The Melon Music Awards will return to Seoul Gocheok Dome after a three-year absence. Kakao Entertainment's music platform Melon announced that it will host "The 17th Melon Music Awards, MMA2025" at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome on December 20th. 

MMA has established itself as K-pop's largest music awards ceremony and festival, showcasing artists' annual achievements to a global audience through Melon's objective data, user votes, and expert evaluations. First launched online in 2005 and expanded to offline events in 2009, MMA has solidified its status as an eagerly anticipated annual event for both fans and artists. 

The awards ceremony has gained particular recognition as a "K-pop home base" festival that music fans can easily access, thanks to its commitment to consistent domestic hosting—a rarity among year-end awards shows. 

Revised Judging Criteria 

MMA2025 has modified the judging criteria for its main "TOP10" awards from the previous 80% streaming data + 20% voting to 60% streaming data + 20% voting + 20% expert evaluation. 

This change reflects the diversification of music consumption patterns on Melon and aims to comprehensively analyze various factors including popularity, influence, and artistic completion to spotlight artists who truly defined the year. The "Millions TOP10" category, which honors albums featured in Melon's Hall of Fame "Millions Albums," will maintain the existing 80% streaming + 20% voting criteria. 

Enhanced Member Benefits 

In an effort to strengthen benefits for long-term Melon users, ticket purchasing privileges previously available to all members will now be restricted to paid subscribers only. This change is expected to prevent illegal ticket purchases, protect member rights, and enable more customers to enjoy premium K-pop awards viewing experiences. 

Upcoming Events and Voting 

Melon is preparing various pre-events to enhance music fans' enjoyment leading up to MMA2025, offering exclusive rewards including MMA tickets to build anticipation for the main event. TOP10 and category-specific voting will also be conducted, with related announcements and events to be sequentially revealed through the official MMA2025 page on Melon. 

The return to Gocheok Sky Dome marks a significant moment for K-pop fans who have been waiting to experience the prestigious awards ceremony in person once again.

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