Curious to know which Korean artiste has the most royalty income from their copyrighted songs?
KBS 2TV’s weekly entertainment programme “Entertainment Company Live” reported on the list of “The Top 8 Singers Who Have Earned the Highest Royalties in South Korea”. The list encompasses some of the big names in the Hallyu music industry, from singers, composers and even lyricists.
For those who are interested, check out the full list here:
8. IU (아이유)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGD1ui12sAY
- She reportedly earns more than KRW 170 million (~RM590,580) from her royalty income.
- The singer’s music video for the song “Celebrity” recorded over 170 million views on YouTube last year
- Reports also stated that she owns the publishing rights to 72 songs of hers.
7. Jang Beom June (장범준)
- Member of the group Buskers Buskers.
- He previously revealed that he had earned a whopping 4.6 billion KRW (~ RM15 million) from his song “Cherry Blossom Ending”.
- His other song, “Your Shampoo Scent In The Flowers”, has achieved 300 million streams on various music platforms, which made him earn over KRW 300 million won (~RM1 million).
6. BIGBANG’s G-Dragon (지드래곤)
- He gains about 1 billion KRW (~RM3.5 million) per year only with his royalty earnings.
- The rapper recorded the highest loyalty income in the year 2017 and 2018.
- He currently owns the copyright to 174 songs.
5. Code Kunst (코드 쿤스트)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy60Ur831g
- One of the highest-paid hip-hop artistes in South Korea.
- During an appearance in a variety programme, the 33-year-old dished that he could easily purchase a new Mercedes car using his monthly earnings.
- He owns the publishing rights to 251 songs.
4. Kim Eana (김이나)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1evUsukvdc
- She’s a South Korean songwriter. She has written the lyrics of numerous K-pop hits such as IU’s smash hits “Good Day” and “Red Shoes” and also “Abracadabra” by Brown Eyed Girls.
- The song “Trust In Me” by Lim Young Woong, in which she penned the lyrics, was named one of the best selling singles of 2021. The song has generated over 520 million streams (which equals to KRW 520 millions, ~ RM1.8 million) on music streaming platforms.
- She owns the publishing rights to 518 songs.
3. Yoon Jong Shin (윤종신)
- Singer, songwriter, record producer and also the CEO of the entertainment company Mystic Story (currently home to the K-pop groups Lucy and Billie).
- He reportedly earned about 3 billion KRW (~RM10 million) just by penning the lyrics of his debut song, “Like It”.
- He owns the copyrights to a total of 563 songs.
2. Park Jin Young (박진영, JYP)
- Singer, songwriter, and founder of JYP Entertainment.
- He’s known for producing and managing several highly successful K-pop acts namely Rain, Wonder Girls, 2PM, miss A, GOT7, TWICE, Stray Kids, ITZY, among others.
- He has copyrighted a total of 639 tracks.
1. Bang Si Hyuk (방시혁)
- Known professionally as Hitman Bang, Bang is a songwriter, composer and also the founder of Big Hit Entertainment.
- He has written tons of hit songs such as “Without A Heart” by 8eight, “My Ear’s Candy” by Baek Z Young and Taecyeon in addition to several of BTS tracks.
- He has over 740 songs under his copyright.
Source: ZAPZEE.
