EXO Streaming Guidelines
@StreamTeamEXO
Everything EXO-Ls need to know to stream EXO's music so it counts!
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INTERNATIONAL PLATFORMS
Before getting started on each of the platforms, let's make sure that you know what kind of account you're using and how it affects your streams.FREE vs PREMIUM ACCOUNT
A stream from a free or premium account still adds to the total streams in the same way.
The difference is mostly on the charts and how streams are filtered.Many charts measure album performance by sales units. To include streaming, they convert streaming into album units and these are called Streaming Equivalent Album (SEA). Generally, streams are measured like this:1,250 premium streams/3,750 free streams = 1 album unit (Billboard 200)
250 premium streams/375 free streams = 1 sale (Billboard Hot 100)
150 premium/free streams = 1 sale (RIAA)
100 premium streams/600 free streams = 1 sale (UK Singles Chart)This metric is different for different charts, but this is an example of how free vs. premium streams are valued.
YouTube is the biggest music streaming platform in the world and it is also the place where most new EXO-Ls discover EXO.Not only are high views on EXO MVs a great way to promote them, but YouTube views also count for many charts and music shows.
Spotify is the second largest music streaming platform in the world.High streams for a song are likely to cause it to get added to more officially-curated playlists.This makes the songs reach a much wider audience, so it's very important to stream on Spotify and it's one of the best places for new fans to discover EXO!
Shazam is a song discovery app and is not used for streaming!However, the music industry uses Shazam data to determine which songs are popular with the general public and which songs they are curious about and want to hear more.This influences the music industry in different ways, such as how playlists are created by music streaming platforms, radio play, music festivals, etc.
iTunes: Buy songs/albums
Apple Music: Stream songs/albumsiTunes and Apple Music are some of the most important platforms to buy and stream music.Getting #1 on iTunes of many countries is an important goal in every comeback.Moreover, iTunes is counted by most major charts like Billboard, UK Official Charts, etc and Apple Music is a premium streaming service, therefore it counts for more in charts.Sign up for the iTunes Project!
KOREAN PLATFORMS
Korean streaming platforms are very important as rankings on these platforms count for charts and the resulting digital points are used to determine winners on music shows and award shows in South Korea._
_- MAKE AN ACCOUNT
Depending on the platform, you will either need a Korean phone number or just your SNS account/email to make an account. If you don't have a Korean number, you can rent verified accounts online through sellers.Melon: @Xiao_FOREXO
Genie: @seichanalexa94_
_- BUY A STREAMING PASS
Every platform requires you to buy a streaming pass in order to stream songs. You can buy streaming passes through sellers._
_- BUY/DOWNLOAD SONGS
You can also buy/download songs on each of these platforms, and that is highly recommended. Downloads count for significantly more than streams, so please considering buying the song as well if you buy a streaming pass.We HIGHLY recommend renting a Melon account and streaming pass if you are able to for a comeback.
It counts for much more than the other streaming platforms/charts. However, it is usually the most expensive, so if you can afford to stream on one of the other platforms, it's still incredibly helpful!_
_CHARTS
Real-time charts = based on hourly streams/downloads
24H chart = based on streams from the last 24 hours, updates hourly
Daily chart = based on daily streams/downloads
Weekly chart = based on weekly streams/downloads_
_ALL-KILL
RAK (Real-time All-Kill) = #1 on all real-time charts
CAK (Certified All-Kill) = #1 on all daily and real-time charts
PAK (Perfect All-Kill) = #1 on all real-time, daily and weekly charts
- MELON - 24H, Daily, Weekly Charts_
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Melon is the most widely used streaming platform in South Korea. It counts the most for digital points and is counted on all music shows.You need a Korean number to have a verified account.EXO-L Seller: @Xiao_FOREXO_
_- GENIE - Hourly, Daily, Weekly Charts_
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Genie is the second most widely used streaming platform in South Korea.You can create a Genie account using your SNS account, no need for a Korean number. You can use it to __like songs and leave comments without buying a streaming pass.EXO-L Seller: @seichanalexa94
_- BUGS - Hourly, Daily, Weekly Charts
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Bugs is also a real-time chart (like Genie).You can create a Bugs account using your SNS account, no need for a Korean number. You can use it to like songs and leave comments without buying a streaming pass.
_- FLO - 24H Chart
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FLO is a 24-hour chart like Melon.FLO streaming coupons are usually available with EXO albums, so keep a look out for them and redeem them to stream EXO songs!
Reach out to fanbases if you have too many coupons and would like to donate them instead!
_- VIBE - Daily Chart
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VIBE is a daily chart which updates once a day at 7AM KST and is based on the streams for the past 24 hours.
