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Quick Answer
Mubeat voting is the global fan vote for MBC's Show! Music Core. As of October 2026, the pre-vote runs Tuesday 18:00 to Thursday 11:00 KST and counts for 10% (shared with MUNIVERSE); during the live show, each person can cast up to 5 app votes for the top 3.
These rules come from MBC's own notice on the Show! Music Core board, "Chart calculation method change" (차트 산정 방법 변경 안내), posted on May 16, 2026 and applied from the May 30, 2026 broadcast. The notice replaced the system Music Core had used since June 2021, when Mubeat was the only voting app and the pre-vote was worth 5%. Many English fan guides still describe that older system. Everything below was checked against the official MBC notice and the App Store listings on October 24, 2026.
Before a Music Core broadcast week
- Install Mubeat (seller: OGQ Corperation, rated 13+ on the App Store) or MUNIVERSE (seller: TnK Factory), the second official Music Core voting app since May 2026.
- Note the pre-vote window: Tuesday 18:00 to Thursday 11:00 KST of the broadcast week, which is Tuesday 09:00 to Thursday 02:00 UTC.
- Note the live show: Saturdays at 3:20 PM KST (06:20 UTC), per MBC's program page.
- Remember that live app votes exist only for the top 3 acts and only while the show is on air.
How does Mubeat voting work for Show! Music Core?
Mubeat voting for Show! Music Core happens in two rounds each week: a global pre-vote from Tuesday to Thursday that feeds the pre-score, and a live app vote during the Saturday broadcast that only the top 3 candidates receive. MBC's May 16, 2026 notice states that app voting points are reflected in the decision of the week's No. 1.
From the May 30, 2026 broadcast, both rounds run on two apps at the same time: Mubeat, which Music Core had used before, and MUNIVERSE, a newly launched app. MBC's notice does not say how votes from the two apps are combined or whether each app gets a fixed share, so any "half on each app" figure seen on social media is not from MBC. App voting under the new system opened on May 26, 2026, the Tuesday before the first new-rules broadcast.
Mubeat's App Store description lists the same feature in its own words: "Show! Music Core Global Voting: Global fans, pre-vote in Show! Music Core Global Voting and help your bias win!" MUNIVERSE is published on the App Store by TnK Factory and describes "Fan Participation Programs: Voting, events, merchandise purchases, and various fandom activities", without naming Music Core in its listing.
When does Music Core pre-voting open on Mubeat?
Music Core pre-voting on Mubeat opens on Tuesday at 18:00 KST of the broadcast week and closes on Thursday at 11:00 KST, a window of 41 hours, according to MBC's May 16, 2026 notice. The same window applies on MUNIVERSE. MBC adds that the schedule can change, so a holiday week or a special broadcast may move the dates.
The pre-vote is only one of several scores collected that week. Streaming, album and video figures are counted over a different window, and a 2,000-member viewer committee votes on Wednesday and Thursday. The full weekly cycle from MBC's notice:
| What is counted | Window (KST) |
|---|---|
| Streaming, album and video scores | Monday 12:00 of the previous week to Monday 11:59 of the broadcast week |
| Global pre-vote (Mubeat + MUNIVERSE) | Tuesday 18:00 to Thursday 11:00 of the broadcast week |
| Viewer committee vote (2,000 people) | Wednesday 09:00 to Thursday 11:00 of the broadcast week |
| Live app vote (Mubeat + MUNIVERSE) | During the live broadcast only |
As of October 24, 2026. Source: MBC Show! Music Core notice, posted May 16, 2026.
How much does Mubeat voting count toward a Music Core win?
The global pre-vote on Mubeat and MUNIVERSE counts for 10% of the Show! Music Core pre-score, and the live app vote adds another 6% for the top 3 acts, according to MBC's May 16, 2026 notice. Together, app voting can reach 16% of the final result for an act in the top 3, against 70% for streaming, album and video combined.
| Score item | Share | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming (음원) | 50% | All eligible songs |
| Album sales (음반) | 10% | All eligible songs |
| Video (동영상) | 10% | All eligible songs |
| Broadcast count (방송 횟수) | 5% | All eligible songs |
| Viewer committee vote, 2,000 people | 5% | All eligible songs |
| Global pre-vote (Mubeat + MUNIVERSE) | 10% | All eligible songs |
| Pre-score total | 90% | Decides the top 3 |
| Live app vote (Mubeat + MUNIVERSE) | 6% | Top 3 only |
| Live text vote | 4% | Top 3 only |
As of October 24, 2026. Source: MBC Show! Music Core notice, posted May 16, 2026. Shaded rows are app votes.
The weights changed in May 2026. Under the notice MBC posted on May 31, 2021, which applied from the June 5, 2021 broadcast, the pre-vote was worth 5%, the broadcast count 10%, and the live round was split 5% app and 5% text, with Mubeat as the only app. The 2026 notice doubled the pre-vote to 10%, cut the broadcast count to 5%, and moved the live round to 6% app and 4% text.
| Item | Under the 2021 notice | From May 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Global pre-vote | 5% (Mubeat) | 10% (Mubeat + MUNIVERSE) |
| Broadcast count | 10% | 5% |
| Live app vote, top 3 | 5% (Mubeat) | 6% (Mubeat + MUNIVERSE) |
| Live text vote, top 3 | 5% | 4% |
| Live app votes per person | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
Sources: MBC notices posted May 31, 2021 and May 16, 2026. Streaming 50%, album 10%, video 10% and committee 5% did not change.
How many live votes can you cast on Mubeat?
Each person can cast up to 5 live app votes during a Show! Music Core broadcast, and only for the top 3 candidates, according to MBC's May 16, 2026 notice. The live app vote runs only while the show is on air, and there is no live app vote in a week when the broadcast is cancelled. The vote is worth 6% of the final result.
