The worldwide music trade is dealing with “unprecedented upheaval” amid the fast growth of generative AI — and South Korea is tackling the problem head-on.
Six of the nation’s main music trade organizations have joined forces to kind a coalition, declaring a “state of emergency” and making what they describe as a “declaration of struggle” towards AI copyright infringement.
HYBE, SM Leisure, JYP Leisure, YG Leisure, Sony Music, Warner Music, and Common Music are all council members of the Korea Music Content material Affiliation (KMCA), one of many six our bodies inside the coalition, which has been dubbed, the Ok-Music Rights Group Mutual Development Committee.
The coalition, formally launched on February 26, additionally brings collectively the Korea Music Copyright Affiliation (KOMCA), the Korea Recording Business Affiliation (RIAK), the Korea Leisure Producers Affiliation (KEPA), the Collectively Music Copyright Affiliation, and the Korea Music Performers Affiliation (KOSCAP).
The coalition was the primary official act of Lee Si-ha, who was elected as KOMCA’s twenty fifth president simply someday earlier.
A musician greatest often known as a member of Korean band The Cross and composer of the hit Don’t Cry, Lee was additionally elected because the committee’s inaugural chairperson.
“The upcoming two years are a golden time that may decide the life and dying of South Korea’s music trade.”
Lee Si-ha, KOMCA
“The upcoming two years are a golden time that may decide the life and dying of South Korea’s music trade,” Lee stated.
“Particular person responses can’t cease the huge wave, which is why the six organisations have joined arms. We’ll set up the copyright administration system we’ve constructed as a worldwide commonplace, enabling Korea to guide the worldwide copyright order.”
In line with an official press launch issued on March 3, the six organisations signed a joint declaration titled: “Within the AI period, we declare the noble sovereignty of human creation,” pledging to defend creators’ rights towards what they described as “massive capital and algorithms.”
The declaration units out three particular calls for:
A ban on unauthorized AI coaching with out creator consent
Necessary transparency in AI technology processes
Clear requirements distinguishing human-created works from AI-generated outputs
The slide above reads (translated): “This isn’t a gathering. It’s a declaration of struggle. Right this moment, this gathering goes past the pursuits of particular person organisations, to guard the appropriate to survival of South Korea’s music trade… Will we turn into victims of expertise? Or will we turn into its masters?”
The committee has outlined the present second as a state of emergency formed by 4 overlapping crises:
The unfold of generative AI;
Blockchain-based decentralisation;
The abroad outflow of Korean Wave revenues; and
The restructuring of the platform market.
Relatively than persevering with to reply individually, the six organisations have agreed to function by way of a joint AI response job pressure, a single-window negotiation system, and a joint fund.
The ambition goes effectively past South Korea’s borders. The committee goals for Korea to straight seize ‘copyright administration expertise’ and turn into what it calls the ‘rule maker’ of the worldwide market.
On the technical core of the technique is a blockchain-based built-in infrastructure designed to consolidate fragmented rights information presently scattered throughout separate organisations.
The plan includes linking 4 main identification codes right into a unified information construction: the Worldwide Customary Musical Work Code (ISWC) for compositions and lyrics, the Worldwide Customary Recording Code (ISRC) for sound recordings, YouTube‘s Content material ID system, and South Korea’s Common Content material Identifier (UCI). The purpose is a system able to monitoring, gathering, and distributing royalties in actual time — what the committee calls a “Ok-Copyright Customary Mannequin.”
The coalition spans the total rights chain of South Korea’s music trade:
Korea Music Copyright Affiliation (KOMCA) — represents songwriters and composers, managing performing and mechanical rights for musical compositions. South Korea’s largest music copyright collective, with 30,000 members and a catalog of over 3.7 million works.
Collectively Music Copyright Affiliation — additionally represents songwriters and composers. South Korea’s second CMO for musical compositions. Notably, KOMCA and Collectively have traditionally operated as rivals.
Korea Recording Business Affiliation (RIAK) — represents file producers and labels, managing neighbouring rights for sound recordings.
Korea Music Performers Affiliation (KOSCAP) — represents performing artists and musicians — the performers on recordings, as distinct from songwriters or labels.
Korea Leisure Producers Affiliation (KEPA) — represents leisure manufacturing firms and expertise companies: the businesses that produce, handle and develop artists.
Korea Music Content material Affiliation (KMCA) — represents main home file manufacturing firms, distributors, and abroad direct distributors. It additionally operates the Circle Chart, South Korea’s major music chart. Its council members embrace HYBE, SM Leisure, JYP Leisure, YG Leisure, Sony Music, Warner Music, Common Music, and Kakao Leisure.
The brand new coalition marks an escalation of measures South Korea’s music trade has already been taking.
Final yr, KOMCA launched a rule requiring creators to ensure that AI was not used within the songwriting course of when registering new works. If AI was used however the registrant claims in any other case and KOMCA finds out, the organisation could withhold royalty funds or delete the work from its system altogether.
As MBW famous final yr, KOMCA’s coverage is stricter than South Korea’s total place on AI and copyrighted works. In 2023, the Korea Copyright Fee and the nation’s Ministry of Tradition, Sport and Tourism introduced that whereas absolutely AI-generated works can’t be copyrighted, components of a piece that had been human-created could also be copyrightable in circumstances the place AI contributed to the creation.
