Music Show Criteria: Overview
What are music shows?
Korean music shows are TV shows that broadcast live music performances. K-Pop artists such as XLOV attend these shows to promote their music.
In addition to the live performances, music shows also have a competition aspect. Each week, songs are given scores based on how the song performed that week. The song with the highest total score is the winner. The winner is announced at the end of the music show episode and the artist of the winning song receives a special trophy.
Why is winning important?
It is important for XLOV to win music shows because:
- The XLOV members have said many times that they want to get a music show win
- Winning 1st place on a music show is considered a huge achievement (especially when an artist wins for the first time) and it helps artists to gain recognition in Korea
- It may provide opportunities for XLOV such as appearing on reality and variety shows and performing at year-end award shows
- XLOV deserve rewards and recognition for their talent and hard work
Winning Criteria
Each music show has slightly different winning criteria, but they all include the following categories:
- Digitals (how a song performs on Korean music charts)
- Voting (fan voting that takes place before or during the music show broadcast)
- Broadcast* (radio play and TV appearances)
- SNS (social media - mainly MV views on YouTube and use of the song on TikTok)
- Physicals (album sales)
Please click on the above hyperlinks and read the articles/guides in addition to this one as they provide more detailed information about each of these music show categories.
*The Show does not have a broadcast category.
When talking about music show criteria and how much they are worth, points will be described as either "max" or "shared".
Max (short for maximum) means that the top song in that category earns the max points, and the other songs are scored lower, usually relative to how the top song performed (with some exceptions).
Shared means that the points are distributed to every song, regardless of when it was released; and the fraction of the shared points a song receives is based on how it performs in that category as a portion of the total number of streams/sales/etc across all music during the tracking period.
For more details, see "a bit on score calculation" at the end.
The Show
The Show is broadcast on some Tuesdays at 6pm KST. It can be viewed on the THE K-POP YouTube channel
XLOV must attend The Show in order to be eligible to win.
Because of this requirement, The Show is generally considered to be the music show that smaller artists like XLOV have the highest chance of winning, since artists who are at a high enough level of popularity and success don't attend because they no longer need the promotion.
Tracking period for digitals, physicals, SNS, broadcast (KST)
(NOT CONFIRMED) Saturday 12am - Friday 11:59pm
Digitals - Max 4,000 points
(NOT CONFIRMED) Score determined using the Circle Global K-Pop Chart.
Physicals - Max 2,000 points
(NOT CONFIRMED) Score determined using the Hanteo Chart (album purchases from Hanteo family stores)
Fan Engagement Score - Max 2,000 points
(SPECIFIC DETAILS NOT CONFIRMED) Fan Engagement Score measures engagements (ie views, likes, follows/subsciptions, shares) on artists' official SNS platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Pre-Voting - Max 2,000 points
App: BIGC
Voting Period (KST): Friday 5pm - Monday 10am
1 vote = 400 Free Gems OR 20 Royal Gems
Voting is unlimited and the gap matters
Live Voting - Max 2,000 points
- Only the top 3 candidates based on all other criteria are nominated for the live vote.
- Voting takes place on the BIGC app during the The Show live broadcast.
- The voting poll opens once the nominees are announced and is open for about 45 minutes.
- 1 vote = 4,000 Free Gems OR 200 Royal Gems.
- Voting is unlimited and the gap matters
Show Champion
Show Champion is broadcast every Wednesday at 5pm KST. It can be viewed on the ALL THE K-POP YouTube channel.
Tracking period for digitals, physicals, SNS (KST)
Monday 12am - Sunday 11:59pm
Digitals - Max 3,500 points
Score determined using the Melon, Genie, Flo and Bugs charts
Pre-Voting - Max 2,000 points
App: IDOLCHAMP
Voting Period (KST): Friday 8pm - Monday 3pm
1 vote = 1 ticket (1 ticket = 5 time chamsims 🩵 OR 1 ruby chamsim 🩷)
Voting is unlimited and the gap matters
Broadcast - Max 2,000 points
Points are awarded based on whether XLOV attend Show Champion on the day results are announced.
