[Edaily Reporter Gim Ga Yeong ] “The key to the music business is internalizing intellectual property (IP). Since we hold drama IP, we must also secure the music IP contained within those works to pursue a wider range of business opportunities and expand our content.”

Lee Ah-reum,

, explained the direction of SLL, which has recently been expanding its music business. In a recent interview with E-Daily, Lee stated, “The SLL Music Business Division is broadening its scope to include not only music production but also distribution, as well as global content production and management.”
As drama production companies increasingly view the music business as a new revenue stream, SLL is distinguishing itself as a production company that actively and professionally develops its music business. Going beyond producing original soundtracks (OSTs) for its own content, SLL has expanded its business scope to external content by signing a joint venture agreement to handle the investment, planning, and production of OSTs for four dramas produced by KT Studio Genie. From *New Recruit* to *Love Doctor*, SLL has been responsible for the OSTs of ENA dramas, playing a role that goes beyond simply providing music for the productions—it conveys the narrative and emotions through music and enhances the value of the content.
Director Lee cited SLL’s in-house production capabilities and business synergies as the reasons for expanding collaboration with other companies. “The SLL Music Division has the capability to produce OSTs independently,” he explained. “However, since the annual volume of content produced by SLL is limited, and many other production companies do not operate a separate music division, we determined that we could create mutual synergies.”
In particular, SLL has secured a unique competitive edge by being a company with drama production capabilities. This is because the SLL Music Business Division does not merely focus on music production but also understands the narrative and emotions of a work and can reflect them in the music. Director Lee said, “We read the synopsis in advance and work together to consider and discuss the songs needed for the drama.”

SLL’s music business extends beyond OST production. While distributing music tracks directly, the company also showcases music content to the global market through its own YouTube channel, “GogoSing.” In addition to music videos featuring key scenes from the dramas, the company also produces secondary content such as separate videos and shorts featuring the OST vocalists. This strategy diversifies distribution channels and content touchpoints to ensure that key scenes and music from the dramas continue to be consumed even after the tracks are released.
This is also an effort to compensate for the short lifespan of drama IP. Even dramas that take years to produce and cost tens of billions of won often see their buzz fade rapidly once they finish airing. Music, on the other hand, can continue to be consumed through digital tracks and video content long after a drama has ended. By evoking the drama’s emotions and narrative through music and reproducing them in various forms of content, producers can expect to extend the work’s lifespan and may also see viewers return to the content via the music.
Long-term revenue generation is also possible. Director Lee stated, “Compared to drama or film production, the music industry has the advantage of requiring relatively lower initial investment costs while still securing long-term revenue.”
Director Lee built his expertise in artist marketing while handling album marketing and media relations at JYP Entertainment. He subsequently gained hands-on experience across the entire music industry by overseeing investment and distribution at Genie Music. His background, which spans various business areas from marketing to investment and distribution, serves as the foundation for expanding SLL’s music business.
“One of the best things about joining SLL is the ability to utilize a wide variety of IP,” he said. “While we previously relied mainly on artist IP, at SLL we can create music and plan distribution and marketing strategies based on a diverse range of IP, including audition shows, dramas, and movies.” He continued, “By creating new IP using existing content and observing the public’s reaction, I realized that the potential of the K-content market is limitless,” adding, “Since we can gauge immediate reactions, I felt we could try out a variety of approaches.”
The plan is to further expand ancillary businesses that can be integrated with K-content. Director Lee noted, “We are also exploring ways to expand our business into the offline sector.”
Regarding the goals of SLL’s Music Business Division, he explained, “Our goal is to grow into an organization that creates music that complements content such as dramas and movies and excels at secondary ancillary businesses.” He added, “We will continue to develop SLL so that it becomes a company with expertise not only in content production but also in music production and content businesses that utilize music.”