YouTube - Everything you need to know!
YOUTUBE'S ALGORITHM
YouTube uses an algorithm (automated process) which determines how views are filtered, how videos are recommended, how trends work, etc. How YouTube’s algorithm works is not information that has been made public, but there are some steps that we can take to optimise streaming to ensure that most, if not all, of our views count!
YOUR IP ADDRESS IS WHAT MATTERS MOST!
If you can use different WiFi networks to stream, it would be best! If not, follow all of our guidelines to maximise views from one IP address.
YouTube will accept a certain number of accounts from the same IP address as it may be used by multiple people in the same house/building, but don't overdo it!
STREAMING ON YOUTUBE
- Use 1 account on 1 device having 1 IP address
- Stay logged in while streaming
- Watch 3-4 other MVs in between the MV you're focusing on (at least 10-15 minutes)
- (OPTIONAL - Skip if you don't want to) Remove the MV from your Watch History (WAIT AT LEAST 10-15 MINUTES AFTER WATCHING)
- Refresh the page a few times before rewatching the MV
- Watch the full video and do NOT skip forward
- Comment/interact with other comments at least once an hour
- Switch to a different account after 8-10 hours of streaming
- Do NOT use a playlist in the first 24 hours
- Do NOT mute the video, you can mute your device instead
- Do NOT loop/replay the video
BEHAVE LIKE A HUMAN, NOT A BOT“Bot behaviour” is one of the main reasons that views from legitimate viewers, like you or me, get deleted. A bot is programmed to repeat the same set of tasks over and over. If you behave like a bot, your views may get filtered out.
In order to avoid this, behave like a human!Search for the MV manually, “EXO Don't Fight The Feeling.” Click on random EXO videos, not just the same few MVs. Browse, read comments, interact with comments.
CAN YOU SKIP ADS?YES. You don’t need to watch the ads in full or click on them to make your view count. You can skip them as soon as you want. HOWEVER, DISABLE ANY ADBLOCK SOFTWARE WHEN STREAMING.
Ads are how SM makes money from the MVs, so it’s up to you how you deal with them.It should go without saying, but DON’T SKIP ADS on the EXO members’ personal YouTube channels!
HOW ARE VIEWS COUNTED?As we explained, YouTube’s algorithm and how views are counted are only known to YouTube.However, one thing we DO know is that YouTube places an emphasis on watch time (how much of the video has been viewed)! YouTube considers videos that have been watched for longer as being videos with better content. So these videos do better on YouTube’s algorithm.So please make sure to always watch an MV in full, from start to finish!
LIKING AND COMMENTINGWe highly recommend that you always like and comment on all MVs. These count as ‘engagement’ and higher engagement leads to the MV trending high and also being recommended to more people through YouTube’s algorithm.HOWEVER, DO NOT SPAM THE COMMENT SECTION! Leaving too many comments in a short amount of time is likely to make YouTube flag your account as a bot, which can lead to NONE of your views being counted.
STREAMING AN MVBased on tests (not officially from YouTube), it would seem that views from the same user get counted on an MV only when the next view comes after a gap of 30 minutes.HOWEVER, it may be possible to override this on YouTube's cache storage by reloading the page a few times.You still need to leave a gap of at least 10-15 minutes before rewatching the MV, so watch 3-4 other MVs in the meantime.
PAUSE/REWIND/SKIP/REPEAT?You can pause and rewind the MV as you wish. This is actually an indicator that the content of the video is worth rewatching, so it works well on YouTube's algorithm!However, do NOT skip forward. Skipping forward shows that the content is not that interesting, so it will harm the MV's performance.Repeating/looping the MV won't add extra views, so don't do this!
VOLUME/VIDEO QUALITYThe volume does not affect how the view is counted, so you can have it as low/high as you want as long as you DON'T MUTE THE VIDEO.You can mute your device instead.Try to stream the MV at 480p or above, but if your internet connection is slow or if the player automatically sets to a lower quality, it's fine!Just stream as you normally would.
PLAYLISTS?DO NOT USE A PLAYLIST IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS!This is because views from playlists are likely added much later, usually hours or even a day later.There is also a higher chance for your views to get deleted if you use a playlist. But since it saves a lot of time, we recommend using it to stream passively every day so you can focus on other things while it plays!
MULTIPLE TABS/BROWSERS/ACCOUNTSStreaming from multiple tabs in the same browser will NOT get more views for the MV.Instead, stream from different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Opera). You MUST use a different YouTube account on each browser.However, we only recommend this method if you can only stream for a short period of time (1-2hours). If a lot of traffic is detected from the same IP address, your IP address could get flagged as a bot, meaning NONE of your views would count.
