How Much Do K-Pop Idols Really Earn From Streaming In South Korea?
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Ever wondered what your favorite K-Pop idols make off those streaming numbers you help rack up with endless repeats of your favorite songs? The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has set a designated unit price for music streaming, and it paints a fascinating picture of K-Pop economics in the era of digital consumption.
BTS | BIGHIT MUSIC In South Korea, the revenue from music sales on streaming platforms is determined by rates established by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Currently, the rate is fixed at approximately 7 KRW per stream, which translates to about $0.0056 USD. For downloads, the rate jumps to 700 KRW per song, around $0.56 USD. But how is this money divided up?
BLACKPINK | YG Entertainment Out of the 7 won earned from each stream, roughly 10% or 0.7 KRW goes to the copyright holders — this includes those involved in lyrics, composition, and arrangement of the song. The performers — the voices and faces we love so much — earn about 6% of the revenue.
That’s around 0.42 KRW per stream, or approximately $0.00033 USD. Yes, fractions of a penny. The remaining lion’s share, approximately 35%, goes to the service provider or platform where the song is being streamed.
| Melon These numbers might seem tiny, but when you multiply them by the massive numbers of streams that popular K-Pop songs garner, they start to add up. For example, Cosmic Girls‘ “Last Sequence” currently enjoys around 10 million streams on MelOn, one of South Korea’s top music streaming platforms.
| Starship Entertainment The group’s earnings amount to roughly ₩4.20 million KRW (about $3,300 USD). Spread equally among the members, each idol pockets around ₩420,000 KRW (about $330 USD) — just from the streaming of a single song!
The numbers grow even more when you look at some of the biggest hits in the past year. HYBE’s breakout girl group, NewJeans, hit the jackpot with their chartbuster “Ditto.”
| ADOR With a whopping 130 million streams on Melon, their performer share alone translates to a cool ₩54.6 million KRW (about $42,900 USD). Divided among the band members, each walks away with a significant ₩10.9 million KRW (about $8,570 USD) from streaming revenue.
But wait! The earnings don’t stop there for idols who take on additional roles in song creation. Idol songwriters also earn from the 10% revenue assigned to lyricists, composers, and producers. This means an idol who is also a songwriter will earn more than just the performer’s share, adding to their total revenue.
These figures reflect a complex ecosystem of earnings in the K-Pop industry, showing how streaming platforms play a significant role in artists’ income. However, it’s worth noting that streaming revenue is just one part of a larger revenue portfolio for these artists, which can include concert sales, brand endorsements, and more.
Red Velvet’s Irene is one of the idols with the most brand endorsements throughout her career. | @renebaebae/Instagram So, the next time you hit play on your favorite K-Pop track, know that you’re contributing, albeit in a small way, to the financial success of your beloved idols.
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