Source Music
South Korean record label and artist-management company within HYBE, best known for managing LE SSERAFIM and formerly GFriend.
Last updated November 1, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Source Music is a South Korean record label and entertainment-management company founded in 2009 by So Sung-jin. The company began by developing and managing individual performers and gradually shifted its emphasis toward idol-group production. Its early roster included former Baby Vox member Kan Mi-youn, the co-managed group 8Eight, and the girl group GLAM, a collaboration with Big Hit Entertainment. These activities established Source Music as a relatively small but active participant in South Korea's popular-music industry. The label's most important pre-acquisition development was GFriend, a six-member girl group formed in 2015. GFriend debuted with the extended play Season of Glass and became one of the better-known Korean girl groups of the mid-to-late 2010s. The group's success gave Source Music a significantly stronger identity in the idol market and made the company an attractive strategic asset for a larger entertainment group. In July 2019, HYBE Corporation, then known as Big Hit Entertainment, acquired Source Music. Source Music retained its label identity and management operations while becoming part of HYBE's multi-label structure, commonly referred to as HYBE Labels. The acquisition expanded HYBE's portfolio beyond its original core label and positioned Source Music as a specialist company focused particularly on female idol artists. The company moved to HYBE's Yongsan headquarters in Seoul in March 2021. GFriend's six-year contracts ended in May 2021, and the members left Source Music. The group's departure marked a major change in the label's roster and strategy. Source Music subsequently recruited former IZ*ONE members Sakura Miyawaki and Kim Chaewon and assembled a new girl group, LE SSERAFIM. The group debuted on May 2, 2022, with the extended play Fearless. Its lineup at debut included Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, Kim Garam, and Hong Eunchae. Kim Garam later left the group and ended her association with the company in 2022; LE SSERAFIM continued as a five-member act. Source Music's business covers artist discovery, trainee development, music recording and release, concert and promotional activity, merchandising, and intellectual-property management. The label operates within HYBE's broader infrastructure while maintaining responsibility for its own artists and releases. Its principal current public-facing act is LE SSERAFIM, whose activities have given Source Music renewed visibility in Korea and international digital markets. The company has also faced operational and reputational challenges. In 2022, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission fined Source Music 3 million won and issued a corrective order after personal information from a membership-fee reimbursement survey connected with GFriend's disbandment was improperly disclosed. In September 2024, Source Music announced that GFriend members would reunite for a project commemorating the group's tenth anniversary in 2025. This announcement represented a return to a major former property while the company continued to develop LE SSERAFIM as its active flagship group.
History
Source Music was established on November 17, 2009, by So Sung-jin, a former talent manager who had worked at SM Entertainment and later at JYP Entertainment. The company initially operated as a small label and management agency. Its first artist was Kan Mi-youn, whose 2010 digital single Going Crazy reached number 11 on South Korea's national chart. Source Music also managed or co-managed other early acts, including 8Eight and the artist-development project Eden Beatz. In 2012, Source Music and Big Hit Entertainment jointly formed GLAM. The group underwent a membership change during its run and remained active until 2014; it was formally disbanded in January 2015. The group became associated with a criminal case involving member Dahee, who was later sentenced to imprisonment for extortion. Source Music subsequently concentrated more heavily on its own girl-group pipeline. GFriend was formed in 2015 with Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB, and Umji. The group debuted on January 15, 2015, with the extended play Season of Glass and became Source Music's defining commercial and cultural success during the following years. The company also managed soloist and group acts such as MI.O during this period. In July 2019, Big Hit Entertainment acquired Source Music. The transaction made Source Music a subsidiary within the HYBE Labels network after the parent company adopted the HYBE name. Source Music continued to function as a distinct label, while gaining access to HYBE's corporate, production, distribution, and promotional infrastructure. In March 2021, the label moved to HYBE's Yongsan Trade Center headquarters. A major transition followed in May 2021, when GFriend's members left after their six-year contracts ended. Source Music then rebuilt its roster around a new girl group. Sakura Miyawaki and Kim Chaewon signed exclusive contracts in March 2022, and LE SSERAFIM debuted on May 2, 2022, with Fearless. The debut lineup also included Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, Kim Garam, and Hong Eunchae. Kim Garam subsequently departed, leaving LE SSERAFIM as a five-member group. The company's post-2021 period also included a regulatory setback. The Korea Personal Information Protection Commission found that Source Music had mishandled personal information in connection with a survey used to process membership-fee reimbursements after GFriend's departure. The company received a 3 million won fine and a corrective order in April 2022. In September 2024, Source Music announced a GFriend reunion project for 2025, tied to the group's tenth anniversary. Source Music therefore entered its latest phase with LE SSERAFIM as its main active act while revisiting one of its most significant former properties.
