South Korea’s music industry is under growing scrutiny—not for its global success or performance quality, but due to a critical and often overlooked issue: the unfair distribution of royalties to music creators. This spotlight sharpened when BLACKPINK’s Rosé made headlines by cutting ties with the Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA).
Rosé’s decisive move has reignited discussions about how royalties are managed in Korea. Despite K-pop’s worldwide commercial dominance, Korean songwriters and composers earn considerably less than their counterparts in major international markets.
A recent KOMCA report reveals that only 10.5% of South Korea’s total streaming revenue goes directly to the creators—the lyricists, composers, and arrangers behind the music. By contrast, creators in the United States receive around 12.3%, while those in the UK and Germany enjoy even larger shares of 16% and 15%, respectively. This stark difference highlights a system that disadvantages Korean creators.
Experts point to the convoluted nature of Korea’s copyright revenue flow as a core issue. Streaming income must navigate through multiple intermediaries—distributors, production companies, and several copyright management bodies—before reaching the actual creators. Each layer deducts its share, leaving composers and lyricists with only a small portion.
This contrasts sharply with simpler systems abroad, where creators typically collaborate with a single publisher or agency. Korean streaming platforms like Melon reportedly retain about 35% of streaming revenue, exceeding the global average of roughly 30%. Although this is an improvement from 2008, when platforms kept as much as 57.5% and creators earned just 5%, the imbalance remains a serious concern.
In this context, Rosé’s exit from KOMCA is seen as a strategic step. On October 31, 2024, she formally requested to terminate her membership. After a mandatory three-month grace period, the termination took effect on January 31, 2025. By leaving KOMCA, Rosé gained the ability to negotiate directly with streaming platforms and global publishers, potentially securing up to 100% of her streaming royalties depending on deal terms.
Rosé is the first Korean artist to leave KOMCA since Seo Taiji did so in 2002. Her bold decision has sparked industry-wide conversations about protecting creative rights and rethinking the future of music publishing in Korea. As her move gains attention, many are watching to see if other artists—especially those with international audiences—will follow her lead.