Physicals - Max 1,500 points
Score determined using the Hanteo Chart (album purchases from Hanteo Family stores)
SNS - Max 1,000 points
Score determined using MV views on YouTube.
Stage Champion
Show Champion has an additional award separate from their main prize called Stage Champion. This award is not an official music show win but the winner receives a trophy and some promotion.
All artists who perform on Show Champion are eligible for the Stage Champion award and the results are determined 100% by voting.
The top 3 are announced on the following Show Champion live broadcast and the winner receives a trophy.
Voting app: IDOLCHAMP
Voting period (KST): Wednesday 7pm - Saturday 10:59pm
1 vote = 10 chamsims (🩵 OR 🩷)
Voting is unlimited and the gap does not matter
M Countdown
M Countdown is broadcast every Thursday at 6pm KST. It can be viewed on the Mnet Plus app.
XLOV must attend at least one music show (doesn't have to be M Countdown) in order to be eligible to win, and only songs released 1 month or less before the broadcast date are eligible.
Tracking period for digitals, physicals, SNS, broadcast (KST)
Monday 12am - Sunday 11:59pm
Digitals - Max 5,000 points
Score determined using the Circle Global K-Pop Chart
Physicals - Max 1,500 points
Score determined using the Circle Album Chart
Pre-Voting - Max 1,000 points
App: Mnet Plus
Voting Period (KST): Saturday 12am - Tuesday 11:59pm
5 votes per account per day, 1 account per device
The gap in votes matters
Broadcast - Max 1,000 points
Points are given if XLOV attend M Countdown and/or if their promoted song is played on Mnet TV shows
YouTube SNS - Max 1,000 points
Score determined using MV views on YouTube
TikTok SNS - Max 500 points
Score determined using TikTok data.
We don't know exactly how M Countdown uses TikTok in their scoring.
It almost certainly uses the number of videos that use the official song audio as the sound, but it may take into account other factors such as:
- Views, likes, comments and shares on videos that have the official song audio as the sound
- Views, likes, comments and shares on videos on XLOV's official TikTok account
- Use of artist and song hashtags in videos
Live Voting - Max 1,000 points
- Only the top 2 candidates based on all other criteria are nominated for the live vote.
- Voting takes place on the Mnet Plus app during the M Countdown live broadcast.
- The voting poll opens once the nominees are announced and is open for about 1 hour.
- 5 votes per account, 1 account per device
- The gap in votes matters
Music Bank
Music Bank is broadcast every Friday at 5:05pm KST. It can be viewed on the KBS WORLD TV YouTube channel.
In order for XLOV to be eligible for winner nomination, XLOV's song must enter the top 200 on the weekly chart on at least one of the following platform charts:
Melon, Genie, Flo, Vibe, Bugs.
Tracking period for digitals, physicals, SNS, broadcast (KST)
Monday 12am - Sunday 11:59pm
Digitals - Share 120,000 points
Score determined using the Melon, Genie, Flo, Vibe and Bugs charts
Broadcast - Share 40,000 points
Points are given if XLOV attend Music Bank and/or if XLOV's promoted song is played on KBS TV or radio shows
Pre-Voting - Max 2,000 points
App: Fancast
Voting Period (KST): Sunday 3pm - Wednesday 11am KST
1 vote = 50💙 OR 50💛. You can vote once every 10 minutes. You can cast up to 500 votes (25,000 hearts) at once.
The gap in votes matters.
SNS - Share 10,000 points
Score determined using the YouTube index from the Circle Social Chart.
We don't know exactly what kind of YouTube data is tracked by the Circle Social Chart, but anything that can be used as a measure of XLOV's popularity and virality could be taken into account (views, likes, comments, shares etc).
The Circle Social Chart tracks videos that contain released music. This means that it's important to engage with not only the music video, but also official audio releases, Shorts using official audio as the sound, and other videos that contain released music.
