Examining Rights and Revenue Structures Behind the Glamorous K-pop Stage… "Who Owns K-POP?" Published

A book has been released that deals with the rights and revenue structures behind the glamorous stages of K-pop.

Chris Kwon, a 20-year veteran entertainment business manager and CEO of BMC, published "Who Owns K-POP?" on September 23.

Amid the growing global influence of K-pop, with groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK reaching the top of major global music charts, this book examines how the rights and revenues generated within the industry are divided and to whom they belong.

While existing K-pop related books have focused on artists, music, stages, and fandom culture, this book focuses on contracts, settlements, copyrights, and IP (intellectual property).

The book consists of a total of 9 chapters. Starting with the IP ownership structure, it examines the process of how K-pop is created, the trainee system, and overseas rights issues, and also covers the impact of capital, fandom, and new technologies such as AI and NFT on ownership structures, as well as the direction for a sustainable industry.

The author stated, "This book does not start from the question of 'How successful is K-pop,' but from the question of 'To whom and as what did that success remain?'" Before publication, recommendations from figures in the music industry, academia, and the legal profession were also added.

Translated from the Korean original with AI. The Korean article was itself written with AI assistance. Read the original (Korean)