream!"

• Also, please, please, please double, triple, and even quadruple check your application before you hit "Send".  It is very unprofessional (and it just looks bad) to send a second email saying "I'm sorry, but I put in my place of residence wrong." 
• If you are anything less than totally proud of the photos and video clips, don't send it in.  Re-record it or re-take the photos.

If you have any questions, you can check out Basic Audition Q & A or comment below!

Online Audition (everysing.com)
(Note:  I have updated it to match everysing's new layout.)
Open:  Year round

Warning:  Know that if you send in anything to SM, it becomes their property.  They can and (usually) will put it up on their YouTube (or on everysing) if you do not pass the audition.  There is no way to remove the videos.  You can try to email SM and ask them to remove the video, but SM rarely if ever complies.  Please TRIPLE check your video before submitting it.  If you think you'll want to take it down DON'T SEND IT.

1. Open global.everysing.com.  Make sure you aren't on everysing.com or everything will be in Korean.  Make sure you are signed in.
2. Click on "Audition" at the top of the page - there will be others that say Audition farther down the page, but don't click on those!
3. Click on "SM everysing Audition" at the top left.  Scroll through the guide to the bottom.  Click the button on the left that says "Audition Apply" 
4. Attach your video file on the appropriate section.  It must be in the .avi or .wmv format and less than 50 MB.  If the program you used does not have .avi or .wmv as a conversion choice, convert it anyway and then convert it again to .avi or .wmv using a conversion program. 
5. Enter the song title and artist.  (If you can spell it in Korean, I suggest adding that as well)
6. Enter the subject.  Honestly, I don't know what they are looking for.  On my audition, I just put the title again.
7. For the content, put anything else that you want other views or the judges to see about the song.
8. Make sure you check the box at the bottom that gives them permission to upload the video to YouTube.
9. Click the red "Update" box at the very bottom.

Now you can also audition via SMTOWN's official homepage.

Warning:  Know that if you send in anything to SM, it becomes their property.  They can and (usually) will put it up on their YouTube (or on everysing) if you do not pass the audition.  There is no way to remove the videos.  You can try to email SM and ask them to remove the video, but SM rarely if ever complies.  Please TRIPLE check your video before submitting it.  If you think you'll want to take it down DON'T SEND IT.

1. Sign in to smtown.com.  The login e-mail and password is the same for everysing.com.
2. Click on "Audition" at the top of the main page.
1. Go to the right side of the audition page (www.smtown.com/link/audition) and click on "Apply Now"
2. Make sure you set your language to English.
3. Click on "By Online."
4. Fill out the required fields as accurately and honestly as possible.
1. Career is the same as Experience.
2. You may only choose ONE field to audition in, so choose carefully.
3. UCC (video) URL is where you would paste a link (usually YouTube) to your audition clip.
4. Only check and list languages that you are fluent in.
5. Your photo must be JPG, GIF, or PNG.  Make sure you look natural in the photo!
1. You should keep your hair off your forehead and out of your face
2. No crazy hair-dos.
3. No make-up.  Also, if you have facial piercings, I would suggest taking them out for the photo (they can alter your appearance).
4. Good lighting
5. Make the photo good quality (no old school cellphone camera photos, no blurry photos, etc.) but don't give them professional grade photos (yearbook photos, graduation photos, etc.)
6. No editing
7. No fingers or hands in the way of your face.  So no peace signs.
8. Don't change your facial features - smile, but don't be winking or making a weird face.
9. Make sure your hair and/or face isn't out of the frame.
6. While not required, the self-introduction is a way to stand out.  Let your personality show! (And use good grammar!)

If you have any questions, you can check out Basic Audition Q & A or comment below!

