Music hub to be created in Chang-dong, Seoul

Well-known music channels on YouTube, HIPHOPLE and OPCD, held unique auditions for two months from October where new musicians showcased new pieces sampling beats revealed by famous musicians.

The auditions featuring a new format was titled We Make Music 2020 (WMM 2020). The Seoul metropolitan government and the Dobong district government held the annual auditions for emerging musicians since 2018 but this year’s event was held online to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

New culture complexes focusing on music and new trends are opening up in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul. The Seoul metropolitan government announced on Tuesday that public studio Eum and shared office Gongum opened their doors in the area.

Eum and Gongum are the first places in South Korea to support cooperative creation among independent creators. Approximately 2.4 billion won was spent to create them featuring high-quality equipment for creation and video production facilities. Young musicians can get support for creating music, networking with other musicians, or producing sound sources and videos, as well as in terms of marketing and promotion.

The Seoul metropolitan government expects that these efforts will lead to over 300 businesses – not only music and performance-related companies but also broadcasting, advertisement, game, and others – located in the area and create 13,000 new jobs. “The area will put Chang-dong at the center of the music scene, replacing the Hongik University area, and become the successful example of urban regeneration and the northeast hub of 4.8 million jobs and culture in Seoul and the nearby region,” said Kim Hak-jin, Seoul’s vice-mayor II for administrative affairs.


Chang-Kyu Park kyu@donga.com