Billboard Global Charts Will Now Include Data From South Korea's Streaming Platform 'Melon'

In a groundbreaking move, Melon, the leading South Korean music platform, has entered a partnership with Billboard, the renowned global music chart. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the continued ascent of K-pop in the global music industry.

Melon on Wednesday confirmed its partnership with Luminate Data Holdings, the data management company used by Billboard. The Kakao Entertainment-backed platform has become the first Korean music platform to contribute data to the U.S. Billboard chart. This unprecedented partnership enables Melon's music appreciation data to be incorporated into Billboard's rankings.

The implications of this collaboration for K-Pop's international influence are immense. The integration of Melon's data into Billboard, recognized for its charts that transcend borders, ensures a better reflection of today's music trends.

Starting Wednesday, Billboard will be incorporating Melon's insights into their South Korea Songs— a regional chart dedicated to Korean music.

Melon's data will also impact the Billboard Global 200, a chart encompassing over 200 countries, including the United States; along with the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and three other digital-based charts.

With a substantial user base of over 5 million paid members, Melon is one of the most used streaming platforms by the K-Pop fandom. By incorporating Melon's music streaming and download data, the Billboard charts will more accurately capture the global pulse of K-Pop's popularity.

This collaboration comes at an opportune time when K-Pop is already experiencing a global surge, with Korean artists regularly securing top positions on the Billboard Global 200 chart.

Park Doo-wan, head of the Melon Strategy Office at Kakao Entertainment, expressed his delight regarding this milestone. As a pioneering force in the Korean music industry for over two decades, Melon is thrilled to extend its reach to an international audience through data collaboration, according to Naver reports.

The melon music platform remains undefeated as the most used music streaming platform in South Korea, based on a 2022 poll by the Record Label Industry Association of Korea.

Melon also hosts an annual Melon Music Awards to recognize the K-pop groups and individuals who contributed to the Korean music industry.

The opportunity to showcase K-Pop and its talented artists to the world is a dream for Melon. K-POP's journey toward global recognition has received a significant boost through Melon's partnership with Billboard. Through this team-up, the influence and impact of K-POP will reach even greater heights.