E-mail Audition
Open:  Year round

1. E-mail address:  usaaudition@smtown.com 
1. For non-USA and non-Korean residents:  If you are e-mailing from a country other than the USA or Korea, please use smaudition@smtown.com
2. Subject:   Name/Age/Gender/Category you are auditioning for   (EX:  Angela/16/Female/Singer)
3. Attach a video containing a sample of you dancing.  Like the everysing.com audition, make sure the file is in .wmv, .mp3, .wav or .avi form.  Even if you aren't auditioning as a dancer, still include a dance clip!  Their website states that mp4 and cda formats cannot be evaluated.
4. Attach an mp3 (or video) of you singing.  Don't edit it. 
5. Attach 2 photos.  They ask for a front shot of your face and a profile shot.  Make sure the photos are in JPG or GIF format.  They also ask that you DO NOT photoshop, edit, touch up, or in anyway shape or form mess with the photos!   They are also asking for quality shots as in no camera photos or scanned photos!  (Scanned photos makes it near impossible for them to know if editing was done so they don't allow scanned photos).  Their website also explicitly states that they will not evaluate photos in which your hands and clothes obscure your face.
6. The body:  Wow.   It took forever for me to find this...but it's buried in a Q&A section at membership.smtown.com.  There no longer is an application form:
   
   
   1. Name/Sex
   2. Area of Application
   3. Date of Birth
   4. School
   5. Place of Residence
   6. Contact Information (1) Cellular Phone (2) E-mail
   7. Experience [1]
   
   
7. Fill these out.  DO NOT include any extra information.  I know some of you will be worried about the "Experience" section, but don't sweat it, especially if you're young.  I suggest putting down anything school talent show and larger down.  (The backyard show you put on with the neighbor kids doesn't count...)
1. If you haven't taken any lesson, don't mention it!  The judges assume you have had no lessons or training unless you mention a school or time when you did receive it.
2. Area of Application - It means, "What Are You Auditioning For?".  In other words, singer, dancer, VJ, actor, model, etc.
8. Hit send.

If your files won't all fit, DO NOT send multiple e-mails.  Trim the length of your singing and/or dancing clip.  In all honestly they probably won't watch more than 30 seconds anyway.  Also, double check that you can play the files without any problems.  If there are any glitches or errors, they will disregard your e-mail.

Another suggestion is to send the e-mail on weekdays.  The weekends are probably a very busy time.
If you do not receive a reply with 2-4 weeks, assume that you did not qualify.  SM's official website and their official Facebook page state that "E-mail audition results will be notified individually to only those who were qualified."

If you have any questions, you can check out Basic Audition Q & A or comment below!

Post Audition (Snail Mail)
Open:  Year Round

This will cost you money in the form of extra postage.  You will be paying for a heavier package and whatever it costs to send mail overseas.
Make sure your CD/DVD/USB/DV/memory card is SECURELY wrapped.  Any damage to make it unreadable will cause your audition to be ignored.

1. Address your envelope:  서울시 강남구 강남우체국 사서함 1952호 SM엔터테인먼트 오디션 담당자 앞
1. Here's the breakdown in English:
1. S.M. Entertainment Korea, <Artist Planning and Development Team>
2. Gangnam, P.O. Box 1952
3. Seoul, South Korea
2. You can also send to the office in the States:
1. Audition S.M. Entertainment Audition USA 4322 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90010
3. Unless you can write fluently in Korean, I suggest sending it to the USA office.  I have heard that the Korean office won't accept out of country mail, so send it to the USA office unless you happen to be in Korea and sending it from Korea.
2. Put the CD/DVD/USB/DV/memory card in the envelope.  Once again, the USB should have the files in the mp3, .avi, .wmv, or .wma format.  Make sure the item is securely wrapped in something like bubble wrap.
3. Just use the format used above for the E-mail Audition.
4. Include the front face shot and the profile shot.  No editing, photoshopping, touching up, or anything on the photos.  Print them out or include them on the media format you are sending.
5. Figure out the correct postage.
6. Send!

If you have any questions, you can check out Basic Audition Q & A or comment below!

Live Audition (In Person - Seoul)

Important Update:  The Live Audition format has changed.  USA Auditions are now MONTHLY.
3/16, 4/20, 5/18, 6/15, 7/20, 8/17, 9/21, 10/19, 11/16, and 12/21 are the Audition dates for 2013.

LA Auditions
Address:  4322 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 300 Los Angeles CA 90010
Email:  usaaudition@smtown.com
Time:  2pm - 5pm Pacific Time, on the 3rd Saturday of every month.

Seoul Auditions
Address:  Sinsa-dong, 659-9 Hyesung Building, Seoul
Email:  master@everysing.com
Time:  Every Saturday starting at 2pm KTS

Seoul Weekly Auditions [2]
Open:  Year Round
Please note that you should arrive early.  The line starts to grow around 1!  Also, please bring water and a writing utensil!  You will be sitting through the auditions of the numbers ahead of you, so be prepared to spend the entire afternoon there.  If you're quick, you can excuse yourself to the bathroom while listening to the other auditions, but please be quiet and respectful!  They have two staff members patrolling the auditorium that will shush you and make sure your phones are off and away.
NOTE:  As cameras aren't allowed, this is all done from memory.  I apologize for any inaccuracies!

1. Arrive at Yeoksam (역삼역) Station, Line Number 2.  It is between Gangnam (강남) and Seolleung (선릉) Stations.
1. Exit through Exit 3 and walk straight ahead.
2. As you walk straight ahead, you will cross one street.
2. The auditions are held at the POSCO P&N Tower.
1. The POSCO Tower will be the giant glass building to your right as soon as you cross the street.  For reference, there is a Starbucks on the first level.
3. Take the elevators up to the third floor.
1. When you reach the third floor, you will have reached the audition area, so please be respectful and quiet!
1. If you have friends that are not auditioning, have them wait on the first floor.
4. A staff member will greet you and give you a half sheet of paper which is your application
1. Warning:  the staff member we were greeted by spoke very limited English.
1. The first line is where you fill out the date (년-year, 월-month, 일-day) and your sex.
2. The next few boxes you should fill out to the best of your ability.  They ask for name (and Korean characters if you have a legitimate Korean name - not the one you or your friends decided on, but one your parents gave you), birthday, address, phone number, height and weight (be honest, write in cm and kg), school and year, area of application (what you are auditioning for) and your Korean social security number.
1. If you are a foreigner, leave this one blank.  However, if you have an Alien Registration Number, you can fill it out in this box.
2. There will be a box with the word 심사 by it:  Leave it blank as it is for the judge.
3. You can only audition in ONE category.  You must pick dancer, singer, OR actor.
5. After you're done filling out your application, hand it to the staff member.
1. They will give you a sticker with a number on it.
2. Place the number on your chest and make sure it isn't obscured by hair or clothes.
6. You will be ushered in groups, and showed where to sit in the auditorium.
7. Depending on your number, you will wait anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours.
1. During this time, observe the other auditions.
1. For example, the September Auditions clip (http://smtown.com/Audition) have one of the dancers we observed.  It's the second person, first dancer, wearing a red jacket around his waist.
2. If you hear someone else do your audition song, have another one as backup!  We had one girl do Wendy's "슬픔 속에 그댈 지워야만 해" and then two after her, in her same group, another girl did the same song.
1. Avoid common songs unless you can really change it up.  (EX:  Ailee's covers of Beyonce's "Halo" and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You")
2. Songs to avoid:  ANYTHING SM (seriously...so many people did SES's "Just A Feeling", Wendy's "슬픔 속에 그댈 지워야만 해" and a ton of Taeyeon's OST songs).
8. They usher you on stage 10 at a time.
1. While the group ahead of you auditions, a staff member will gather up the next ten.
1. The staff member will order you by number, so make sure you're ordered 1-10.
2. Take your belongings with you - you will drop them off by the door next to the stage.
3. If you have long hair or bangs, make sure it doesn't obscure your eyes.
9. Once on stage, the judge will indicate the first person to begin.
1. The judge will cut you off when she sees fit or let you sing the rest of your stanza.  The judge will also be the one requesting you to sing or dance more.
2. If you're a dancer, you will be skipped and told to remain on the stage after the singers depart.
3. NOTE:  Make sure you stare straight at the camera!  The camerawoman and the staff will try and redirect your attention!
10. After the singers are done, anyone they want to sing again, does so.
1. After the singers leave the stage, they can gather their belongings and leave.
11. The dancers all audition at once.  They put on a piece of music and let them dance.
1. After the music stops, the dancers exit.
2. Any dancers they want to dance again are asked to dance again.
12. You're done!

For more answers:

•  "Basic Audition Q&A" - the answers to the big general questions.
• "Tell Me Your Wish...Er, Questions" - the answers to the commonly questions I receive via comments and email.

Credits:
[1] https://membership.smtown.com/Faq?page=1&category=&keyword=

Update:  Oct. 20th, 2014
[2] Update reflects the change in the format and location of SM's Weekly Audition.