Over a decade ago, “the biggest disaster in the history of the music business” took place in the form of a devastating fire at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Considering the part of the building burned down was known as the video vault, it comes as no surprise to know that plenty of film reels and videos were destroyed because of intense flames. However, a new article by the New York Times Magazine states that around 500,000 masters were burned down and irreparable because of damages.
The information surrounding the tapes had never been disclosed until now, with information stating that acts such as Tupac Shakur, Eminem, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Snoop Dogg, and more are all affected by the disaster. Universal Studios had previously stated that only the King Kong attraction and the video vault were burnt down, but apparently numerous master recordings were also lost in the fire. In a confidential report from back in 2009, the UMG admitted that around half a million song titles also ended up being lost.