Korea Music Performers Association to Host Indie Musician Contest as Public Interest Project Using Unallocated Compensation Funds

by Lee Yiseul

Published 28 Aug.2025 19:16(KST)

Performance scene of the indie musician discovery contest by the Korea Music Performers Association. Photo by Korea Music Performers Association

The Korea Music Performers Association announced on August 28 that it will hold the "2025 Indie Musician Discovery Contest" at Spring Sound in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, from August 29 to 30.

More than 120 teams applied for this competition, and 20 teams selected through the first and second rounds of judging will advance to the finals. The total prize money is 10 million won, with 5 million won for the Grand Prize, 3 million won for the Gold Prize, 1.5 million won for the Silver Prize, and 500,000 won for the Bronze Prize. Among the winning teams, five will have the opportunity to introduce their music and stories to the public through the production of broadcast content. The event will also feature a live broadcast on YouTube and real-time voting via social networking services (SNS).

The Korea Music Performers Association is an organization designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to receive copyright compensation. It utilizes unallocated compensation funds, which are officially approved and used as resources for public interest projects. Unallocated compensation refers to funds that remain undistributed after five years following the distribution announcement, and starting from the 26th of the following month, this will also include amounts unclaimed for over ten years.

Based on these resources, the association has carried out a variety of public interest projects every year. Through its support program for the production of outstanding performance albums, it is backing the release of a new album by Deokho, the Gold Prize winner of the MBC University Song Festival released on this day, as well as albums by jazz artist Nam Yeji and singer-songwriter Chun Seohyun, supporting a total of 80 album productions through early next year.

In its small-scale performance support project, the association is assisting performances by 30 teams, including Lazybone, Clave, and Jo Eunse. It is also preparing "KMPF 2025 Jeju," a music performers' festival, in collaboration with the Jeju Content Agency.

A representative from the association stated, "We will continue to provide opportunities for music performers to showcase their talents and connect with the public, thereby improving the creative environment and expanding the diversity of the music ecosystem."