The K-pop market is reaching across borders to touch the world, but the issue of 'idol settlement' continues to complicate things. No matter how much the industry treatment improves, and no matter how refined the system becomes, if the settlement process is not transparent, it can ignite conflict. We talked with music business experts to explore the current status, problems, and potential solutions for the settlement system in the K-pop industry from a business perspective.

Money, money, money. Although it may be regrettable to associate money with idols chasing their dreams, settlement is an essential component. It's not a matter to overlook, especially for the young and uninformed, who may naively expect things to work out on their own.

The issue of 'idol settlement' is fundamentally about money, as emphasized in previous interviews. Although trust and ethical issues can't be ignored, the core of the problem is money.

So, how can we avoid conflicts over money? Disagreements tend to arise from a lack of funds to invest or to distribute as settlements. We delved deeper into these issues to find a fundamental solution.

XsportsNews arranged interviews with Nam Seung-ho, a K-pop professor at Hoso Art Practical College and a music producer, and Hwang Ga-ram, a music producer and head of CH1496 Studio, to have a more in-depth discussion on the chronic issue of "idol settlement," including Fifty Fifty incident.

Professor Nam Seung-ho is currently continuing his music activities, including songwriting, composition, arrangement, and mixing, after his involvement with the band Speak Out and solo album releases. He is a veteran musician with numerous music festival and broadcast stage experiences.

Hwang Ga-ram, a music producer, is actively performing as the lead vocalist for the band Pinocchio and is involved in various album production and producing activities. He is well-known as a vocal trainer for numerous large and small planning companies based on his diverse experience spanning over 15 years.

Hwang is also active as a YouTuber, operating the channel 'Dongne Cheongnyeon'. His channel includes live personal videos, fellow musicians' work videos, and content related to music business remote university content.

In particular, 'Musicians to the Room of Truth', produced by Dongne Cheongnyeon, was selected for the Broadcasting Content Promotion Foundation's Korea One-Person Broadcasting Business. Hwang introduced the video as containing a fundamental solution to the 'idol settlement' issue - specifically, the part about "music source earnings".

◆ "Music Sources Need to Become More Expensive"

It's essential to touch upon the distribution of music source income. The income from music sources on music sites applies the standard price designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which is 7 won per stream and 700 won per download. From the 7 won per stream, copyright holders (lyricists, composers, arrangers) receive about 10%, performers (vocals, instrumental performances, etc.) receive about 6%, and service providers (platforms) take 35%.

This means that for writing and composing a song, the copyright fee (royalty) is about 0.7 won. To earn approximately 10,000 won from copyright fees alone, approximately 14,300 plays are required.

In light of these figures, Producer Hwang Ga-ram emphasized, "Music sources are too cheap. They need to become more expensive."

"If music sources are considered tangible goods, does it make sense to buy them for 7 won? How much significance can selling them like this have for sales? If the price of music sources is set higher than it is now, problems like settlement conflicts will not occur, and there would be no petty squabbles."

◆ "Idols Don't Make Money From Music Sources"

Hwang also mentioned Newjins, currently recording the best results on the music source charts. Newjins has recently demonstrated their power by entering all songs from their new EP album - the triple title songs 'Super Shy', 'ETA', 'Cool With You', as well as the featured songs 'New Jeans', 'ASAP', 'Get Up' - within the top 100 on the music source charts.

"How much do you think Newjins earns from music source income? Newjins doesn't make money from music source income. Ultimately, they generate income through additional activities rather than from music source income. This is a regrettable reality for singers."

As the K-pop scene expands, and idols gain recognition as artists, we must not simply view them as singing and dancing idols. We now need to show respect for their songs. Hwang raised his voice about when idols will have to stop relying on external sources like broadcasting, events, and advertisements for income instead of music source earnings.

Both Professor Nam Seung-ho and Producer Hwang Ga-ram are continuously contemplating the development of the industry and solutions to its problems. They expressed determination to raise their voices and show action to correct the past wrongs of the industry they've experienced, and to prevent any unfair damage.

Their profound stories revealed a strong sense of responsibility and genuine affection for younger musicians, making it a time well spent.

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