STREAM FROM OTHER SITESIt's good to stream EXO MVs from other sites. Look for the MV being embedded in articles by K-Pop news sites like Soompi or posted to Twitter/Facebook and play it directly from there.These views are very unlikely to be deleted, so it's a great way to stream!Just make sure that the video does not play on it's own when you open the site (autoplay). Only views generated by you actively pressing Play/clicking on the video will count!
SHARE THE MV EVERYWHERESharing the link/embedding the MV on different sites, blogs, forums, etc. is a great way to promote the MV as it will cause it to rank higher in Google and YouTube searchesMoreover, YouTube uses how widely a video has been shared as a measure to rank videos higher on the Trending page!Lastly, views from these embedded links are not likely to get deleted, so it's a great way to share and increase views!NOTE: Embedding multiple videos in the SAME page is a TERRIBLE way to stream. DO NOT DO IT.
CLEAR HISTORY?Whether it's your Browser History or your YouTube Watch History, DO NOT CLEAR ALL HISTORY.If you do want to delete history, ONLY remove the MV you're streaming from your Watch History.
You can do the same with your browser history.If you do delete the MV from your browser/YouTube history, make sure to do so ONLY AFTER at least 10-15 minutes since streaming the MV.
Spotify - Everything you need to know!
Spotify's algorithm (automated process) uses many different tools for playlisting (adding songs to officially curated Spotify playlists).Playlisting is the best way to get EXO's music to a wider audience as many official Spotify playlists have millions of regular listeners.
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STREAMING ON SPOTIFY
Spotify, unlike YouTube, is meant to stream music over and over, so it's a little more forgiving with how it filters streams. That said, we should be able to have much higher streams with upcoming releases, so please encourage more EXO-Ls to stream on Spotify regularly!- A stream is counted after 30 SECONDS of listening! You can skip the song after 30 seconds, but don't do it too often, listen to the full song occasionally
- Stream the title track with 2-3 other songs in between
- You can use playlists and it's highly encouraged! Make playlists of 20-30 songs including the title track at least 4-5 times
- Make sure to include some songs by non-K-pop artists! Also include EXO members/sub-units
- SWITCH PLAYLISTS! Don't use the same playlist over and over again. Switch between at least 3-4 playlists when streaming.
- Pause/Skip songs every 20-30 minutes to avoid being seen as a bot
- DO NOT LOOP PLAYLISTS
- DO NOT MUTE SPOTIFY, you can mute your device instead
- SHARE THE SONG on all your social media accounts!
HOW CAN WE BOOST EXO ON SPOTIFY'S ALGORITHM?
- FOLLOW EXO (and all EXO members and sub-units)Followers are NOT the same as Monthly Listeners.Monthly Listeners include all the users who have listened to a song by the artist in the last 28 days, therefore this number changes daily.Followers are more important for Spotify's algorithm as it shows the number of users genuinely interested in the artist's music. When you follow an artist, they are added to your library!_
_- LIKE/SAVE TO YOUR LIBRARYWhen you click on an album or song, make sure to click on the heart to add it to your library!Alternatively, you can click the three dots next to the album/song title and select "Save to Your Library"This will boost the song/album on Spotify's algorithm!_
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- SHARE THE SONGClick on the three dots next to a song's name or right-click on a song.From the menu that appears, go to Share > Copy Song Link.Post this link on your SNS accounts!This is VERY important for Spotify's algorithm and can help the song to be added on the Spotify Viral Charts._
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- OFFICIALLY CURATED PLAYLISTSOnce a song has been added to an officially-curated playlist, STREAM THE SONG FROM THAT PLAYLIST!If a song gets high streams from a playlist, it can move higher on that playlist and will also be added to other popular playlists!This is very important so please remember to stream from officially curated Spotify playlists!__
_- PRE-SAVE!!!If the song or album has been made available to Pre-Save, then PLEASE PRE-SAVE!Since each account can only pre-save once, having high pre-saves shows high interest in the song/album and is a huge boost on Spotify's algorithm.
SHAZAM - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!
