Fire at Universal: "Nothing is lost forever"

[StuckInThe70s]

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=51070&forumID=1&archive=0

> It looks like more was damaged or destroyed in today's Universal Studios fire than anyone previously thought. I've learned that Universal Music, which is a completely separate company and owned by Vivendi (which owns 20% of NBC Universal), rents space in the huge video vault housed on the studio lot. But one source tells me that, as a consequence, inside the video vault that was billowing thick black smoke were 1000's of original Decca, MCA, ABC recording masters from the last century including a wide range of music from Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters to Judy Garland and The Carpenters. "This is a tremendous loss in music history. A very sad day indeed. It's too bad they saved the videos that they have backups on instead of the master recordings in which they do not, although they may not have had a choice since the fire had already engulfed much of the music side of the vault," a source just told me. Universal Studios tells me it can't confirm what has been damaged or destroyed music-wise at this point because it doesn't yet know what exactly was housed in the storage rented to Universal Music.

 

[Dave]

Well, I would be concerned about a lot of ABC Recordings since there are many artists, there, too long-overdue to have their works reissued...

It's a shame we've gone from a movie lot or two being torched, to suddenly a storage vault for preserving masters of the music that we love having been engulfed in flames...

Hopefully we'll get more hard information on this to really confirm what is really at stake here, 'least if it's really more than what's according to the story...



Dave

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Many of the ABC tapes were thrown away years ago if I'm not mistaken. I read an article on that some time ago. If I can find it again, I'll post it. Based on what I've been able to gather, videotapes for which there are duplicates were the only media damaged.

Besides, doesn't Richard have all the multi-tracks?

Ed

 

[goodjeans]

I can't imagine Richard doesn't have back-ups.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

...and if not, all he has to do is come to this board and put out the word, because somebody would have a bootleg of whatever is missing.

 

[RichardWarner]

This smells bad.

A significant amount of the A&M catalog would be stored wherever Universal Music had set up its vault.

Carpenters music likely exists in multiple locations (Richard Carpenter must have at least digital copies of all his work) and at minimum, there are millions of CDs out there.

it's the hundreds of titles that weren't high profile that have me concerned. Just rampant speculation here... reckless... but Pete Jolly, Baja Marimba Band, CTI/A&M...

Remember, Vivendi bought the entire A&M catalog (and later lamented that it wasn't as valuable as they had thought). A blog post elsewhere on the Web this morning was correct: we may never know exactly what was lost because the tapes weren't well labeled. "You had to play one to figure out what it was."

Herb Alpert's divorce from Universal may be what saved the TJB and Lani Hall catalog.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

CD copies of anything aren't anywhere near the resolution of multi-tracks and mixdown masters. Again, though, I doubt we have that to worry about in this case. Universal likely has backups of things in another location.

Ed

 

[newvillefan]

It was confirmed today by the CEO of Universal, that at least duplicate copies of all 50,000 lost tapes and reels are stored in alternate locations. His words were 'nothing is lost forever'.

 

[RichardWarner]

OK: From Billboard Magazine (9 minutes ago):

Universal Music Group Masters Unharmed In Fire
June 02, 2008, 1:10 PM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Contrary to online reports, "thousands of original recording masters" from the Decca, MCA and ABC labels were not destroyed in a fire on the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles over the weekend.

"We had no loss, thankfully," a Universal spokesperson tells Billboard. "We moved most of what was formerly stored there earlier this year to our other facilities. Of the small amount that was still there and awaiting to be moved, it had already been digitized so the music will still be around for many years."

The spokesperson continues, "Moreover, in addition to being digitized, we also had physical back up copies of what was still left at that location, so we were covered."

The fire did destroy some famous movie props, including the courthouse square from "Back to the Future," and an exhibit with a mechanical King Kong

 

[Mike Blakesley]

[Moderator note: Thread title changed to reflect the latest news, to avoid panic]

 

[RichardWarner]

Further post by the original blogger who alerted us to the potential of lost masters:

She hears from UNI: "Thankfully, there was little lost from UMG's vault. A majority of what was formerly stored there was moved earlier this year to our other facilities. Of the small amount that was still there and waiting to be moved, it had already been digitized so the music will still be around for many years to come. And in addition to being digitized, physical back up copies of what was still left at that location were made and stored elsewhere. So thankfully, smart care, administration and preparation of these gems prevailed."

And her conclusion: So let me get this straight: first there's no report of irreplaceable damage at the Universal Studios vault, then I find out there's musical history destruction because of a rental agreement with Universal Music, and now execs it's only "a little" and not a problem. Funny, because my insiders insist it's a BIG problem. Universal Music claims that over the past year it had been moving master recordings of its "big name" musical artists to the giant Iron Mountain, Pennsylvania vault -- the same one used by Bill Gates and Microsoft. What was left, Universal Music contends, was only "more obscure artists from the '40s and the early '50s." My final thought: the public may never know the truth.