Gary Brings Up Revenue Distribution Problems in the Music Industry

Gary, one of the stars of hiphop duo ‘Leessang’, has brought up problems with the Korea Music Copyright Association’s copyright revenue distribution practices. (Image : Yonhap)

Seoul, July 22 (Korea Bizwire) – Gary, one of the stars of hiphop duo ‘Leessang‘, has brought up problems with the Korea Music Copyright Association’s copyright revenue distribution practices.

Gary expressed his anguish on his Facebook page. “I wish I could run away from this industry. I might die early because of the stress.” After releasing hit songs, he stated that he had yet to receive even 30,000,000won every month.

He continued, “Until I called and asked them, the KMCA was giving me 7,000,000 won monthly. When I protested, they said that royalties for two months, which were approximately 3,500,000,000won, had not been calculated.”

Gary, one of the stars of hiphop duo ‘Leessang’, has brought up problems with the Korea Music Copyright Association’s copyright revenue distribution practices. (Image : Yonhap)

This was not the first time for Gary to bring light to the situation, as he mentioned the issue in a January tweet. “The same royalties have been paid since last year. I hope all musicians could hold strong in these circumstances.”

The KMCA replied to Gary’s tweet, explaining the current situation they are in. “After the calculation method changed, we have not yet collected 100 percent of the fees from music service providers, regarding streaming and downloads.” They stated that they would take measures to pay every penny in the near future, so that the creators wouldn’t go through any loss.

Also, the KMCA explained that the ‘uncalculated 3,500,000,000won’ Gary mentioned was the total of what needs to be paid to the creators. They reported that the payment was fully executed last April, with the fees received from the music service providers, after the system renewal was finalized.

The KMCA pledged they will try their best to protect the rights of creators. “We will make efforts to improve the industry to protect the rights of the creators. We also plan to resolve any misunderstandings we have with our members.”

By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)