Master recordings archive disaster finally revealed

[Ducatista47]

Dismissed at the time as involving nothing important, now we find this worst-case scenario. "The biggest disaster in the history of the music business."

The fire and the coverup, it ends up, are the tip of a historical iceberg. Section four of this piece will bring either sadness or anger.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/magazine/universal-fire-master-recordings.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

[bedrock602]

"They finished the job at 3 a.m. and, following protocol, kept watch over the site for another hour to ensure that the shingles had cooled."

Running a roofing torch at 3:00 a.m.?
Only 1 hour watch afterwards?

:eek:

"In a document prepared for a March 2009 “Vault Loss Meeting,” the company described the damage in apocalyptic terms. “The West Coast Vault perished, in its entirety,” the document read."

Was the "vault" designed and built by qualified and licenced architects and contractors or was it designed and built by Hollywood set designers and set carpenters?

[Robh3606]

I never knew this happened!

Rob:(

[bedrock602]

"To record-company accountants, a tape vault was inherently a cost center, not a profit center."

I just answered my own question

:mad:

[Ducatista47]

Digging deeper into the links, Billboard July 12, 1997, pages 3, 88 and 89. Past transgressions pre-fire are described. Just an example, an entire warehouse, including four floors of RCA "catalog product - pre-tape-material ranging from metal parts, acetates, shellac disk masters and alternate takes to test pressings, master matrix books, and session rehearsal recordings" was blown up and pushed into the Delaware River to make landfill for a pier.

https://books.google.com/books?id=eg4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=Bill+Holland+%E2%80%9Cuntold+numbers+of+recordi ngs,+old+and+not+so+old.%E2%80%9D+Billboard+in+Jul y+1997&source=bl&ots=cI4a-uzmzD&sig=ACfU3U3v1DjJLOFsVn5DQwkq0V2O6ZxNlw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiz9rLiqN_iAhVRnlkKHTVkDpUQ6AEwAHoECAMQA Q#v=onepage&q=Bill%20Holland%20%E2%80%9Cuntold%20numbers%20of% 20recordings%2C%20old%20and%20not%20so%20old.%E2%8 0%9D%20Billboard%20in%20July%201997&f=false

[Ducatista47]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48745638#_=_

[rusty jefferson]

Nothing new, just a commentary on the subject.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/day-music-died-1

[rusty jefferson]

Reading this thread made me wonder about the recording studio (and their archive) I used to visit in the late 70s. Had a friend who worked there, and on occasion we would visit late at night if there were no sessions. Frequently, we'd head into the tape vault and pull a 2" master out to listen to.

I knew the studio had gone out of business, but I never thought about the tape archive. Google quickly informed me the entire collection came pretty close to going to the landfill as it had been abandoned in an off site storage facility. Some would argue that most of this music belongs in the landfill, but still, nice to see it was saved and the Drexel students are working through the archive.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/learningenglish.voanews.com/amp/4976582.html

[SEAWOLF97]

Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward Isn’t Burning Up Over What Got Lost in the Fire

https://variety.com/2019/music/news/justin-hayward-moody-blues-interview-1203312300/