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Published March 11, 2021, 10:35 AM
Among the K-pop artists that were affected were (clockwise from top left), IU, Epik High with CL and Zico, The Boyz and Seventeen (Instagram, Twitter)
Music streaming competitors Spotify and Korean distributor Kakao Entertainment, formerly Kakao M, have renewed an agreement to offer K-pop music to fans not only in Korea but all over the world.
Starting on March 1, songs of K-pop artists such as IU, Monsta X, Zico, Seventeen, Epik High, Momoland, Pentagon and The Boyz were removed by Spotify after its licensing agreement with Kakao Entertainment expired.
Tablo of Epik High criticized the removal of songs as corporate greed.
Fans of several popular K-pop groups and other South Korean artists have expressed outrage after many of their favourite tunes disappeared suddenly from Spotify on Sunday. Music by K-pop outfits such as Mamamoo, HyunA and Monsta X , as well as popular Korean hip-hop and R&B artists, was pulled from the platform because of the streaming giant’s dispute with Kakao.
However, recently, K-pop songs and albums from these artists have been removed from Spotify. Notably, works distributed by Kakao M have been deleted across the globe. This label is known for its large share of Korean music, charting 37.5% of the songs by its artists on the 2020 Top 400 Yearly Song Chart released by Gaon Music Chart.
After discovering the sudden removal of K-pop songs and albums by their favorite artists, fans took to Twitter to trend the terms Kakao M and Spotify out of discontent. Some have even canceled their premium subscription after knowing they can no longer stream the majority of the content they are paying for. Besides fans, Tablo of Epik High showed his disappointment via Twitter.