Physicals - Share 10,000 points
Score determined using the Circle Album Chart
NOTE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAX AND SHARE POINTS. EVEN THOUGH PHYSICALS ARE GIVEN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF POINTS TO SHARE, THEY OFTEN MAKE THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SCORE SINCE MOST ALBUM SALES ARE FOR ARTISTS WHO ARE PROMOTING, MEANING THAT ARTISTS WHO ARE PROMOTING EARN LARGE PORTIONS OF THE 10K POINTS. FOR MORE DETAILED INFO, SEE "A BIT ON SCORE CALCULATION" AT THE END OF THIS PAGE.
Fan's Stage Pick
Music Bank has an additional award separate from the main prize called Fan's Stage Pick. This award is not an official music show win but the winner receives a trophy and some promotion.
All artists who perform on Music Bank are eligible for the Fan's Stage Pick award and the results are determined 100% by voting.
- Voting takes place on the Fancast app from Friday 6:30pm - Thursday 5pm KST.
- 1 vote = 50💙 OR 50💛. You can vote once every 10 minutes. You can cast up to 500 votes at once.
- The top 3 are announced on Music Bank's social media.
- The winner receives a trophy.
Show! Music Core
Show! Music Core (Music Core) is broadcast every Saturday at 3:15pm KST. It can be viewed on the MBCkpop YouTube channel.
Tracking period for digitals, physicals, SNS, broadcast (KST)
Monday 12pm - the following Monday 11:59am
Digitals - Max 5,000 points
Score determined using the Circle Digital Chart.
SNS - Max 1,000 points
Score determined using MV views on YouTube
Physicals - Max 1,000 points
Score determined using the Circle Album Chart
Pre-Voting - Max 1,000 points
Voting takes place on the Mubeat and MUNIVERSE apps from Tuesday 6pm - Thursday 11am KST.
1 vote = 3 heart beats (Mubeat), 5 Ad Lumy (MUNIVERSE)
Voting is unlimited
Broadcast - Max 500 points
Points are given if XLOV's promoted song or MV is played on MBC TV or radio shows
Viewer Committee Voting - Max 500 points
This vote is only open to members of Music Core's Viewer Committee. Only Korean citizens can apply to join the committee. Voting takes place on Music Core's official website from Wednesday 9am - Thursday 11am KST.
Live App Voting - Max 600 points
- Only the top 3 candidates based on all other criteria are nominated for live voting.
- Voting takes place on the Mubeat and MUNIVERSE apps during the Music Core live broadcast.
- The voting poll opens once the nominees are announced and is open for about 1 hour.
- Mubeat: 1 vote = 1 ticket (1 ticket = 30 heart beats)
- MUNIVERSE: 1 vote = 50 Ad Lumy OR 60 Gold Lumy
- 5 votes per account on each app, multiple accounts are allowed.
Live Text Voting - Max 400 points
- This vote is only open to Korean viewers.
- Only the top 3 candidates based on all other criteria are nominated for live voting.
- Voting opens during the Music Core live broadcast once the nominees are announced and is open for about 1 hour.
Stage M Pick
Music Core has an additional award separate from the main prize called Stage M Pick. This award is not an official music show win but the winner receives a trophy and some promotion.
All artists who perform on Music Core are eligible for the Fan's Stage Pick award and the results are determined 100% by voting.
- Voting takes place on the MUNIVERSE app from Saturday 5pm - Thursday 11am KST.
- 1 vote = 10 Free Lumy OR 1 Gold Lumy.
- 10 Free Lumy votes per account per day. Gold Lumy voting is unlimited. Multiple accounts are allowed.
- The top 3 are announced on the following Music Core live broadcast.
- The winner receives a trophy.
Inkigayo
Inkigayo is broadcast every Sunday at 3:20pm KST. It can be viewed on the SBSKPOP X INKIGAYO YouTube channel if you have a channel membership.
XLOV's song must enter the top 200 on the weekly Circle Digital Chart to be eligible for nomination.
