Professional Songwriters Reveal How Much They Earn With One Hit Song

If you’ve ever wondered how much a songwriter can earn with his work, look no further! Professional songwriters Cosmic Sound (Kim Ki Hyun) and former RaNia member Cosmic Girl (Yoo Joo Yi) sat down for an interview with YouTube channel AYO to spill the tea about their profession.

Cosmic Sound (Left) and Cosmic Girl (Right)

One of the comments directly asked about the royalties they earn: “How much would they make if it’s MelOn‘s No. 1 solo written song? I’m just jealous. They wouldn’t worry for like the next four years if one song makes a hit.”

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Cosmic Sound was undeniably the best person to ask this question to as he reached first place with San E‘s “A Midsummer Night’s Sweetness”, “Me You”, “Bad Year”, and “Mohae”.

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He clarified that reaching the top of the charts is not what makes songwriters earn so much.

If you just top the chart and come back, the number is not that big.

— Cosmic Sound

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According to him, the real money comes from staying consistent on the charts. Cosmic Sound wasn’t shy to give a range of how much they actually earn.

Every song could be different, but if you are No. 1, you would earn around ₩20-30 million KRW (around $16,843-$25,264 USD).

— Cosmic Sound

He explained that the track he wrote for San E, “A Midsummer Night’s Sweetness”, ranked fifth on MelOn. From this experience he learned that contrary to what the comment expected, his earnings were not enough to last four years. It was, however, still a substantial amount.

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Cosmic Sound and Cosmic Girl ended the response by giving a disclaimer that the earnings of a songwriter really depends on the circumstance.