The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) collaborated with EY Hanyoung, a renowned accounting and consulting firm in Korea, to conduct an extensive study on the local and global music streaming market. After analyzing the results, KOMCA released a report outlining its position on the distribution of copyright revenue for Korean music creators.

The report revealed that Korea's digital music market nearly doubled from around 700 million USD in 2019 to 1.32 billion USD in 2023, surpassing Japan as the leading music market in Asia. The growth was primarily driven by streaming, which saw a significant increase of about 100% over the past five years.

Despite the market's exponential growth, the share allocated to creators is minimal compared to other countries. While the U.S. assigns 12.3% of streaming revenue to rights holders, the UK gives 16%, and Germany offers 15%. In contrast, Korea only provides 10.5%, substantially less than major countries worldwide.

The report also highlighted the disproportionate revenue distribution in Korea's streaming market structure. Korean platforms claim the highest share at 35%, leaving a small portion for copyright holders, who receive only 10.5%. This disparity is further emphasized by the vertically integrated operation of major Korean platforms, which control over 83% of streaming revenue.

Government policies in Korea tend to favor platform operators rather than protecting creators, as seen in the implementation of the "Music Copyright Royalty Sharing Plan" in 2022. Despite its extension in 2024, this plan places additional financial burdens on copyright holders by excluding in-app payment fees from the revenue base used to calculate royalties.

In contrast, countries like the U.S. are enhancing measures to safeguard creators, with plans to increase the streaming royalty rate to 15.35% by 2027 and introducing reforms in copyright laws to strengthen protections. KOMCA emphasized the importance of advocating for higher royalty rates and policy enhancements to safeguard the rights and earnings of copyright holders in the evolving digital music market.