- 2024
GFriend reunion project is announced
[1]Source Music announces a 2025 project marking GFriend's tenth anniversary.
- 2022
LE SSERAFIM debuts
[1]The new girl group releases its debut extended play, Fearless, on May 2.
- 2021
GFriend leaves the company
[1]The members depart after their six-year contracts expire.
- 2019
HYBE acquires Source Music
[1]Source Music becomes a subsidiary in HYBE's multi-label organization.
- 2015
GFriend debuts
[1]GFriend debuts with the extended play Season of Glass and becomes the label's leading act.
- 2012
GLAM is formed
[1]Source Music and Big Hit Entertainment create the jointly managed girl group GLAM.
- 2010
Kan Mi-youn releases Going Crazy
[1]The label's first artist releases a digital single that reaches number 11 on South Korea's national chart.
- 2009
Source Music is founded
[1]So Sung-jin establishes Source Music on November 17 as a South Korean music label and artist-management company.
Products and positioning
A HYBE-affiliated Korean label specializing in the development and management of female idol artists and groups.
Entertainment services · 2009
Artist management
Source Music scouts, develops, contracts, and manages music artists, with particular emphasis on Korean idol groups and female performers. Its responsibilities include training coordination, recording projects, promotional schedules, live appearances, fan activities, and management of artist-related intellectual property.
Girl group · 2015
GFriend
GFriend was Source Music's breakthrough girl group. Formed in 2015, the six-member act debuted with Season of Glass and built the label's reputation through sustained group releases and performances. The members left Source Music in 2021 after their contracts ended. A tenth-anniversary reunion project for 2025 was announced in 2024.
Girl group · 2022
LE SSERAFIM
LE SSERAFIM is Source Music's principal active artist property. The group debuted on May 2, 2022, with the extended play Fearless. Its debut lineup included Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, Kim Garam, and Hong Eunchae; following Kim Garam's departure, the group continued with five members.
Girl group · 2012
GLAM
GLAM was a girl group jointly created and managed by Source Music and Big Hit Entertainment. It debuted in 2012, underwent a membership change, and remained active until 2014 before being formally disbanded in January 2015.
Solo artist · 2010
Kan Mi-youn
Kan Mi-youn, formerly a member of Baby Vox, was Source Music's first artist. Her 2010 digital single Going Crazy introduced the label's recorded-music operations and reached number 11 on South Korea's national chart.
Controversies
2022
Personal-information disclosure in GFriend reimbursement survey
A survey used to process membership-fee reimbursements connected with GFriend's departure exposed the personal information of 22 participants through improper disclosure of survey results. South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a 3 million won fine and issued a corrective order.
2021
Source Music apologizes over GFRIEND disbandment communication and refund handling
Source Music issued a statement apologizing to fans for insufficient communication following GFRIEND's disbandment and for problems with the membership refund process. The apology also addressed the company's supervision of personal-information processing and its response to refund guidance. The statement was released on June 11, 2021.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024GFriend tenth-anniversary reunion project
South Korea · Global fan market
Source Music announced a reunion project involving GFriend members for 2025, using the group's tenth anniversary to reactivate a major former label property.
Outcome. Announced for 2025
Brand decisions
2022
Launch LE SSERAFIMProduct launchBackground
GFriend's departure in 2021 left Source Music without its best-known active group.
Action taken
The label recruited Sakura Miyawaki and Kim Chaewon and debuted LE SSERAFIM with Fearless on May 2.
Aftermath
LE SSERAFIM became the company's principal active artist and renewed its profile in the Korean and international idol markets.
2019
Join HYBE's multi-label organizationM&ABackground
Source Music had established a significant position through GFriend but remained a comparatively small independent label.
Action taken
HYBE acquired the company and retained it as a distinct label within HYBE Labels.
Aftermath
Source Music gained access to HYBE's broader corporate and distribution infrastructure while continuing to manage its own artists.
Recent events
Source Music apologizes over GFRIEND disbandment communication and refund handling[2]
Reported:
Source Music issued a statement apologizing to fans for insufficient communication following GFRIEND's disbandment and for problems with the membership refund process, including its supervision of personal-information processing and its response to refund guidance.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/source-music · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled