Indie music distribution and publishing company Too Lost has signed a direct partnership with South Korean music streaming service Melon, a move Too Lost says will open “one of Asia’s most powerful music markets” to its roster of artists and labels.
In a statement issued Thursday (November 13), Too Lost says the move is “another strategic step” in its global expansion. Founded in 2020, the New York-headquartered company boasts more than 400,000 artists and labels, distributing 7 million songs to some 450 digital service providers including Spotify, Apple Music and TikTok.
The Melon integration will strengthen the company’s ability to “deliver music seamlessly to Korean listeners and position independent acts alongside the biggest names in pop culture,” Too Lost said.
“This partnership is about breaking borders for independent artists,” Too Lost CEO Greg Hirschhorn said. “Melon is one of the most influential platforms in the world, and connecting our creators directly to its audience helps make independence truly global.”
According to data from app tracker WiseApp, Melon is the second-largest music streaming service in South Korea by monthly active users (MAUs), counting 6.01 million MAUs, behind only YouTube Music at 7.14 million, as of earlier this year.
Founded in 2004 by SK Telecom and operated by Kakao Entertainment since 2021, Melon has been linked to the meteoric rise in the popularity of K-pop.
“The platform has fueled the international rise of K-pop, often serving as the first launchpad for chart-topping hits before they go global,” Too Lost said. “For artists around the world, Melon remains a key gateway to Korean audiences and one of the most active streaming cultures worldwide.”
“Melon is one of the most influential platforms in the world, and connecting our creators directly to its audience helps make independence truly global.”
Greg Hirschhorn, Too Lost
According to data for 2024 from IFPI, South Korea is the world’s seventh-largest recorded music market. A September 2025 report from Omdia valued the country’s market at $1.08 billion, with about two-thirds of that coming from digital music.
For Too Lost, the partnership with Melon comes amid a flurry of expansion activity, including a “seven-figure” investment last month into indie label Rebellion Records, which boasts of having generated some 5 billion streams since launching two years ago.
Also last month, Too Lost made a “seven-figure” investment into AntiFragile Equity Partners, a startup that focuses on acquiring and monetizing “undervalued” music catalogs, and partnered with music financing company Xposure Music, which plans to deploy “tens of millions of dollars” in upcoming catalog acquisitions.
In September, Too Lost struck a deal with direct-to-fan platform EVEN, giving Too Lost’s artists and labels access to EVEN’s D2C storefronts.
Too Lost ranks in 90th place on Inc.’s list of fastest-growing companies in the US for 2025, recording 3,677% growth over three years.Music Business Worldwide
