Dancer Lia Kim, who owns the 1Million Dance Studio YouTube channel with an impressive 26.2 million YouTube subscribers, recently disclosed that her channel does not generate a profit.

On December 28, a video titled 'Can You Get Copyright Recognition through Dance? Lia Kim's Dance Industry Story with Hyojin Choi' was posted on the Moneygraphy YouTube channel.

During the discussion, host Kim Chang Sun PD asked Lia Kim, "When we talk about 1 Million (dance studio), the first thing that often comes to mind is YouTube content. You boast 26.2 million subscribers. I'm intrigued about the channel's revenue."

In response, Lia Kim shared, "Unfortunately, there is no revenue. All the income (ad revenue) is redirected to the music copyright holders."

Expanding on this, she explained, "The music industry has a longstanding practice of obtaining licenses through entities like the Korea Music Copyright Association, allowing for revenue distribution on platforms like YouTube. However, such a system is nonexistent in the realm of dance. It's not as simple as saying, 'Give me the revenue.'"

Addressing the question of why choreography isn't recognized as copyright, Lia Kim elaborated, "Historically, gaining recognition for any right involves significant sacrifice and effort. For instance, the Korea Music Copyright Association, established in 1964, achieved a revenue of 100 billion KRW (77.3 million USD) by 2010, spanning a 46-year journey."

She concluded, "I believe the field of dance is still in its infancy stage, just taking its initial steps. Our dancers have a considerable journey ahead in the future."