Allegations have emerged that a small number of music creators have sought to generate revenue through abnormal methods on platforms like YouTube Shorts.
According to Yonhap News, the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) announced on October 22 during a National Assembly audit by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee that it has suspended payments of royalties to some rights holders and is conducting further verification in light of these allegations.
Four rights holders are involved in this matter, with a total of 802 songs registered. The unpaid royalties amount to approximately 24 billion won, and when combined with previously paid amounts, the total royalties are expected to exceed 30 billion won.
Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Sun-mi raised concerns during the audit on October 12 about the potential for abuse, where the use of music is artificially induced to generate royalties.
KOMCA stated, "In some Shorts channels, specific music was used during video production, and the music rights holders paid a portion of the royalties to the channel. However, there is a possibility that music unrelated to the video content was used or that the music was inserted in such a way that it was virtually inaudible, leading to revenue generation based on false usage metrics."
KOMCA further explained that after entrusting the verification of 791 related songs to an overseas AI music analysis company, it confirmed the possibility that some of the songs may have been generated by AI, prompting further investigation into these allegations.
Earlier, KOMCA members filed a complaint with the police in February regarding this matter, citing fraud and obstruction of business. However, the police decided not to pursue the case on June 30, citing insufficient evidence. KOMCA has since requested a review of the investigation.
Given the need for additional investigation, KOMCA decided to maintain its policy of withholding royalty payments during a board meeting held on September 29.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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