Music Bank
Overview
Music Bank is a leading South Korean popular music ranking program broadcast every Friday evening on KBS 2TV. Since its first broadcast on June 16, 1998, it has been KBS's flagship popular music program for more than 25 years; through its own ranking system, the 'K-Chart,' it introduces the week's popular singers and new songs and selects the No. 1. It has grown into a global music show that K-pop fandoms at home and abroad watch in real time and share clips from.
Key Details
Broadcast History
Music Bank's predecessor is Gayo Top 10 (《가요톱10》), broadcast on KBS from 1981 to 1998. After Gayo Top 10 ended, Music Bank launched as its successor and went through trial and error over its first few years, changing formats several times; in the 2000s it settled into a form with a ranking system and various segments. In January 2007, the current ranking system, K-Chart, was introduced, making the weekly No. 1 competition a core content. Its scheduling time has also been adjusted several times, and in the 2020s it settled into a Friday afternoon 5 p.m. time slot.
K-Chart Calculation Method
K-Chart calculates rankings by combining digital music source scores, broadcast counts on KBS channels and radio, viewer preference surveys, and album sales. The weight of each item has been adjusted by period, and the aggregation period and criteria are announced through the broadcast. At the end of the broadcast, three No. 1 candidates are revealed and the final No. 1 is announced during the live broadcast; the winning singer gives an acceptance speech through an encore stage. This encore stage is consumed as a major talking point by fandoms and viewers.
Stage Composition and Characteristics
Music Bank combines new-song comeback stages, rookie debut stages, No. 1 encores, and special stages such as collaborations and covers. It is in principle live, but some stages are pre-recorded; during the COVID-19 spread in 2020 it operated without an audience, and audience entry later resumed. The so-called 'Music Bank commute' held in front of the public hall at KBS's main building has become a representative fan culture, crowded with fans trying to photograph artists' arrivals, and recently the broadcaster has used it as official content.
Hosts (MC)
Since its first broadcast in 1998, it has mainly maintained a two-host system combining actors and idols. Past MCs include Lee Hwi-jae, Kim Bo-min, Han Ji-hye, Park Bo-gum, Irene, Park Bo-young, Choi Bo-min, Shin Ye-eun, Arin, Subin, Jang Wonyoung, Park Sung-hoon, Hong Eun-chae, and Lee Chae-min, and generational turnover has been active.
Overseas Specials and Global Expansion
Since the 2010s, the 'Music Bank in' series has held large-scale public broadcasts overseas in Japan, France, Brazil, Turkey, Chile, Indonesia, Belgium, Madrid, Spain, and elsewhere. It is transmitted worldwide through the KBS World channel and YouTube, and serves as a major viewing route for overseas K-pop fandoms.
Latest Trends
In 2024–2025, Music Bank continues to pursue overseas performances and local specials in line with the expansion of the global K-pop market while strengthening clips and fancam content for YouTube and short-form platforms. It maintains topicality as a window where fifth-generation idols' debut and comeback stages are concentrated, and MC changes and segment reorganizations are steadily taking place. Discussions continue on whether global fandom indicators should be reflected in K-Chart calculations, and demands to adjust the weight of music sources and albums are ongoing; the scale of public broadcasts is expanding and audience-participation events are increasing.
Related Topics
- [[K-차트]]
- [[가요톱10]]
- [[KBS]]
- [[K-pop]]
- [[음악방송]]