Blackpink’s Rose parts ways with Korea Music Copyright Association to focus on global reach

BLACKPINK member Rose has withdrawn from the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), marking the first departure by a major Korean artist since Seo Tai-ji 22 years ago.

The move is seen as a step to align her copyright management with the global market as her international activities increase.

According to KOMCA on Thursday, Rose applied to terminate her copyright trust on October 31 last year, officially ending her contract with the organization on January 31 after a three-month grace period. She joined the Komca in 2021.

KOMCA, which protects the copyrights of its members and collects royalties from users, has over 50,000 members.

Following the global success of “APT.” released last October, Rose has focused on international stages. Her decision is believed to stem from the efficiency of managing her copyrights overseas.

In September, she signed an exclusive contract with Atlantic Records, a label under Warner Music Group. Moving forward, Atlantic Records will oversee her copyright management, collaborating with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), which has over 950,000 members.

Founded in 1967, Komca is the largest professional organization in South Korea specializing in music copyright trust management. Most musicians in the country entrust their copyright management to the association, which oversees revenue collection and distribution.

"The revenue from the US market is roughly 10 times higher than that from the Korean market. In Korea, revenue collection through Komca takes about three months, but when processing US earnings through Komca, it can take from six months to a year," an industry insider explained.

The last notable withdrawal from KOMCA was in 2003 when Seo Tai-ji left after protesting the association’s approval of an album parodying his song "Come Back Home" without his consent.

Meanwhile, BLACKPINK will embark on a world tour starting in July, with concerts in Korea, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and seven other locations.

(Korea Herald and Korea Times)