Spotify has overtaken Melon to become the second most-used music streaming service in South Korea, according to data from research firm WiseApp Retail.
The shift pushes Melon, a homegrown platform that led the domestic market for years, into third place.
It is the first time overseas services have held both of the market’s top two positions, according to the report, with Google‘s YouTube Music still in first.
The figures were reported by South Korean outlet Chosun Biz last Tuesday (July 28).
WiseApp Retail put Spotify at 6.2 million monthly active users (MAUs) in South Korea, ahead of Melon‘s 5.9 million.
YouTube Music led the market with 9.5 million MAUs on the same measure.
The same firm had put Melon ahead of Spotify at the start of 2026, by around 6.1 million users to 5 million.
The ranking is contested: a second tracker, Mobile Index, puts Melon at 7.1 million MAUs and Spotify at 2.4 million, which would leave the domestic service in front.
Chosun Biz noted the figures are drawn from samples rather than platform disclosures.
Spotify launched in South Korea in February 2021, initially as a paid-only subscription.
It added a free, ad-supported tier in October 2024, a move that coincided with a sharp rise in its local user base.
Spotify also signed an integration partnership with South Korean search platform Naver at the end of 2025.
Melon was founded in 2004 by SK Telecom and is now owned by Kakao Entertainment.
In early 2025, Melon ranked second with around 6.4 million MAUs, behind YouTube Music’s 9.5 million, according to WiseApp.
Melon has long been central to K-pop‘s success at home.
“The platform has fueled the international rise of K-pop, often serving as the first launchpad for chart-topping hits before they go global,” distributor Too Lost said in November 2025, when it signed a direct deal with Melon.
Behind the top three sit Genie Music, backed by telecom group KT, and Flo.
On Mobile Index‘s numbers, Genie and Flo sit at 2.9 million and 1.9 million, respectively, with smaller players including Naver‘s Vibe and Bugs further back.
YouTube Music‘s position has drawn regulatory scrutiny in South Korea.
The country’s Fair Trade Commission investigated Google over the bundling of YouTube Music with its YouTube Premium subscription, which led the company to offer a lower-cost “Premium Lite” tier without music.
“Interest in subscribing to music-only streaming services is relatively low,” the Korea Creative Content Agency found in a 2024 survey, with many users reaching YouTube Music through the bundle.
The unbundling was expected to help South Korea‘s domestic services.
Instead, it is Spotify that appears to have gained ground, while the country’s local platforms have continued to lose users.
Regulators have separately weighed wider oversight of the sector.
“The FTC is eyeing music streaming services to be included in this bill, as such platforms have infiltrated deep into people’s lives,” FTC Chairman Han Ki-jeong said in 2024, referring to a proposed platform competition law.
South Korea is the world’s seventh-largest recorded music market, according to IFPI.
A September 2025 report from Omdia valued the market at USD $1.08 billion, with around 60% generated by digital music.Music Business Worldwide
