The Circle Chart Music Awards (formerly the Gaon Chart Music Awards) is a South Korean music awards ceremony that recognizes commercial achievement based entirely on Circle Chart data, including physical album sales, digital downloads, streaming numbers, and global streaming metrics. Organized by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), it is the only Korean music awards ceremony where winners are determined by objective sales and streaming data rather than fan voting or jury panels. The 13th ceremony was held on January 10, 2024, at BEXCO in Busan, with NewJeans winning four awards.
Past Winners by Category
The Circle Chart Music Awards have been held annually since 2012 (originally as the Gaon Chart Music Awards). Below are winners from the three most recent ceremonies. All data is based on Circle Chart (formerly Gaon Chart) commercial performance metrics.
13th Circle Chart Music Awards (January 10, 2024, BEXCO Busan)
Eligibility period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. Most awards: NewJeans (4).
| Category | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| Digital Album of the Year (Daesang) | NCT DREAM, ISTJ |
| Artist of the Year (Album) | BTS Jungkook "GOLDEN", NCT DREAM "ISTJ", SEVENTEEN "SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN", Stray Kids "5-STAR", TXT "The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION" |
| Artist of the Year (Digital) | (G)I-DLE "Queencard", IVE "I AM", BTS Jungkook "Seven" feat. Latto, LE SSERAFIM "UNFORGIVEN" feat. Nile Rodgers, NewJeans "Ditto" |
| Artist of the Year (Global Streaming) | (G)I-DLE "Queencard", IVE "I AM", BLACKPINK Jisoo "FLOWER", BTS Jungkook "Seven" feat. Latto, NewJeans "Super Shy" |
| Artist of the Year (Unique Listeners) | aespa "Spicy", (G)I-DLE "Queencard", IVE "I AM", LE SSERAFIM "UNFORGIVEN" feat. Nile Rodgers, NewJeans "Ditto" |
| Rookie of the Year (Global Streaming) | BABYMONSTER, "BATTER UP" |
| Rookie of the Year (Unique Listeners) | RIIZE, "Get A Guitar" |
| Rookie of the Year (Album) | ZEROBASEONE, "Youth in the Shade" |
| Retail Album of the Year | SEVENTEEN, FML |
| KiT Album of the Year | SEVENTEEN |
| Music Steady Seller of the Year | NewJeans, "Hype Boy" |
| World K-Pop Star | NCT DREAM |
| Song of the Year in International Pop | Charlie Puth, "Dangerously" |
| Genre of the Year (J-pop) | imase, "Night Dancer" |
| Genre of the Year (Ballad) | Parc Jae-jung, "Let's Say Goodbye" |
| Genre of the Year (Trot) | Lee Chan-won, "Wish Lanterns" |
| New Artist of the Next Generation | KISS OF LIFE, NiziU |
| New Icon of the Year | Hwasa, STAYC |
12th Circle Chart Music Awards (February 18, 2023, KSPO Dome Seoul)
Eligibility period: December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022. First ceremony under the Circle Chart name (rebranded from Gaon Chart in December 2022).
| Category | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| Artist of the Year (Digital Music, Monthly) | IVE "ELEVEN" (Dec 2021), Kep1er "WA DA DA" (Jan), Taeyeon "INVU" (Feb), (G)I-DLE "TOMBOY" (Mar), IVE "LOVE DIVE" (Apr), LE SSERAFIM "FEARLESS" (May), BTS "Yet to Come" (Jun), aespa "Girls" (Jul), BLACKPINK "Pink Venom" (Aug), BLACKPINK "Shut Down" (Sep), LE SSERAFIM "ANTIFRAGILE" (Oct), ITZY "CHESHIRE" (Nov) |
| Artist of the Year (Physical Album, Quarterly) | NCT "Universe" (Q1), SEVENTEEN "Face the Sun" (Q2), BTS "Proof" (Q3), Stray Kids "MAXIDENT" (Q4) |
| Retail Album of the Year | BTS, Proof |
| Top Kit Seller of the Year | NCT DREAM |
| Music Steady Seller of the Year | Lim Young Woong, "Love Always Runs Away" |
| Record Production of the Year | (G)I-DLE, TOMBOY |
| Group of the Year (Female) | BLACKPINK |
| Group of the Year (Male) | SEVENTEEN |
| Solo Artist of the Year (Female) | TWICE Nayeon |
| Solo Artist of the Year (Male) | Lim Young Woong |
| World K-Pop Star | TXT |
| Rookie of the Year (Digital Music) | NewJeans |
| Rookie of the Year (Physical Album) | IVE |
| Composer of the Year | Ryan S. Jhun |
| Lyricist of the Year | Seo Ji-eum |
11th Gaon Chart Music Awards (January 27, 2022, Jamsil Arena Seoul)
Eligibility period: December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2021. Most awards: BTS (8). This was the final ceremony under the Gaon Chart name.
| Category | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| Artist of the Year (Digital Music, Monthly) | Taeyeon "What Do I Call You" (Dec 2020), IU "Celebrity" (Jan), SHINee "Don't Call Me" (Feb), IU "Lilac" (Mar), Kang Daniel "Antidote" (Apr), BTS "Butter" (May), Brave Girls "Chi Mat Ba Ram" (Jun), BTS "Permission to Dance" (Jul), Red Velvet "Queendom" (Aug), BTS and Coldplay "My Universe" (Sep), IU "Strawberry Moon" (Oct), TWICE "Scientist" (Nov) |
| Artist of the Year (Physical Album, Quarterly) | IZ*ONE "One-reeler/Act IV" (Q1), NCT DREAM "Hot Sauce" (Q2), BTS "Butter" (Q3) |
| Retail Album of the Year | BTS, "Dynamite" |
| Music Steady Seller of the Year | BTS, "Butter" |
| Social Hot Star of the Year | BTS |
| Top Kit Seller of the Year | NCT DREAM |
| Lyricist of the Year | IU |
| Record Production of the Year | IU |
The 13th ceremony introduced a restructured format. Artist of the Year expanded from two sub-categories (Digital and Physical Album) to four (Album, Digital, Global Streaming, Unique Listeners). Rookie of the Year similarly split into three sub-categories. This change reflected the growing importance of streaming data alongside physical sales.
Ceremony Highlights
The 13th ceremony was held at BEXCO in Busan on January 10, 2024. It was hosted by Super Junior's Leeteuk, STAYC's Sieun, and ZEROBASEONE's Seok Matthew. Performers included NCT DREAM, TXT, ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE, STAYC, KISS OF LIFE, AKMU, Hwasa, and others. NewJeans won the most awards with four trophies.
The 12th ceremony took place at KSPO Dome in Seoul on February 18, 2023. It was the first ceremony under the rebranded Circle Chart name. NMIXX won New Icon of the Year and performed "O.O" and "DICE."
aespa won Artist of the Year (Digital Music) for July 2022 with "Girls" at the 12th ceremony. Their performance at the awards has over 2.2 million views on YouTube.
Submission and Eligibility Details
The Circle Chart Music Awards do not use a submission or application process. All awards are calculated from Circle Chart data, which aggregates official figures from Korean music platforms (Melon, Genie Music, Bugs), global platforms (Spotify, Apple Music), physical album distributors, and social media metrics.
Key eligibility details:
- The eligibility period runs from December 1 of the prior year to November 30 of the current year
- Artists do not need to apply or submit entries. Any release that appears on Circle Chart data during the eligibility period is automatically considered
- There are no submission fees
- Artist of the Year is divided into four sub-categories: Physical Album, Digital, Global Streaming, and Streaming Unique Listeners, each recognizing different commercial performance metrics
- Rookie of the Year is similarly split across Global Streaming, Streaming Unique Listeners, and Physical Album categories
- Genre awards cover J-pop, Ballad, and Trot, recognizing performance within specific musical styles
Key Benefits for Artists
- Data-driven credibility: Because winners are determined by sales and streaming data, a Circle Chart Music Award carries a different type of legitimacy than fan-voted awards. It objectively demonstrates commercial performance to labels, investors, and industry partners.
- K-pop industry recognition: The awards are organized by the KMCA, whose members include major Korean record producers and distributors. Winning signals commercial viability within the Korean music industry infrastructure.
- Busan hosting agreement: From 2024 through 2026, the ceremony is held annually in Busan under an agreement between the KMCA and Busan Metropolitan City. This provides a dedicated venue and government support for the event.
- Global streaming category: The Global Streaming sub-category specifically recognizes international performance, which is increasingly relevant as K-pop expands beyond Korea. This category uses data from Spotify, Apple Music, and other international platforms.
- Behind-the-scenes recognition: Technical awards for composers, lyricists, performance directors, visual directors, and instrument performers give public visibility to non-performing professionals in the K-pop industry.
Potential Drawbacks and Things to Consider
- Indefinite postponement: In March 2024, the KMCA announced the indefinite postponement of the Circle Chart Music Awards, citing concerns about the proliferation of award shows, commercialization, and declining fairness in evaluations. The 14th ceremony (covering 2024 data) has not been held as of mid-2026. The future of the awards remains uncertain.
- No fan engagement: Because there is no voting component, the awards generate less fan engagement and social media buzz compared to fan-voted ceremonies like the MAMA Awards or Golden Disc Awards. This means less organic promotion for winners.
- Data transparency concerns: While the awards are based on chart data, the KMCA has faced questions about the transparency of data aggregation methods, particularly around how global streaming numbers are weighted against domestic metrics.
- Korean market focus: Despite the Global Streaming category, the awards primarily reflect Korean domestic performance. Artists with large international audiences but limited Korean chart presence may not score well.
- Competition with other K-pop awards: The Korean music awards calendar is crowded with ceremonies including the MAMA Awards, Golden Disc Awards, Seoul Music Awards, and Melon Music Awards. The Circle Chart Music Awards' data-only approach differentiates it, but also means it competes for attention and broadcast viewership.
Related Resources
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Estimate streaming revenue from global platforms
- How to Release Music Independently - Build a release strategy for international markets
- Music Industry Glossary - Learn terms related to chart performance and streaming metrics
- Official website: circlemusicawards.com
