The OST of the Netflix original animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters" ("K-Demon Hunters") is achieving global success, including charting on the Billboard charts in the United States. The revenue from this OST, which has become the center of the film's box office success, is reported to be at an astonishing level.
According to industry sources, considering that "K-Demon Hunters" is ranking high on both domestic and international music charts, it is expected that the revenue from music sales alone will reach hundreds of millions of won.
However, this revenue is limited to songs that have achieved great success.
According to a representative from a leading domestic production company that has created numerous drama OSTs, the production costs vary for each drama. In the case of genre works, production costs tend to decrease. The representative explained, "Works that focus on brutality or comedy find it difficult to touch the viewers' emotions through music. Music is often not necessary," adding, "Since the number of OST songs is usually limited to 2-3, we generally start with a budget of around 20-30 million won."
For works with high box office potential or depending on the status of the OST singer, including performance fees, production costs can exceed tens of millions and even reach hundreds of millions. In fact, it has been confirmed that the performance fees for top domestic ballad singers start at around 40-50 million won. One top domestic singer is reported to receive over 100 million won in performance fees. This is quite rare.
The representative stated, "Since OSTs do not incur reproduction costs, the goal is to generate revenue exceeding production costs over a year. The OST industry tends to have a long-term perspective."
As the consumption of video content such as OTT (Over-The-Top) services diversifies, the expectation that the OST industry would thrive seems to have missed the mark. Industry insiders view the OST industry as "not an easy path within the music industry," stating, "The environment for producing and creating music has become much easier, and competition has intensified. Especially with the increasing trend of short consumption like viral videos on social media shorts, the long emotional impact and value that OSTs can provide are diminishing."
Another industry insider also mentioned, "Many OSTs that are carefully made with significant production costs often do not achieve the expected level of success. Since OSTs are essential elements of a work, they must be produced unconditionally, which increases the risk of losses."
The return on investment is not high. In fact, aside from a few global OTT works, the performance of TV dramas on terrestrial and comprehensive channels has been relatively poor. As a result of box office failures, many OSTs go unnoticed and are buried.
One positive aspect remains. For singers, performing an OST allows them to expand their expressive range with their voice, and if the drama does well, they have the opportunity to gain a hit song. However, there is a cautious concern that if they only gain popularity through OSTs, they might be labeled as "OST specialists."
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
