One of the common questions fans ask is that if K-pop idols get paid for appearing on music shows and how much they earn from it. Recently, a former entertainment reporter revealed the shocking amount artists spend and receive for performing on music shows.

How Much Do K-pop Idols Earn From Appearing on Music Shows? Former Reporter Reveals Shocking Amount

Every time a K-pop artist releases a new song or album, they appear on Korean music shows, such as "M Countdown," "Music Bank," "Inkigayo," "Show! Music Core," "Show Champion," and "The Show, to promote their new project.

On Nov. 10, former entertainment reporter Lee Jin Ho uploaded a new video to his YouTube channel, titled "Very serious music program appearance fee situation." Here, he discussed how much music shows pay Korean artists who perform.

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In the video, Lee said, "There are a lot of idol groups that are popular all over the world. People thought that the money they receive for appearing on music shows in Korea would be as high as their popularity, but these expectations are not real. I was shocked because of such a small fee."

He continued that the appearance fee for music shows has nothing to do with the number of people and that solo artists and idol groups are paid the same amount. Moreover, there is a difference in the fee depending on the level of recognition and popularity of an artist.

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So, how much do K-pop idols earn from performing on music shows? According to Lee Jin Ho, an artist doesn't receive 500,000 won (approximately $375), unless they are in the top 3 acts representing Korea. While top-tier artists get paid 500,000 won, the average idols receive only 100,000 won (approximately $75).

He then clarified that those figures are given by terrestrial broadcasters, such as KBS2's "Music Bank, "MBC's "Show! Music Core" and SBS's "Inkigayo.

On the other hand, Mnet's "M Countdown" only pays idols about 50,000 won in the current market price, and even removes tax from the amount.

What can you say about the amount of money that K-pop idols earn from performing on music shows?

How Much Do K-pop Idols Spend to Appear on Music Shows?

Apart from revealing the amount that music shows pay K-pop idols for their appearance, Lee Jin Ho also shared how much the artists spend to prepare for their music show stage.

According to him, it usually costs about 10 million won a day and 60 million won a week (approximately $7,508 to $45,045) for the preparation. The amount goes up to 120 million won ($90,097) since they promote for about two weeks. These numbers are in the case of popular artists.

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As for an average artist, they spend about 30 million won per week and 60 million won ($22,520 to $45,045) for two weeks on expenses (which includes stage costumes, stylists, meals, and gas, with stage outfits costing the most amount of money).

Since popular idols only earn 500,000 won (approximately $375), the pay may only cover the gas money.

According to author Yoo Sung Woon of the book "Girl Group Economics," producing directors do not like it when idol groups wear stage outfits on their show that they've already worn to another program. Because of this, each group member needs to have at least four stage outfits, which cost hundreds of thousands of millions of won.

Lee Jin Ho also touched on how long it takes for K-pop idols to prepare for their appearance on Korean music shows. He said, "It usually takes 16 hours to get up at dawn, get hair and makeup done, rehearse in the morning, and do a live broadcast until the evening."

He then pointed out that even though it costs a hefty amount of money, there are still several artists who want to perform on music shows. This is because once an idol appears on a broadcast, the money their agency invested in the past will be recovered.

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Written by Maria Scott