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| Abbreviation | KOMCA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1964 (1964) |
| Type | Not-for-profit |
| Headquarters | Seoul, South Korea |
| Affiliations | |
| Website | komca |
| Korea Music Copyright Association | |
| Hangul | 한국음악저작권협회 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 韓國音樂著作權協會 |
| RR | Hanguk eumak jeojakgwon hyeophoe |
| MR | Han'guk ŭmak chŏjakkwŏn hyŏphoe |
TheKorea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profitcopyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it is the secondcollective rights management organization for musical works in Asia, afterJASRAC in Japan. It is also one of the largest in Asia, with over 55,000 members.[1][2] In 2013, ranked as the world’s ninth biggest collector of music royalties.[3] In 2024, it collected₩437 billion (US$297 million) in licensing fees and distributed ₩424 billion (US$288 million) in royalties to its members.[2][4]
Copyright owners—including authors, composers, arrangers, and music publishers—can join KOMCA as associate members. Associate members who have "engaged in substantial musical creation" are promoted to full members by the board of directors. These members can attend and vote at the annual general meeting and can be elected to the board of directors. The board consists of 21 members, elected to three-year terms of office.[1]
KOMCA was founded by members of the Korea Record Writers Association, a voluntary organization for songwriters. In December 1961, the Korea Entertainment Association was formed as a member of theFederation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations of Korea [ko], established by the government following theMay 16 coup. The government then merged the Korea Record Writers Association into the new association's creative division. After the merger, members of the former Korea Record Writers Association felt their rights were not being protected and sought to establish a copyright management organization under theCopyright Act of 1957. KOMCA was founded in March 1964 and was approved by the Ministry of Education on June 19, 1964.[5]
KOMCA became of member of theWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1979 and joinedCISAC as an associate member in 1987, becoming a full member in 1995.[6][7] In 2004, KOMCA hosted the 44th CISAC World Congress in Seoul.[8][9] In 2024, KOMCA celebrated its 60th anniversary and hosted the CISAC conference again for the first time in twenty years.[10]
In December 2007, KOMCA signed a reciprocal representation agreement with theJapanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC), which allows "either society to administer (license, collect and distribute royalties) usage of the other society's repertoire in its own country on behalf of the other society".[11][12] This was called a "milestone in Japan-Korean musical relations" because Japanese music had been completelybanned in South Korea until 1999, and music with Japanese lyrics was not allowed until 2004.[12][13][14] In 2012,Korean pop music earned ₩11 billion (US$10 million) in royalties from Japan, about ten percent of what was earned in South Korea that same year. In comparison, ₩137 million (US$126,000) was earned in Hong Kong, ₩130 million (US$120,000) in Taiwan, ₩100 million (US$92,000) in Singapore, and ₩58 million (US$53,000) in the United States.[15]
In October 2014, theMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) approved the establishment of a new copyright association, the Korean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (KOSCAP), in an attempt to "create competition and extend the rights of [music] creators". Before this, KOMCA had had a copyright management monopoly on music for fifty years.[16] The main difference between the two associations is KOSCAP's "selection system", which allows music creators to choose which rights the association will be entrusted with, including transmission, broadcasting and reproduction rights. In contrast, KOMCA members must entrust all their rights to KOMCA.[16]
In April 2015, MCST approved KOSCAP's new copyright royalty distribution system, which treats all types of music equally. Under KOMCA, licensing fees paid by broadcasting stations differ according to the type of music, so fees for using background music are much less than music with lyrics, like K-pop songs. This caused conflict between the two competing organizations, as they both felt the other's distribution system was unfair to songwriters.[17]
On December 4, 2011, KOMCA held the inaugural Korea Music Copyright Awards atOlympic Hall in Seoul. The awards were created in recognition of individuals working behind the scenes (composers, editors, lyricists etc.) in the music industry. SongwriterCho Young-soo [ko] was the first to be awarded thegrand prize for earning the most royalties. Pop genre awards (ballad, dance, rock, hip-hop, andtrot) were also given out, as well as awards for Korean classical music and children's songs.[18]Pdogg, long-time producer and composer for boy groupBTS, is the most awarded songwriter in this category, having won the grand prize for five consecutive years between 2019 and 2023.[19]Bumzu won the grand prize in 2024, largely for his work withSeventeen.[20]
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