What a music show is
Korea has several music ranking programmes, each broadcaster airing its own on a different weekday every week. Several artists perform in each episode, and depending on the show, that week's number one is announced. There are stages tied to the promotion cycle, such as the comeback stage when an artist first performs a new release, a rookie's debut stage, and the goodbye stage that wraps up a promotion period, so for fans these shows work like a calendar for following an era. Seeing outfits and staging change week to week for the same song is part of the fun.
What decides the ranking
Number one is usually decided not by a single figure but by adding up several measures. Which measures are included and how much weight each carries differ from show to show and may change when a programme is revamped, so check each show's official notice for the exact criteria. Commonly used measures include the following.
- Streams and downloads on music services
- Physical album sales
- Broadcast appearances and broadcast scores
- Video views, social metrics and viewer votes
Candidates and the announcement
Many shows introduce the top few candidates first and announce the winner at the end of the broadcast. On shows that take live votes, voting during the broadcast can affect the final result. Some shows have a rule that once a song has won a certain number of times on the same programme, it is removed from future candidacy. The winner often performs an encore stage, and the relaxed moments that come out then are a favourite with fans.
Why results differ between shows
It is common for different shows to name different winners in the same week. That is not a counting error; it is because the measures, their weights and the counting periods differ. A show that weights album sales heavily may favour artists with strong fandoms, while one that weights streaming heavily may favour songs the general public listens to widely. When comparing results, thinking first about what a given show emphasises makes things much easier to understand. Looking at results across several shows together gives you a rounded picture of which audiences a song is reaching.
Knowing the counting period helps
The broadcast date and the counting period are not the same. Rankings usually gather results from a set period before the broadcast, so a song released mid-week may have only part of its first week counted. That is why a song sometimes becomes a candidate in the week after its comeback rather than right away. If a show is cancelled for a major event or a sports broadcast, there may be no ranking that week. When a result surprises you, check that week's counting period first.
Pre-recordings and studio audiences
Many stages are recorded before the live broadcast, and fans can sometimes attend. Applications are usually taken through notices on the official fan community run by the agency, and on the day there are ID or attendance checks. Attendance is normally free, so be suspicious of posts offering to sell audience passes. Some applications require proof of album purchase or similar, so read the notice's conditions all the way through.
- Check the audience notice on the official fan community
- Bring ID and your confirmation screen
- Arrive earlier than the stated meeting time
- Follow on-site rules such as no filming during recording
Enjoying rankings in a healthy way
Wanting your favourite artist to win is natural, but streaming at the cost of excessive spending or lost sleep cannot last. Auto-play programs and cycling through multiple accounts break platform rules and may be filtered out of the count or lead to account penalties, and they can reflect badly on the artist too. A ranking is just one measure of a single week's performance. Congratulating other artists on their wins, rather than running them down, protects the reputation of the whole fandom.
Watching music shows from abroad
Overseas fans often watch through the stage videos each show posts on its official channels. If you want to catch the live broadcast, work out the time difference between Korea and where you live in advance. Official videos usually go up after the broadcast, and separate videos focused on individual members, known as fancams, are often released too. Watching official uploads rather than unofficial re-uploads gives you better quality and also counts towards the artist's official numbers. Some official channels add foreign-language subtitles, so if you want to follow the hosts' remarks or interviews, check the subtitle settings.
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