There will be many more noon releases in the future as streaming will be changed to a fairer structure.
On February 15, numerous music industry officials have reported that major music distributors in Korea such as MelOn, Genie, Bugs, and Mnet will be changing the way their real-time charts work. Songs that are released at any time that is not between 12 pm and 6 pm will only enter the real-time charts the following day.
For example, if a song is released at 9 pm on a Monday, then it will only enter the real-time chart at 1 pm on Tuesday, just as if the song was released at 12 pm on Tuesday.
This new proposition could be put into effect as soon as the end of February. The real-time charts would only be active between 12 pm and 6 pm on any given day of the week.
Currently, midnight is the most popular time for all artists to release their new songs, as there are fewer listeners using streaming services. This makes it easier for fans to help their favorite artists’ songs reach higher ranks and create chart all-kills. It is much easier to achieve #1 at 5am compared to 2pm.
The Ministry of Sport, Culture, and Tourism has been working to find a way to provide more stability on the music charts. This is one step they are taking to make sure that the sudden influx of streaming during off-peak hours influences the charts during peak hours.
Source: Sports Chosun