Tracking period for digitals, physicals, SNS, broadcast (KST)
Monday 12pm - the following Monday 11:59am
Digitals - Max 5,000 points
Score determined using the Melon, Genie, Flo and Circle Global K-Pop charts.
SNS - Max 2,000 points
Score determined using MV views on YouTube
Broadcast - Max 1,000 points
Points are given if XLOV's promoted song or MV is played on SBS TV or radio shows.
Physicals - Max 1,000 points
Score determined using the Circle Album Chart
- App: LiNC
- Voting period (KST): Monday 12pm - Friday 11:59pm
- 1 vote = 30FP OR 8 gems
- 10 votes per account per day
- The gap in votes matters
- There is also a separate pre-vote that is open to Korean viewers only.
- Only the top 3 candidates based on all other criteria are nominated for the live vote.
- App: Higher
- Voting opens during the Inkigayo live broadcast once the nominees are announced and is open for about 1 hour
- 1 vote = 50 rubies or 5 diamonds
- 5 votes per account
- The gap in votes matters
Weekly Hot Stage
Inkigayo has an additional award separate from the main prize called Hot Stage. There are weekly, monthly and yearly Hot Stage awards. Only details on the weekly Hot Stage prize are provided here. This award is not an official music show win but the winner receives a trophy and some promotion.
All artists who perform on Inkigayo are eligible for the Hot Stage award and The results are determined 100% by voting.
- Voting takes place on the Higher app from Sunday after Inkigayo - Thursday 12pm KST.
- 1 vote = 30 rubies OR 3 diamonds. 10 votes per account per day.
- The winner receives a trophy.
- The top 2 are nominated for monthly Hot Stage.
Summary+Extra Information
Please click the below links as they contain more detailed information about the different music show categories.
Comeback Support Voting
In addition to directly helping music show scores by streaming, voting, buying albums etc, some voting apps can be used to contribute to streams, radio play or other kinds of helpful promotion for comeback season.
More details are in the article on music show voting, but the relevant voting apps are DuckAd, Kooky, idoki, IDOLCHAMP and LiNC.
A bit on score calculation
Scores for every music show except for Music Bank are relative. This means that the artist whose song performs the best in a category earns the maximum points for that category, and the scores for the other songs are calculated proportionally. This means that XLOV's chances of winning these shows are dependent on how they perform in each category relative to their competitors.
For example, the maximum SNS score for Show Champion is 1,000 points. This means that the artist whose music video gained the most views during the tracking period will get 1,000 points; and the other artists' scores are based on their views proportional to the maximum number of views.
Now suppose Group 2 gains 15M views instead of 10M and all other groups' MV views are the same as Example Scenario 1.
What this means is that the gap matters. Whether it's for voting or streaming or album sales, our goal if we want a music show win is for XLOV to perform well compared to other artists promoting at the same time. If XLOV are in the lead, we want them to lead with a big gap. If XLOV are not in the lead, we want the difference between them and whoever is in the lead to be as small as possible.
For Music Bank, the pre-vote score is still calculated relatively; but for all other categories, the scores are calculated differently: Each category is given a set amount of points, and songs are given a portion of this amount of points based on how it performed during the tracking period.
Heavily Simplified Example: Digitals (120k points shared)
Suppose there are 1 billion total music streams and downloads during the tracking period across Melon, Genie, Flo, Vibe and Bugs. Further suppose a song gets a total of 10 million streams and downloads during the tracking period.
The digital score for this song would be
The reality is more complicated than this, but this is just to give the general idea of how it works.
Essentially, instead of the score being relative to the streams/sales of the highest performing artist, it is relative to the total number of streams/sales. So the ratio of points between candidates would be similar to other music shows, but the maximum number of points would be different. So even for Music Bank's calculation method, it is still ideal for XLOV to outperform their competitors in as many categories as possible and the gap still matters.
This guide was made by XLOV SUPPORT @SupportXLOV