Show! Music Core airs on Saturdays at 3:20 PM KST, according to MBC's program page checked on October 24, 2026. That is 06:20 UTC on Saturday. MBC's notice does not give a fixed minute when the live vote opens or closes within the broadcast, so the safe approach is to open Mubeat or MUNIVERSE before the show starts and vote once the top 3 are shown.
The same 5-vote cap applied under the 2021 rules, when Mubeat was the only live voting app. The 2026 notice does not say whether the cap is 5 votes per app or 5 votes across both apps; it states the limit as "up to 5 votes per person" (1인당 최대 5표).
The other 4% of the live round is a text vote. MBC's 2026 notice gives the text vote's weight but not the number to text or the per-message fee, so for fans outside Korea the documented way to take part in the live round is the app vote on Mubeat or MUNIVERSE.
Do you have to pay to vote on Mubeat?
Mubeat is free to download, but it sells voting items: the US App Store lists a pack of 5 Music Core voting tickets for $1.99, Star Beats from $0.99 for 100, and a Mubeat+ subscription at $3.99 a month, as of October 24, 2026. MBC's notice sets the vote weights but says nothing about prices, which are set by the app.
| In-app item (US App Store) | Price |
|---|---|
| Music Core voting tickets, pack of 5 | $1.99 |
| Star Beats 100 / 300 / 500 | $0.99 / $2.99 / $4.99 |
| Star Beats 1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 | $9.99 / $19.99 / $49.99 |
| Mubeat+ monthly subscription | $3.99 |
| Mubeat+ 30 days | $4.99 |
As of October 24, 2026. Source: Mubeat listing on the US App Store (seller OGQ Corperation). Prices differ by country and store.
Fan guides quote free ways to earn voting hearts in Mubeat and exact heart costs per vote. Mubeat's App Store listing and MBC's notice do not publish those rates, so this guide does not repeat them; check the in-app voting screen for the current cost before buying anything. MUNIVERSE sells its own currency, Gold Lumy, starting at 100 for $0.99 on the US App Store.
Pro Tip: The pre-vote is worth 10% for every eligible song, while the live app vote is worth 6% and only matters if the act reaches the top 3. A fandom that skips the Tuesday-to-Thursday pre-vote can lose the place in the top 3 before the live vote even starts.
Which songs can win on Show! Music Core?
A song can enter the Show! Music Core chart if it was released within the 2 months before the broadcast date by an officially debuted act, with one song per act, according to MBC's May 16, 2026 notice. Drama and webtoon OSTs, songs from audition programs and songs MBC judges unsuitable under its broadcast standards are excluded.
Two more rules from the same notice affect fan planning. Music videos that do not match the program's 15+ viewing rating are left out of the video score, which is worth 10%. And a song that reaches No. 1 for three weeks in total enters the "Legend M-Chart" and is removed from later charts, so the same song cannot win a fourth time on Show! Music Core.
What else can you vote for on Mubeat?
Besides Show! Music Core, Mubeat runs its own fan votes and some award votes. The app's App Store description lists "Mubeat Voting", described as Mubeat-exclusive content votes with rewards, and "Mubeat I.Q Voting", where fans vote for an artist they want a Q&A with.
Award voting also appears in Mubeat's 2026 update notes on the App Store. Version 2.35.6, released March 11, 2026, announced "2026 K-TROT GRAND AWARDS (2026 KTGA) Voting is Now Open", and version 2.36.0, released June 5, 2026, announced "2026 ASEA Main Voting is Now Open". These are separate events with their own rules, and their votes do not count toward Music Core.
The large year-end awards use other apps. MAMA AWARDS voting runs on Mnet Plus, and Melon Music Awards (MMA) voting runs on Melon, as covered in the KpopEntry guides to those platforms linked below.
Not stated in MBC's official notice (as of October 24, 2026)
- How Mubeat and MUNIVERSE votes are combined, or whether each app has a fixed share
- How raw pre-vote counts are converted into the 10% score
- Whether the 5 live votes are per app or across both apps
- The text vote number and fee
- How many hearts one vote costs in Mubeat
Mubeat voting FAQ
Do I need MUNIVERSE as well as Mubeat to vote for Music Core?
No. MBC's May 16, 2026 notice says Music Core pre-voting and live voting run on both Mubeat and MUNIVERSE at the same time, so either app can be used. MBC does not say how the two apps' votes are combined.
Is there a Mubeat live vote if Music Core is cancelled?
No. MBC's notice states that the live app vote takes place only during the live broadcast and does not run in a week when the broadcast is cancelled.
Did Music Core pre-voting change in 2026?
Yes. From the May 30, 2026 broadcast, the global pre-vote counts for 10% instead of 5%, runs on Mubeat and MUNIVERSE, and the live round is 6% app vote and 4% text vote, according to MBC's notice of May 16, 2026.
What should you read next?
- How the big year-end shows differ: K-POP end-of-year awards explained
- Voting for MAMA AWARDS: How to vote on Mnet Plus
- The 50% streaming share: How to stream K-POP music to support your favorite artist
- Voting on Melon: MMA 2026 voting guide
- The album score behind music show charts: Hanteo Chart vs Circle Chart
Sources (last verified October 24, 2026)
- MBC Show! Music Core — Chart calculation method change notice, May 16, 2026 (Korean)
- MBC Show! Music Core — Chart method notice, May 31, 2021 (Korean, previous rules)
- MBC — Show! Music Core program page (broadcast time)
- App Store — Mubeat listing and version history (features, prices, award votes)
- App Store — MUNIVERSE listing
Change history: Published 2026-10-28.
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