Korea Ranks 11th Globally in Music Copyright Fees; 150 Billion KRW in Unpaid Fees Hinders Progress

The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) announced that Korea secured the 11th position in global music copyright fee collections for 2024, maintaining its presence in the international market, though it dropped two spots from the previous year.

According to the recently released CISAC Global Collections Report 2025, Korea collected approximately 276 million Euros (around 465.3 billion KRW), marking a 2.0% growth. KOMCA itself collected about 436.5 billion KRW, accounting for roughly 94% of the total domestic music copyright fees.

The primary reason for the decline in ranking was identified as the unresolved issue of transmission usage fees from OTT platforms and broadcasters. KOMCA estimates the amount of unpaid copyright fees to be around 150 billion KRW. Resolving this issue, they project, could propel Korea to the top spot in the Asia-Pacific region and into the global top 10.

Despite the global influence and popularity of K-pop, KOMCA attributes the failure to translate this success into copyright fee collection over the years to a 'digital settlement gap.' While revenue from the digital sector, including OTT and on-demand streaming services, increased by 12.2% in 2024, the outstanding copyright fees from these platforms have held back a higher global ranking.

The CISAC report also addressed copyright protection issues stemming from the spread of AI technology. Unregulated generative AI could erode up to 25% of creators' revenue (approximately 8.5 billion Euros, or 14 trillion KRW), and the AI content market is projected to grow explosively from 3 billion Euros to 64 billion Euros (around 107 trillion KRW) by 2028. CISAC emphasized the urgent need for transparency in AI platforms and the establishment of fair compensation systems for creators.

In response, KOMCA will operate an 'AI Response TFT' starting in 2025 to develop guidelines for AI-utilized music, establish compensation systems for training data, and propose legal and institutional improvements. They are also collaborating with CISAC to participate in international discussions.

Baek Seung-yeol, Head of Business Division, stated, "Although AI technology is rapidly encroaching on creative domains, our systems are still woefully inadequate in protecting creators." He added, "A virtuous cycle where technological advancement and artistic creation coexist can only be created if the legitimate use of creative works and fair compensation are ensured during the AI training process." He further pledged, "KOMCA will do its utmost in institutional improvement and policy proposals to establish such a fair system through cooperation with the international community, including CISAC."

Korean netizens expressed frustration, commenting, "OTT platforms really need to pay properly," "Copyright fees should rise along with K-pop's popularity," and "Protecting creators' rights in the AI era is truly important." There's a strong call for the resolution of the outstanding payment issues.