Hundreds of songs from popular K-pop acts like Sistar, IU, Monsta X, Epik High and others have returned to Spotify after being removed on March 1st due to an expired license agreement. Kakao Entertainment, one of Korea’s largest distributors, issued a statement announcing a renewed license agreement with Spotify.
“Through its diverse partnerships around the world, including Spotify, Kakao Entertainment hopes that music lovers around the world can easily access the artist and music content to enjoy K-pop,” a Kakao spokesman said in a statement. “Kakao Entertainment remains committed to the Korean music ecosystem and its growth and will continue to protect the rights of artists, labels and local rights holders in the future.”
A Spotify spokesperson added, “We continue to strive to have a positive impact on the Korean music streaming ecosystem through our partnerships with artists, labels and local rights holders.”