Previously, Korean media outlet Dispatch reported that BLACKPINK’s Rosé applied to terminate her contract with the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) back on October 31, 2024. After a 3-month grace period, Rosé’s contract termination with KOMCA was confirmed on January 31, 2025.
With this move, Rosé has become the first Korean artist to withdraw from the KOMCA in over two decades. The last time this happened was with Seo Taiji (from Seo Taiji and Boys – a Korean music group that included YG founder Yang Hyun-suk), who decided to not renew his contract with the organization.
Meanwhile, as becoming a member of KOMCA is often considered an honor for K-pop artists due to strict criteria, many are questioning the reason behind Rosé’s withdrawal. However, this can actually be explained rather simply in Rosé’s case.
To clarify, KOMCA is responsible for managing copyrights and royalties for songwriters in South Korea (not to be confused with KMCA – Korean Music Content Association, which oversees digital music charts and music content distribution, as well as recently came under scrutiny for slamming NJZ (NewJeans)).
Now that Rosé has left KOMCA, her music copyrights and profits will be directly handled by US publishers instead of the KOMCA. This removes the number of levels of agencies, accelerates revenue distribution, and allows Rosé full ownership of her music. Additionally, this may leads to more international promotions and releases rather than Korean-based ones.
