[Diary Point | Reporter Park Bo-young] Composer Han Soo-sung said on the November 11 episode of tvN’s You Quiz on the Block that royalties from his children’s song “Cheer Up, Dad” once exceeded 30 million won in a single month in 2006. He said that was the highest monthly amount he had received.
“In 2006, I once received more than 30 million won in a month,” Han said on the show. “I don’t think a children’s song, rather than a pop song, has ever reached that kind of figure.” He added that “Cheer Up, Dad” now accounts for about 80% of all the royalties he receives.
The song aired 150 times a day in an ad campaign for six months
Han said the song was used in a credit card company’s commercial in 2004 and aired 150 times a day for six months. The exposure helped make it widely known. “When a song gets sung a lot, royalties come in,” he said.
The song did not originate as an advertising project or as a response to the Asian financial crisis. Han recalled that he sold his apartment to take over a recording studio, then fell into debt when the building went bankrupt. Feeling sorry toward his family, he wondered, “Is there a song for fathers who have failed, like me?” He said he wrote down “the things I wished my family would say to me.”
Royalties reflect how a work is used
The Korea Music Copyright Association collects music usage fees and distributes them to rights holders based on information about the works used and distribution records. Using music in an advertisement requires a licensing process based on the medium and duration of use. If an existing recording is used in the ad, permission is also needed for the recording’s copyright and related rights.
Han worked as an elementary school teacher for 40 years and composed around 150 children’s songs and more than 130 school anthems. Episode 368 of You Quiz on the Block aired November 11 at 8:45 p.m. The program airs Wednesdays on tvN.