It takes less than 30 seconds to Shazam a song! Please follow our guidelines to make sure that your Shazams count.Download the Shazam app, it's available for Android and iOS!_
_SHAZAM A SONG- Open the Shazam app and enable microphone access (also can be enabled from device Settings)
- Play the EXO song you want to Shazam and make sure it's loud enough for your device's microphone to pick up the sound
- Tap the Shazam button (it's the big white button in the middle with the Shazam logo, you won't miss it)
- Shazam will 'listen' to the song and identify itWe recommend turning on Location permission for the Shazam app as your Shazam will then be counted for both your local Shazam chart as well as Global chart.If Location permission is disabled, your Shazam will only count for the Global chart._
_SHAZAM MULTIPLE TIMES_
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ANDROID
- Android devices can Shazam the same song multiple times, just make sure to CLEAR DATA after EACH Shazam (If you don't clear data, your Shazams for a song will only be counted once every 24 hours)
- To clear data, go to Settings > Apps > Shazam > Clear Storage/Cache
- Log in is not required
- In the time it takes to stream a song once, you should be able to Shazam it 4-5 times at least!Shazams are not counted in real-time, so don't be discouraged if the Shazam count stays the same. Just keep shazaming, they will get added eventually!_
_iOS
- Only ONE Shazam is counted per iOS device in 24 hours. So it's important to shazam everyday and use multiple iOS devices if available!
- iOS users can also add ONE more Shazam through Snapchat every 24 hours, as explained below.
- Log in is not required
- In the time it takes to stream a song once, you should be able to Shazam it 4-5 times at least!Shazams are not counted in real-time, so don't be discouraged if the Shazam count stays the same. Just keep shazaming, they will get added eventually!_
_SHAZAM THROUGH SNAPCHAT- Download Snapchat: iOS/Android (enable microphone access)
- Play the EXO song you want to Shazam and make sure it's loud enough for your device's microphone to pick up the sound
- Open the Snapchat app
- Press and hold on the middle of the camera screen until the song is identified!Shazam through Snapchat adds 1 shazam per 24 hours, so you can repeat the steps after 24 hours!
ITUNES AND APPLE MUSIC - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!
iTunes: BUY music
→ Available on iOS and WindowsApple Music: STREAM music
→ Available on iOS, Android and Windows
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MAKE AN APPLE ID
iOS
- Open iTunes and click Create New Apple ID and complete the sign-up procedure
- Follow the instructions from the verification email
- After verification, you can use your Apple ID (your email address) to sign in to iTunesWindows
- Open iTunes and from the menu bar, click Account > Sign In
- Click Create New Apple ID and complete the sign-up procedure
- Follow the instructions from the verification email
- After verification, you can use your Apple ID (your email address) to sign in to iTunes and Apple MusicPlease make multiple IDs (you only need a different email for each ID) and buy the song/album on iTunes in your country. 3 ACCOUNTS PER DEVICE!
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BUY ON ITUNES
- Open iTunes and search for the song you want to buy
- Click the blue icon with the price next to the song title
- Confirm your purchase. The song is now added to your library!*→ If an album has 10 or LESS THAN 10 tracks, you only need to buy the TITLE TRACK and then "Complete the album" (unless you can afford to buy each song separately)→ If an album has MORE THAN 10 tracks, we recommend buying each track separately, DO NOT "Complete the album" (unless you can only afford to buy the full album directly)This is because tracks sold can also add up to album sales as Track Equivalent Albums (TEA).Every 10 tracks sold/downloaded counts for 1 album sold. (Billboard 200)For example, if an album has 12 tracks and the full album is purchased by 5 users, then the total album sales is 5 units. But if each track is bought separately by 5 users, that will be 60 tracks purchased (12x5), which would be counted as 6 TEA units sold.*
- DELETE THE SONG/ALBUM FROM YOUR LIBRARY BEFORE BUYING FROM YOUR NEXT ACCOUNT- 3 ACCOUNTS PER DEVICE!If you are in the US/Puerto Rico→ Please DO NOT buy more than 4 copies of a song/album with a credit card in one tracking week (Friday - Thursday). If you want to buy more, please use a different payment method (gift card, debit card, PayPal, etc) for the remaining transactions.This is because Billboard/Nielsen Soundscan filters sales as being "bulk" purchases if more than 4 copies are purchased by a payment method and none of the sales after the first 4 will be counted.→ GIFTING a song/album does not count but GIFT CARDS do count! You can use as many gift cards as you want, there is no limit to buying songs/albums using gift cards.
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STREAM ON APPLE MUSIC
- Open Apple Music and search for the song/album you bought
- Click and hold the song until a pop-up menu appears
- Select Remove > Delete from Library (unless the Library sync is already turned off)
→Your streams will not count if the purchased song is still in your Library! So please follow this step before streaming!MAKE A PLAYLIST- Go to your Library and click Playlists
- Click New Playlist > Add Music
- Search for the song/album you want to add
- Click + to add the song to your playlist
- Make sure to add your focus song (usually the title track) multiple times to the playlist.