There has been mounting evidence, found by fans, that international streaming may not actually count towards Melon, Naver, and Genie charts.
There is no consensus as to the real reason yet, but evidence points to international content licensing agreements and copyright law. Usually domestic streaming sites have ways to count their stream views if you create an account with them. This evidently then leaves international fans in a bind because if they do not know Korean well it makes it harder to navigate the site and create an account. Therefore it is very likely that when they stream a video that the stream view is not counted.
It is unfortunate for those who have spent money in order to get a pass to help with the charts, but it looks like fans are going to need to find new ways to support their favorite idols. Though fans can no longer affect the charts, they can still touch the hearts of their idols in other ways.
?Since a lot of I-ARMYs are asking if their streaming counts on charts, K-ARMYs contacted MelOn to verify it& sadly, they said it’s not. https://t.co/fdmYgqyGaN
— ♂방울토마토찹찹찹? (@MYoongi_0309) January 17, 2017
Fans may be frustrated with not being able to count on the charts, but it is important to remember that these are domestic charts used to show the interests and views of the South Korean public.
2017 Seoul Music “Popularity” Vote Result (Overseas)
#1 Astro
#2 BTS
#3 EXO
#4 GOT7
#5 INFINITE
#6 VIXX
#7 SHINee
#8 CLC
#9 iKON
#10 Eunji pic.twitter.com/zRfrc2HyMe— SMTownEngSub (@SMTownEngSub) January 18, 2017
International fans are valuable to Korean artists, especially ones like Astro, CLC, and GOT7, whose popularity overseas exceeds their domestic popularity. Fans can support their artists by purchasing the albums, joining the fan cafe, voting for them when possible, and supporting them by going to see them when they visit their home country. Additionally they can help the streaming views by watching their content on international sites like YouTube.
