2008 Universal Studios fire

Iron Maiden Sells Music Catalog, Name, Image and Likeness Rights to Pophouse 2 hours ago Jay-Z’s Third Yankee Stadium Concert Plagued by Hours-Long Delay After Security Breach — ‘We Didn’t Want People to Get Trampled’ 1 day ago Music Industry Moves: T.I. Strikes Publishing Deal With Reservoir, Primary Wave Partners With Foreigner’s Mick Jones 5 days ago UPDATED : Just over 18 months ago, a New York Times article stated that the damage Universal Music Group’s archives suffered in a 2008 fire was far greater than originally revealed — while lacking specific details, the article estimated that around 500,000 masters by some of the greatest artists of the past century were destroyed. While UMG, which is under different management than it was in 2008, was quick to acknowledge that the damage was indeed extensive, it said the Times article dramatically overstated both the quantity and uniqueness of many of the assets that were lost , as well as the number of artists whose work was affected. The company’s chief archivist, Pat Kraus , sent the company’s staff a memo on Thursday updating progress on the inventory. Among other points, he says that the Times’ assessment may have been flawed due to its use of incomplete records — many of which were also destroyed — and insurance claims made by the company in the months immediately after the fire, which were at times general and based on staffers’ memories. He also provides specific numbers on the inventory, without naming artists. “The Times published a list of 830 artist names and stated or implied that those artists lost original recordings in the fire,” he writes. “Of the 392 inquiries that we’ve received so far, my team and I have reviewed more than 150,000 assets and responded to 209 of those artists. So far, less than 0.1 percent of those assets might have been original recordings affected by the fire.” Also in the memo, he estimates that “less than 5% of [UMG’s] total assets” were in the facility that was damaged by the fire. Referencing the assets that were damaged or destroyed, he adds, “Does that mean those recordings are lost forever? Absolutely not. For the very few original recordings we believe were impacted, almost all had previously been commercially released and we have located safeties, copies or digital alternatives for every single album. In the one instance where an unreleased album was affected, we have located multiple copies and we could still release the album if the artist wishes. We are also currently working with a few artists and estates to locate masters and copies that may exist in their archives. “This is not to say there weren’t losses in the fire,” he emphasizes. “It’s simply to say that the Times report is not a reliable source for what was lost and as a result it has created significant confusion.” Later in the memo, he adds that the company’s original recordings are now “safely housed in temperature-controlled, secure facilities strategically located near our key operations centers. In fact, the majority of our assets are stored in a facility recognized as one of the most secure on Earth,” referencing an Iron Mountain facility (pictured above). “I don’t want to make this process sound either clinical or triumphant,” he notes. “This is emotionally charged, often painful, work. Many artists and estates were justifiably horrified by the report suggesting that original recordings were lost. As archivists, we understand their concern: we’ve devoted our lives to the preservation of music.” While many artists publicly expressed concern over the state of their archives, several, including Beck and Nirvana, among others, later said they were informed by UMG that their losses were minimal at worst. However, several artists, including Soundgarden, Steve Earle and the estates of Tupac and Tom Petty, sued the company last summer, based in part on the information in the Times article. That lawsuit is ongoing and the attorneys involved have questioned the v