Hyundai Card opens Music Library equipped with 10,000 rare albums

Hyundai Card opens Music Library equipped with 10,000 rare albums. May. 20, 2015 09:02. minki@donga.com.

Rumors have recently spread among Japanese music album collectors that someone in Korea is massively buying out rare albums. Soon later the buyer was identified as Hyundai Card.

Hyundai Card has opened Tuesday "Music Library" in Itaewon in Seoul`s northern district of Yongsan. More than 10,000 pieces of Vinyl LP albums were exhibited there ranging from rock, jazz, hip hop and Third World music. In the past two years, Hyundai Card had jointly worked with experts in Korea, the U.S. and Japan and toured record shops in 11 countries hunting for popular and rare music albums. Visitors to "Music Library" can appreciate LP albums on turntable record players.

The library also has 250 rare albums, including those of Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Beatles` "Butcher Cover" was released in 1966 in the U.S. but its albums were all recalled as its cover was regarded as suggestive by depicting Beatles members holding pieces of bloody meat and body parts from plastic baby dolls. It is a rare album that cannot be easily found. The library offers free entry to Hyundai Card members and they can bring up to two guests for free.

"Music Library" has a concert hall "Under Stage" in basement, which is made up of an ensemble, music workroom and lounge. Performance practice, song work and demo recording can be done there. There is also a small theater there that can accommodate 350 people. To commemorate the opening of "Under Stage," Hyundai Card will invite Kim Chang-wan Band, and rock singers Jeon In-kwon and Shin Joong-hyun to perform there from May 22 to 24.