The era of making a lifelong income from a single song has begun. The copyright fees of stars who generate significant income with their hits became a hot topic
Recently, singer J. Y. Park disclosed his earnings from copyright royalties while appearing on tvN’s show “You Quiz on the Block”. With a total of 626 songs registered with the Korea Music Copyright Association, J. Y. Park mentioned that he composed KBS’ logo song and stated, “I was at the top in year-end settlements. It comes in several times a day, so it accumulates.” When asked which of his songs earned the most in royalties, he pointed out TWICE’s songs “What is Love” and “Feel Special”.
The ability to make a lifelong income from a single hit song has become a reality for many singers, with some even stating that the copyright holders can continue to receive royalties even after their passing.
Singer Song Chang-sik is known for earning the most in copyright royalties among C’est si bon members. He mentioned that he can receive royalties for up to 50 years, and his direct family can inherit these royalties. He revealed that he earns about 100 million won per year.
Some singers have even claimed to earn about 100 million won per month from a single hit song. Kim Tae-won of the band Boohwal stated that he earned over 100 million won in one month from the song “Never Ending Story”.
However, there are instances where singers do not receive the copyright royalties from their hit songs. Yoon Jong-shin stated that his hit song “Like It” generated about 3 billion won in revenue, but he gave all of it to the company without retaining any incentive or royalties.
The band izi, despite earning over 10 billion won from their hit song “Emergency Room”, had their rights taken away, and they could not access the money for years. The copyright royalties for “Emergency Room” were estimated to have exceeded 10 billion won over 17 years.
While these royalties offer financial stability, the system’s flaws arise when the income does not directly benefit the artists. Currently, Korea has multiple organizations responsible for collecting and distributing copyright fees, and Korean artists need to be members of these associations to receive their earnings. Freelancers, singer-songwriters and lesser-known artists not part of these associations often have to manage their rights and earnings independently, leading to an unfair situation.
In light of these issues, it is essential to reconsider the system and ensure a transparent and fair settlement process, allowing artists to benefit directly from the substantial income generated by their hit songs.
Source: Daum
