‘MMA2025 (Melon Music Awards)’ to Be Held on December 20 at Gocheok Dome – ‘TOP10’ Award Criteria Updated

‘MMA2025 (Melon Music Awards)’ to Be Held on December 20 at Gocheok Dome – ‘TOP10’ Award Criteria Updated

The Melon Music Awards (MMA) is returning to Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome for the first time in three years.

Kakao Entertainment’s music platform Melon announced that the 17th Melon Music Awards, MMA2025, will be held on December 20 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. As one of K-pop’s largest music award ceremonies and festivals, MMA highlights artists’ achievements over the past year using Melon’s objective data, user votes, and expert evaluations, sharing K-pop’s impact with a global audience. First launched online in 2005 and expanding to offline events in 2009, MMA has grown into a major year-end celebration eagerly anticipated by fans and artists alike. Uniquely among year-end award shows, MMA has consistently been held in Korea, earning a reputation as a central “home base” for K-pop fans.

For MMA2025, the evaluation criteria for the main award ‘TOP10’ have been updated:

• Previously: 80% digital performance + 20% votes

• Now: 60% digital performance + 20% votes + 20% expert evaluation

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This change reflects the diverse ways Melon users now consume music. It aims to better recognize the year’s most impactful artists by incorporating factors like buzz, influence, and musical completeness in a more balanced way.

Meanwhile, the ‘Millions TOP10’—a separate award for albums that have entered Melon’s “Millions Album” Hall of Fame—will retain the original criteria of 80% digital performance and 20% votes.

In an effort to express appreciation to long-time Melon users and improve the ticketing experience, only paid Melon members will now be eligible to reserve MMA tickets. This policy shift is designed to prevent illegal ticket scalping and ensure that more genuine fans can enjoy the best of K-pop live.

In the lead-up to MMA2025, Melon is preparing various pre-events to give music fans unique and enjoyable experiences. These events will offer exclusive rewards, including MMA tickets, and raise anticipation for the main ceremony. TOP10 and category-specific voting will also take place, with official announcements and event details to be released sequentially via Melon’s MMA2025 official page.

Written by Mun Wan Sik

Translated by Lee So Yun

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