Genie Guide
Genie is a popular Korean music streaming service utilized in music shows and year-end award ceremonies.
This guide explains how to get a Genie account and downloads, and how to use the service.
We cover how to obtain your own account in this guide. However, you can also participate in our Genie Project by donating funds to help our team buy downloads, or by volunteering to complete downloads with the ReOrbit team!
How to Obtain a Genie Account
Where to Get Accounts/Downloads
There are many sellers on Twitter. Notable examples of Genie account sellers on Twitter include @GBaebulleo_, @chouxcremee, @HoneyBeeKshop, @_DELSHOP_, and @yoonkyesang99
Stay scam-safe!
Before buying from any Genie seller, make sure to check for good reviews and / or testimonials before purchasing. If you don't have a good feeling about a transaction, find another seller. Team ReOrbit is not responsible for scams perpetrated by Genie sellers.
Option 1: Rent a Genie account
You should rent if you:
prefer short-term savings, even if it leads to higher long-term costs.
are uncertain about committing to every comeback, or just want to try it once.
don't think you'll remember to log in every 6 months, or you don't want to remember another login.
If you plan to rent, we highly recommend a "1 day rental + 1 download" package as you will realistically only need the account for 5 minutes, and it is just ~$1.50 USD per rental.
Option 2: Buy a Genie account
You should buy if you:
prefer a higher upfront cost in order to save long-term.
plan to participate in every or almost every comeback.
can log in at least once every 6 months.
If you plan to buy, the cost of the account will be ~$4.20. This will be a one-time purchase. We then highly recommend that you top-up with Genie Cash as needed, rather than buying a download pass, because Genie Cash doesn't expire for 5 years and you only need to download the title track. Each download is 700 KRW.
Download Tutorial
How to Download a Song on Genie
Note: downloading is not available on iOS devices. If you bought or rented an account, but do not have access to a PC or Android device, please message us on social media so that we can help!
PC
Step 1: Access Genie
Visit genie.co.kr
Step 2: Log In
Click "로그인/회원가입" on the top right corner of the page.
Click "Genie 로그인."
Enter the username and password.
Click "로그인."
Step 3: Locate the Song
Click on the search bar at the top of the screen.
Type the name of the artist and song you are looking for.
Click on the song.
Step 4: Download the Song
Click the down arrow on the right side of the target song's row.
Click the blue "개별 곡 결제하기" button at the bottom of the screen.
Look for the row that says "기타" at the bottom of the screen.
Select the button to the right of "지니캐시."
Tick the two boxes below "기타."
Make sure there is a checkmark.
Click the blue "개별 곡 결제하기" button at the bottom of the screen again.
Click the blue "결제하기" button at the bottom of the screen.
Once you see a file downloading at the bottom of the window, you may close Genie.
Android
Step 1: Access Genie
Android: Download the Genie APK
Step 2: Log In
Tap the three lines on the bottom right corner of the screen.
Tap "로그인을 해주세요" at the top of the page.
Log in using the method specified by your seller.
Step 3: Locate the Song
Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom middle of the screen.
Tap on the search bar at the top of the screen.
Type the name of the artist and song you are looking for.
Step 4: Download the Song
Tap the three dots to the right of the song's row.
Tap "다운로드."
If you get a pop-up titled "다운로드 기기관리," tap "기기 등록하기."
Tap "확인."
Select the pass depending on which pass you purchased.
Select "MP3 차감 이용권" if you bought a 5 or 10 download pass.
Select "지니 캐시" if you bought a 1 download pass or a Genie Cash top-up.
Scroll down and tap "구매 후 다운로드."
Tap "확인."
Tap "다운로드 받기 and wait for the song to download.
When it is done downloading, tap "MP3/DRM 저곡 보기."
Tap on the song's row.
[IMPORTANT!] Tap the trash can at the bottom of the screen.
How to Log Into an Account
How to Find and Like Artists
Genie Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it useful for international fans to use Genie? Why shouldn't we just leave this up to domestic fans?
Music Show/Award Wins
Digital performance on Korean streaming services hold the biggest weight in every music show and most end-of-year awards shows.
Music show and end-of-year awards wins are an indicator of a song and/or group's success.
Members of Loona have mentioned that they have a goal to win an award on a music show or at an end-of-year awards show, and these can only be achieved with fan support.
Winning music shows can also open artists to more opportunities with networks, such as variety show appearances, advertisement opportunities, etc.
Exposure/Discoverability
Charting on Korean streaming services pushes the song to more users in Korea.
This will help more people to find and listen to the song, and potentially become a fan.
Charting on the weekly chart is also often used as an eligibility criteria for some music shows.
Strength in Numbers
Loona has historically had a significantly and disproportionately smaller Korean fandom compared to their international fandom.
Because the domestic fandom is so small, they have a difficult time charting Loona on their own.
Having international fans to help close the gap and make it more likely for their chart placement/performance to reflect their overall success and popularity.
Why isn't using Spotify/Apple Music enough?
Spotify and Apple Music streams by international streamers are only counted by 1 music show (M Countdown).
You cannot use a VPN to make your Spotify or Apple Music streams count for South Korean charts, as these services can detect VPN use and flag your streams as fraudulent.
It is estimated that only a small portion of Koreans who use premium music streaming platforms use Spotify (7.6%) or Apple Music (7%).
This means that charting on these platforms has a much weaker impact on domestic discoverability.
In contrast, Genie is the 3rd most used premium music streaming platform (20.2%), only surpassed by Melon (52.7%) and YouTube Music (31.2%).
Note: Melon is more difficult for international fans to use and is more likely to ban accounts than Genie, which is why we provide tutorials and resources for Genie instead.
If the song charts on Korean streaming services, the artists themselves are more likely to learn about it.
How does Genie's charting system work?
Genie has multiple charts, but here are the important ones:
Realtime (Hourly) Chart: counts how many unique listeners (accounts) have streamed/downloaded a song at least once in the previous hour.
Daily Chart: counts how many unique listeners have streamed/downloaded a song at least once in the previous day.
Weekly Chart: counts how many unique listeners have streamed/downloaded a song at least once in the previous week.
Note: The artist must chart in the Weekly Chart in order to be eligible for a win on some music shows.
Streams and downloads on Genie also count towards the Circle and Hanteo Digital charts, which are used for music show and end-of-year awards show scores!
Therefore, it is important to have as many Orbits downloading on Genie as we can!
How many streams/downloads does the song need to chart?
On the Circle Digital Chart, it is safest to aim for over 2 million index points.
This is equivalent to ~667k streams, ~2.9k downloads, or any combination of the two.
It is unclear how many streams and downloads are needed to chart on Genie.
The real-time chart has not changed in a while. Is something wrong?
Every night from 1am to 7am KST, the real-time chart will freeze in order to tabulate streams/downloads and to discourage individuals from taking advantage of low-use hours to chart songs easily.
This is no cause for concern. You can continue to download during this time, as your downloads will still contribute to the daily, weekly, and monthly charts.
However, if you want your download to count on the real-time chart, make sure to download between 7am and 1am KST.
Do I have to be located in Korea and/or have a Korean IP address?
No! You do not have to be physically located in Korea, nor do you need a Korean IP address.
You can use Genie from anywhere in the world as long as you have bought or rented an account!
My iPhone/iPad is not letting me download the MP3 of the song. What do I do?
Unfortunately, due to the way iPhones and iPads work, you cannot complete downloads on iOS devices.
You can DM us so that we can help you download the song!
Could I use more than one account to download?
Yes, you can. However, if you plan to do this, note that you will need to purchase or rent an entirely different account, which will add to your total cost.