Back in 2008, there was a fire at Universal Studios in Hollywood, including the Universal Music Group’s vault. As a result, it has now been determined that the fire destroyed approximately 500,000 master recording tapes from artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Elton John, R.E.M, The Police, Guns N’ Roses, No Doubt, Eminem and so many others.  Master recordings of iconic records, lost.

As a recording artist myself, I can’t even fathom how devastating it must feel to have your art destroyed.  The time and effort to create and perfect those songs now lost forever.

A new investigation by Jody Rosen of the New York Times estimates the loss at $150 million but in historical terms, it’s the biggest disaster in the history of the music business.

You can read the full article here.

-wALT