AI, Global Marketing, and Copyright Come Together at Major Conference to Discuss the Future of K-POP Industry

The Korean Music Content Association successfully concluded the “2025 MWM (Moving the World with Music) Festival” in the Busan Port area on May 30. This event was held in conjunction with the “18th Busan Port Festival with MyK FESTA” and consisted of three main programs: a K-POP conference, a K-POP concert, and a K-POP exhibition, offering a variety of activities that allowed attendees to experience firsthand the current trends and realities of the music industry. The K-POP conference, themed “Melting Your Moment in K – Touching the World with Music & Tech,” served as a platform for knowledge exchange where technologies, creative strategies, and business approaches that will shape the future of the music industry were shared. During the keynote speeches, Chau Jin, CEO of the Enter Culture Research Institute, discussed changes in artists’ roles in the era of generative AI under the topic “Should We Fight Against AI?” Kim Kyung-sook, president of the Korean branch of the International Copyright Law Association and professor at Sangmyung University, addressed legal issues such as copyright and deepfakes by focusing on “Copyright and Legal Problems Related to AI Technology.” In the themed presentations, Lee Jong-pil, co-founder and CEO of NewTune, gave a talk titled “Music AI Agent and Attribution System: Redrawing the Future of Music Creation, Distribution, and Rights Management,” while Kim Gwang-jip, CEO of Studio Metakey and professor at Seoul Arts University’s Department of Film, introduced cases of AI technology application in the music industry under the theme “AI Virtual Artists and Cases and Future of AI Content Production.” Jo Eun-seon, CEO of Muse Blossom, proposed technological innovations in copyright management through “The Future of K-POP Copyright with AI-Based Inaudible Audio Watermarks.” In the special seminar, an Asia-Pacific regional representative from Meta Music’s label partnership division explained “Artist Song Marketing Strategies and Success Stories Through Meta’s Platform – Focusing on Instagram,” and Kim In-ho, head of YG PLUS’s music business division, shared “YG PLUS’s Journey to Become the Next-Generation Global Music Tech Distributor.” The K-POP concert saw artists representing various genres and generations, including SUPER JUNIOR-D&E, CNBLUE, N.Flying, ITZY, KyoungSeo, dori, and ZOZAZZ, filling the area around Busan Port with energy. At “2025 MyK FESTA,” held from June 19 to 22 in Seoul’s Olympic Park, Mike Ban, CEO of Billboard, will participate as a speaker for “MyK VOICE.” CEO Ban emphasized K-POP’s global influence by stating, “K-pop is no longer just a trend in global markets; it has established itself as a mainstream content genre.” Billboard has recognized aespa with the Group of the Year award and Jennie with the Global Force award at the 2025 Women in Music Awards, continuing to highlight the Korean music industry. CEO Ban evaluated K-POP’s growth as “very positive in terms of the quantity, quality, and impact of its content,” noting that it achieves remarkable growth every year. MyK FESTA will feature performances by global K-POP artists through “MyK LIVE” at the KSPO Dome within Olympic Park, while exhibitions and pop-ups from brands representing industries such as music, dramas, lifestyle, and food will be held at the handball stadium. The “MyK TRADE” business event, attended by over 170 domestic companies and more than 150 foreign buyers, will take place in Haneul Square. Kim Chang-hwan, president of the Korean Music Content Association, said, “This MWM Festival was a meaningful occasion to collectively consider the future of the music industry and forge new connections. We hope that MWM Festival will continue to grow as a platform for discussions and exchanges that define the direction of the music industry.”