UMG Master Tapes

[Gray]

How many times has it been said that your music is only as good as the original recording.
I was sent a link to this video - which is so long that I've watched it over several sessions.

You don't have to be too much of a geek to find something of interest - such a mind-boggling place, 6 million assets, the amount of staff, the unique custom equipment.
They actually loan out original master tapes (once they've archived them), delivering the most precious ones (such as 'Dark Side Of The Moon') with their own drivers.

The transfer rooms are interesting, Studer tape decks, Adam monitors (and small Yamaha for reference).

Worth just skimming through just to get an idea of the scale of the place....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZPFNpB6yY

 

[Dom]

We like preserving data for various purposes, and this is just one of the many storage facilities in the world.

Perhaps deep down, we all have a tendency to hoard things in secret. Its part of the human race's necessity to remember the past.

 

[Gray]

We like to preserving data for various purposes, and this is just one of the many storage facilities in the world.

Perhaps deep down, we all have a tendency to hoard things in secret. Its part of the human race's necessity to remember the past.

Yep, I'm a hoarder, my loft is like a museum - maybe why I find that place interesting

 

[Dom]

Yep, I'm a hoarder, my loft is like a museum - maybe why I find that place interesting

I assume that the decision to preserve your items is for historical significance and their importance in documenting your past is to ensure their accessibility to future generations.

 

[daytona600]

What did we lose in the Universal Music fire that blazed through archives in 2008?
The 2008 fire destroyed tens of thousands of master recordings
The Day the Music Burned
It was the biggest disaster in the history of the music business — and almost nobody knew. This is the story of the 2008 Universal fire.

The Day the Music Burned (Published 2019)

It was the biggest disaster in the history of the music business — and almost nobody knew. This is the story of the 2008 Universal fire.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Gray]

I assume that the decision to preserve your items is for historical significance and their importance in documenting your past is to ensure their accessibility to future generations.

It wasn't, but thanks for giving me an excuse 👍

(Actually, there is stuff of historical interest - including 405 line black & white TV, classic metal Hoovers, Betamax video recorders, 3 or 4 reel to reel recorder's.....and plenty more 🙄)

 

[nopiano]

Wow, thats a great video. I’ve only seen ten minutes or so. Underground seems fireproof maybe, but what about flooding?

Ironically, crappy old records, even shellac 78s, have survived way beyond what anyone imagined, while thousands of ’master tapes’ have turned to goo or been burned in that awful fire.

Will watch more to see if any digital era stuff is stored.