In Korea's music industry, when a demo song—brokered by a music publishing company—is released, it's typically accompanied by a special document: the Conditional Assignment of Music Copyright. This contract is part of Korea's distinctive system for handling copyright royalties.
By law, only the official copyright holder can collect royalties. The moment a songwriter puts pen to paper—or beats to a track—they automatically own the copyright to their creation.
However, in Korea, there’s a practical challenge: while individual songwriters can collect performance royalties themselves, it’s extremely difficult to manage—especially for those living overseas. Unless the songwriter plans to handle all royalty management, collection, and distribution on their own, they typically assign those rights to someone else for administration. This is where the Conditional Assignment steps in. Under this agreement, the songwriter temporarily transfers the copyright to the music publisher, who then manages the collection and distribution of royalties on their behalf. The publisher immediately entrusts those rights to the Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), the country's official collective management body. KOMCA then takes on the task of collecting and distributing royalties earned in Korea.
For Korean songwriters, royalties from outside Korea require separate arrangements with international publishers or local copyright societies. Once the conditional assignment is in place, the Korean publisher can partner with overseas publishers to ensure those international earnings are also collected and paid out.
Because the word “assignment” can sound final, some songwriters worry that this means giving up their rights entirely. In reality, it's nothing of the sort. The agreement follows KOMCA's standard contract, which spells out its purpose—"to manage and promote the use and development of musical works"—along with the specific scope, territory, and time frame of the arrangement.
And the most important point of all? Authorship never changes. No matter where the royalties flow or how the rights are managed, the songwriter will always be recognized as the original creator of the work.