[ad_1]
In June 2008, a fire broke out in a Universal Studios Hollywood building, destroying thousands of audio recordings recorded by musical luminaries such as Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Tom Petty.
According to an article published Tuesday by the New York Times Magazine, the severity of the fire remained secretive, while a confidential report published in 2009 by Universal Music Group estimated the loss at around 500,000 titles.
[[[[Read the New York Times Magazine article about the day the music burned.]
Disclosure – and the extent to which the damage was concealed from the public and artists – has been criticized by musicians who have worked for Universal Music Group or its affiliates. Other artists have expressed concern over the important recordings lost in what the article describes as "the biggest disaster in the history of the music business."
Questlove, the record producer and drummer for The Roots, suggested on Twitter Tuesday that the fire was the reason two of the band's albums, "Do You Want More? !!! ??!" And "Illadelphia Halflife", do not "re-treat". (The artists often re-release their music using the original recordings.) Both albums were released on labels owned by Universal Music Group. A representative of the group did not respond to an e-mail requesting a comment.
[[[[Here is an overview of what was lost in the fire.]
R.E.M said he was receiving inquiries about the article and was trying to get information on the status of his recordings. "We will detail as and when," the group said on Twitter. Universal Music Publishing Group manages the group catalog.
A fan on Twitter asked Krist Novoselic, a founding member of Nirvana, if the main recordings of "Nevermind" had been lost. "Nevermind", the group's second studio album, was released in 1991 by DGC Records, a label owned by Universal Music Group. Mr. Novoselic was not optimistic. "I think they're gone forever," he replied.
Master recordings are unique originals that are the source of reproductions such as CDs, vinyl records and other recordings. According to the Times Magazine article, studio recordings that had not been published would also have been destroyed.
Other bands and their managers continued to assess the damage. Steely Dan, Director of Entertainment, Irving Azoff, told Pitchfork: "We have known for a long time that there are missing Steely Dan soundtracks."
He added: "We have never received a plausible explanation. Maybe they burned in the big fire. In any case, it is certainly a lost treasure. The website also indicated that the Hole group had not been notified of the loss of records.
The list of artists affected extends over several decades and includes Ray Charles, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Elton John, the Eagles, Tupac Shakur and Eminem.
[ad_2]
Source link