Online music streaming service Melon to provide chart data for Billboard

[Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment]

SEOUL -- Chart data by South Korea's major online music streaming service Melon will be included in Billboard charts. Melon, operated by the content and entertainment wing of South Korea's web service giant Kakao, became the first domestic streaming service to provide chart data for the global magazine that creates music charts of popular songs all over the world.

Kakao Entertainment said in a statement that Melon streams would be provided to Billboard starting on June 7. The South Korean data will be used for three Billboard charts -- "South Korea Songs," "Global 200," and "Global Excl. US." The three charts are created based on online streaming and digital sales.

"I am happy to showcase K-pop and artists to the world through our data," Kakao Entertainment official Park Doo-wan was quoted as saying. Park said the entertainment company would cooperate with more partners in South Korea and abroad.

Melon, with about five million paid subscribers, has strived to gain a competitive edge in the domestic online music service market. In 2019, the music streaming service interlocked its service platform with that of TikTok, a Chinese video editing service for smartphones, to differentiate its content service from other domestic rivals such as Genie and Flo. Melon app users were allowed to search for music used in TikTok video content. They can also search for video content related to the music they are listening to in real-time using TikTok's app.

Kim Joo-heon jhkim123@ajunews.com

Online music streaming service Melon to provide chart data for Billboard

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