Earlier this month, The New York Times published a report revealing that many iconic musicians lost master tapes in a 2008 Universal Studios fire whose consequences went largely unreported at the time. The Times has now shared a new report revealing over 700 additional artists whose master recordings were also lost in the fire. The list of artists was reportedly culled from Universal Music Group’s internal lists that were put together in a recovery effort dubbed “Project Phoenix” around 2010.
The list includes names like Neil Young, Weezer, Blink-182, Common, the Who, Jawbreaker, Bell Biv Devoe, Dolly Parton, Boston, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Primus, Veruca Salt, Temple of the Dog, the Wallflowers, Limp Bizkit, Cher, Jimmy Eat World, the Damned, Phil Ochs, Hugh Masekela, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Find the entire list here.
The previously revealed list of artists affected by the fire includes Nirvana, R.E.M., John Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, Eminem, Aretha Franklin, Nine Inch Nails, Ray Charles, Tupac, Janet Jackson, Beck, Snoop Dogg, Alice Coltrane, Sonic Youth, and more. Universal disputed the story, but offered little evidence. UMG head Lucian Grange subsequently sent an internal memo declaring, “I will ensure that the senior management of this company, starting with me, owns this.”
UMG is being sued for losses by Hole, Soundgarden, and Steve Earle, as well as the estates of Tupac Shakur and Tom Petty.
https://pitchfork.com/news/weezer-blink-182-over-700-others-added-to-list-of-artists-who-lost-masters-in-2008-warehouse-fire
