Melon (online music service)
Melon (Korean: 멜론; RR: Mellon) is a South Korean online music store and music streaming service introduced in November 2004, and developed by SK Telecom. LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao M) became the company-in-charge of the service in 2009.
Screenshot Screenshot of Melon's new interface, launched in August 2016 | |
Type of site | OMS |
---|---|
Available in | Korean |
Owner | Kakao M |
URL | www.melon.com |
Alexa rank | As of January 2020 |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Required, for South Koreans only[2] |
Users | 4~5 million (in South Korea alone, as of 2018) |
Launched | November 2004 |
Background
Melon is South Korea's largest music subscription service, with over 28 million users. Users can stream and download music and music videos and create custom ringtones.[3] Melon is currently available on iOS and Android.
The name Melon is an acronym of the phrase melody on.[4]
International operations
In 2010, Melon was launched by SK Telecom in Indonesia, in partnership with Telkom Indonesia.[5] In 2016, Telkom Indonesia bought all the stake formerly owned by SK Telecom following the SK Telecom's divestment from all MelOn businesses, thus making MelOn Indonesia an Indonesian company.[6]
Promotions
Music Programs on TV
Melon is the main sponsor of the following music-related shows:
- Inkigayo (SBS, October 2010 - December 2016, re-sponsored since February 2017. Previously known as Popular Song and The Music Trend.)
- Show! Music Core (MBC, August 2014 - March 2018)
- Show Champion (MBC Music, January 2013 - May 2018)
- You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook (KBS 2TV)
- Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend (KBS 2TV)
- K-pop Star (SBS, all six seasons from 2011 - 2017)
- Tribe of Hip Hop (JTBC)
- King of Mask Singer (MBC, since June 2017)[lower-alpha 1]
- MIXNINE (JTBC) (2017 - 2018)
- Music Bank (KBS 2TV, since January 2020)
Melon Music Awards
Also in 2009, LOEN Entertainment launched the Melon Music Awards (MMA), an award-giving body dedicated to calculating digital sales and online votes to judge the winners.
Achievements
Songs with the most weeks at number one
8 weeks
- YB – "It Must Have Been Love" (2005)
- Kim Jong-kook – "Lovely" (2005)
- Big Bang – "Last Farewell" (2007)[7][8]
- Girls' Generation – "Gee" (2009)[9]
7 weeks
- Ivy – "If You're Gonna Be Like This" (2007)
- Wonder Girls – "Tell Me" (2007)[10]
- Big Bang – "Haru Haru" (2008)[11][8]
- Soyou & Junggigo – "Some" (2014)[12][13]
6 weeks
- SG Wannabe – "Crime and Punishment" (2005)
- Buzz – "Love From a Real Heart" (2005)
- Gavy NJ Project Group – "Love All" (2006)
- Yangpa – "Love... What Is It?" (2007)
- F.T. Island – "Love Sick" (2007)[8]
- Big Bang – "Lies" (2007)[14][8]
- Wonder Girls – "Nobody" (2008)[10]
- Baek Ji-young – "Like Being Hit By a Bullet" (2008)
- IU – "You & I" (2011)[13]
- PSY – "Gangnam Style" (2012)[13]
- Ailee - "I Will Go to You Like the First Snow" (2017)
- iKon - "Love Scenario" (2018)
Artists with most weeks at number one
Rank[15] | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Artist | IU | Big Bang | Wonder Girls | 2NE1 | Sistar |
Total weeks | 45 | 44 | 29 | 23 | 18 |
Artists with most number one songs
Rank[15] | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Artist | IU | BIGBANG | 2NE1 | Sistar, Davichi | Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation |
Total songs | 23 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
Artists with most months at number one
(Including Sub Unit, Solo, Group)
Rank[15] | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
---|---|---|---|---|
Artist | IU | BIGBANG | Sistar | Wonder Girls, Bolbbalgan4 |
Total months | 10 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Accolades
Melon became one of "Korea's Best 25 Apps" in the 2011 App Awards Korea.[16]
Melon was recognized at the 2012 Trusted Brand Awards.[17]
Melon won the "Grand Prize for Digital Contents" in the 2012 Korean Digital Management Innovation Awards.[18]
Melon was recognized in the 2012 Korea Brand Power Index.[19]
Ilgan Sports ranked Melon as the 3rd most influential entity in the K-pop industry in a November 2013 poll in celebration of its 44th anniversary.[20]
See also
Notes
- Formerly sponsored by rival music service Bugs
References
- "Melon.com Site Information". Alexa Internet.
- "Terms: GENERAL". MelOn. LOEN Entertainment, Inc.
- "South Korea's Biggest Music Subscription Service Acquired by Mobile Messaging Company". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- Seung Si-yeon, Park Jong-geun (December 3, 2011). "Shin Won-soo, representing Korea's largest OMS, "MelOn"". JoongAng Ilbo. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- "Melon Indonesia". Archived from the original on 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- eck. "MelOn kini 100% Merah Putih - Indotelko".
- "V.O.S 박지헌, 8주 1위 빅뱅에 제동". Chosun Entertainment. January 26, 2008.
- "'보이그룹 통계'② 최장·최다 음원 1위 빅뱅, 견줄 그룹 없다". MBN Daily. May 7, 2014.
- "'지'가 뭐길래… 소녀시대 'Gee' 삼촌팬들도 흥얼흥얼 '열광'". Hankyung. March 9, 2009.
- "원더걸스 'Nobody', 'Tell Me' 기록깰까?". SBS News. November 1, 2008.
- "'활동중단' 빅뱅, 원걸 컴백에도 7주째 온라인차트 1위". Korea Economic Daily. September 30, 2008.
- "친구보다 가깝고 연인은 아닌 … '썸 타는' 남녀 듀엣 전성시대". JTBC News. June 24, 2014.
- "여자친구 '시간을 달려서' 주간차트 4주 연속 1위". Dong-a Sports. March 1, 2016.
- "빅뱅, 온라인 음악차트 6주 연속 1위...또 한번 돌풍". Chosun Entertainment. January 8, 2008.
- "[맨 인 컬처]음원시장, 걸그룹 주도 속 보이그룹 '빅뱅' 독보적 입지" [Music market, girl groups lead and boy group Big Bang's unique position]. Dong-a News (in Korean). June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- "2011 App Awards Korea". MelOn. LOEN Entertainment, Inc.
- "2012 Trusted Brand Awards". MelOn. LOEN Entertainment, Inc.
- "2012 Korean Digital Management Innovation Awards". MelOn. LOEN Entertainment, Inc.
- "2012 Korea Brand Power Index". MelOn. LOEN Entertainment, Inc.
- jun2yng (November 3, 2013). "The Top 10 Most Influential Entities of K-Pop". Ilgan Sports via Soompi.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)