inspired Red to speak out publicly about inequality in the K-pop songwriting industry, she said she has been fighting for more money behind the scenes for years, and that it’s an international industry-wide problem.
“Top K-pop songs can generate in excess of $150,000 within Korea alone,” the Ekko spokesperson said. “‘Boss’ made under $30,000 within Asia for all of the writers and publishers combined.” Howard explained that these kinds of deals also depend on the “rate” given to the songwriter. For example, a songwriter could get a 50/50 deal from the publisher, meaning they only earn 50 cents for every dollar the song makes. That only makes it harder for songwriters to earn their advance.Howard believes that the time for change is long overdue.
Blush said that a lot of writers feel they deserve more, but they’re scared to challenge the status quo. “They're afraid to lose relationships and speak out,” she said, “because they've been taught to be quiet.” “They're probably homeless,” she added of other songwriters. “They [were] probably sleeping on a couch when they signed their publishing deals. And we know that, but you designed these deals not to make them [money], to put them in positions to have to work on a level that you didn't pay them on.”