Why is purchasing music important for supporting Taeyong? 

Purchased digital music has a strong impact on charting (in the week it is purchased) and album sales certifications. For instance, for RIAA certification:

 

1500 streams = 10 track sales = 1 album sale.  

 

Purchasing (physical albums or digital downloads) is also a more effective way to support Taeyong financially, as very little money from streaming goes to artists. 

 

Some charts, such as the Billboard World Digital Song Sales (US), specifically only track music downloads (not streaming).

 

SM Entertainment has been noted to monitor some music download charts, e.g. iTunes and also regularly reports iTunes song and album chart results for group and solo artists in their media releases. 

 

This overview focuses on international sellers of digital music downloads. It does not discuss Korean platforms (Genie/Bugs/Melon) nor does it discuss QQ Music. 

 

Where Can Tyongfs Purchase Music for Download? 

 

ITunes is a music purchasing platform where you can buy music for download. It is part of the Apple ecosystem, although iTunes is also available as an app for Windows. 

 

ITunes can be found on: 

• Mac (the Music app has iTunes functionality)

• ITunes for Windows

• IOS devices   (The iTunes store app)

 

ITunes has its own specific 24-hour charts system for songs, albums, and MVs. These charts exist at the country, regional (e.g. Europe) and worldwide level. 

 

We encourage tyongfs to purchase Taeyong’s songs on iTunes when they are released, ideally on Day 1. This contributes to your country’s iTunes charts but also the worldwide iTunes charts. 

 

IMPORTANT: Do read the iTunes guides in advance of purchasing as there are specific recommendations to optimize charting. 

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IMPORTANT: If you purchase music on iTunes but later intend to stream on Apple Music, make sure that you have deleted the music from your downloads  + turned off Automatic Downloads on your iOS device.  Otherwise your streams will not count! 

 

Other International Music Download Platforms 

 

Apart from iTunes, other international platforms that offer purchases of music downloads are Stationhead (via release parties only), Amazon Music, and Qobuz.

 

Countries Available: 

• Buying music via Stationhead parties is currently supported in 16 countries

• Currently Amazon Music has a digital downloads store in 9 countries: US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Japan

• Qobuz is currently available in 24 countries. 

 

Remember that not all music retailers report to all charts, although a majority will report to Billboard. You may wish to check if a music retailer reports to the relevant official chart in your country (e.g. Circle, Oricon, ARIA, RIAS).