Following the Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association, the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) has also sided with HYBE Labels in the ongoing dispute between the entertainment agency and girl group NewJeans.
The Korea Music Content Association, established by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in 2008, oversees the fair, streamlined distribution of music content in South Korea, protects the intellectual property rights of producers and distributors, and operates the public music chart of South Korea, the Circle Chart.
In a newly released statement on December 13 KST, the Korea Music Content Association denounced the controversial music industry practice of “tampering” and advised that the members of NewJeans return to ADOR in order to fulfill the responsibilities outlined in their exclusive contract.
The KMCA stated, “The act of ‘tampering’, in which a producer from the outside coaxes young and promising artists and their parents into terminating their contracts with their original agencies, was already witnessed during the ‘FIFTY FIFTY’ case. And yet, another case of suspected tampering arose not long after the ‘FIFTY FIFTY’ case with former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin facing the allegations. This proves just how rampant tampering cases are in the popular music industry, raising severe concerns. Furthermore, the recent Min Hee Jin case demonstrated that tampering attempts can occur at both small companies and large corporations, and as a result, the KMCA has determined that it can no longer stand by and watch these cases unfold without taking action. If in-house/external producers are left alone to use their close relationships with the artists and their parents to seek independence from companies and investors without regard to the terms of the artists’ exclusive contract, and if these producers use the content and operation strategies owned by entertainment companies however they please, under such risks, how can companies go on discovering artists, producing records, and drawing investors?”
Calling on the South Korean government to implement reforms to existing, inadequate laws governing the exclusive contracts between artists and entertainment companies, the KMCA expressed, “The KMCA intends on reviewing the removal of artists who are involved in tampering cases from the KMCA-operated Circle Chart as a response to the ongoing issue. This would involve the exclusion of all sales and distribution data of the music released by these artists from the charts which determines the scores of domestic music program charts (‘M! Countdown’, ‘Music Bank’, ‘Show! Music Core’, ‘Inkigayo’, ‘Show! Champion’, ‘The Trot Show’, and ‘ENA K-Pop Chart Show’) as well as major domestic music award ceremonies (the ‘Circle Chart Music Awards’, the ‘MAMA Awards’, and the ‘Golden Disk Awards’).”
Additionally naming another suspected tampering case from June of this year, involving EXO-CBX, the KMCA relayed, “These measures listed above are necessary to restore order to the popular music industry, establish healthy commercial practices, and ultimately, for the development of a sustainable music industry. Severe egoism will only lead to the division of and eventual destruction of the industry. We strongly urge those involved in the ongoing case to participate in all investigations earnestly while acknowledging responsibility for the severe damages that the industry has incurred.”
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