Last week, The New York Times shone a spotlight on what they described as "the biggest disaster in the history of the music business:" the 2008 Universal Music Fire. The blaze, which reportedly claimed the master recordings of Eminem, 50 Cent, Tupac, and many more, ultimately led to the destruction of over 500,000 song titles; even those backed up were likely done so in a digital fashion, meaning the original analog masters were left charred and smoldering. A tragedy to the modern audiophile, and one can imagine the blow each artist must have felt.
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In the wake of the Times' report, Universal CEO Lucian Grainge stepped forward to address the widespread coverage. In an admirable move, Grainge opened the door for himself and his company to take responsibility for the disaster, imploring transparency moving forward. "By now most of you have seen the articles relating to the fire in 2008 at the NBC Universal Studios lot that destroyed archived recordings, videos and related materials," he begins, addressing his staff in an emotional letter. "I can still remember being repeatedly warned not to travel by subway to the mastering studio because the magnetic energy could destroy the recordings. It was then I first realized how precious these items were, and the care with which they needed to be treated."
"Even though all of the released recordings lost in the fire will live on forever, losing so much archival material is nonetheless painful," he continues. "These stories have prompted speculation, and having our artists and songwriters not knowing whether the speculation is accurate is completely unacceptable. So, let me be clear: we owe our artists transparency. We owe them answers. I will ensure that the senior management of this company, starting with me, owns this. "
Be sure to read Grainge's full letter below, via Complex:
Dear Colleagues,
By now most of you have seen the articles relating to the fire in 2008 at the NBCUniversal Studios lot that destroyed archived recordings, videos and related materials.
Even though that event happened more than a decade ago, and while I’ve been somewhat relieved by early reports from our team that many of the assertions and subsequent speculation are not accurate, one thing is clear: the loss of even a single piece of archived material is heartbreaking.
When I was 17, I acted as a courier to pick up the 2-inch multitracks and quarter-inch Boomtown Rats masters just after they finished their album at Rockfield Studios in Wales. I can still remember being repeatedly warned not to travel by subway to the mastering studio because the magnetic energy could destroy the recordings. It was then I first realized how precious these items were, and the care with which they needed to be treated.
This is just one small anecdote. I know so many of you have your own individual stories about how and why you’re working here. But all of us came into this business for one reason: a love of music. Our artists and songwriters count on us to be the stewards of their art – today and for the future.
And that’s one reason why the stories about the extent of the 2008 fire have resonated with all of us. Even though all of the released recordings lost in the fire will live on forever, losing so much archival material is nonetheless painful. These stories have prompted speculation, and having our artists and songwriters not knowing whether the speculation is accurate is completely unacceptable.
So, let me be clear: we owe our artists transparency. We owe them answers.
I will ensure that the senior management of this company, starting with me, owns this.
If any of you hear from an artist asking about the status of archived assets, please immediately have them contact [email address redacted], our SVP of Recording Studios & Archive Management. In the past few days, Pat has formed a special team specifically to field these requests and respond to them as promptly as we can.
One final note:
At UMG we have the greatest collection of musical recordings, videos and artwork in the world – millions of assets in total – dating back to the late 1800s. We invest significantly in preserving and protecting those treasures around the world—in technology, in infrastructure and by employing experts. I know how deeply committed our archival and catalog teams are to preserving our archives for generations to come. Part of “owning this” is redoubling our efforts to be a leader in preserving the rich cultural legacy upon which our industry is based.
Again, none of this takes away the pain of losing any recording or video from our archives. But I want you all to be clear about how seriously we take this.
Lucian
