Universal Music Group Warehouse Fire

Universal Music Group Warehouse Fire

Universal Music Group (UMG) has been exposed by The New York Times over claims that a fire in a warehouse that stored music and masters of prominent artists and groups in 2008.

UMG has dismissed the article as inaccurate and stated that a lot of music had been digitalised prior to the fire, so the masters have been destroyed but not the legacy.

We are an independent digital magazine and welcome financial support to keep our digital web platform continuing our much valued work in promoting the latest entertainment and independent artists and bands across the world.

Neil Young
Neil Young

Also, influential groups from Nirvana who broke from the underground to give the world 'grunge' alternative rock, to the '60s rock legends The Who.

Nirvana
Nirvana

More interesting recordings by Americas leading civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr's 1969 album, Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.

Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King Jr

Comedian Bob Hope and Groucho Marx's from the comedy act The Marx's Brothers and actress and singer from the Hollywood Golden Age era Mae West have all lost recordings.

Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx

Even the birth of 1950s Rock 'n' Roll biggest stars Bill Haley and His Comets, Rock Around the Clock went up in smoke.

Bill Haley (centre) and His Comets
Bill Haley (centre) and His Comets

The Father of Rock 'n' Roll Chuck Berry didn't escape the fumes as well as Etta James' album - At Last and works by Aretha Franklin were lost.

Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry

At the time of the fire it was played down by UMG, and the extent of the legendary music and recording works lost was reported at a minimum, due to most of the materials had been moved to a nearby suitable storage facility.

Interesting Facts about the Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group

Originally set-up by British record company Decca in 1934 and later on in 1939 was renamed American Decca.

In 1969 American Decca and MCA Inc. merged.

Japanese multinational conglomerate Matsushita Electric bought MCA Inc. in November 1990 for $6.59 billion.

Seagram the Canadian multinational conglomerate, whose wealth was built on alcoholic products purchased an 80% stake in MCA Inc. including Universal Studios and its theme parks.

Seagram sold Universal Studios to General Electric, who owned NBC.

General Electric separated the music division from the film studio of Universal Studios.

French conglomerate Vivendi bought Universal Music and the 20% stake Matsushita Electric held in February 2006.

Vivendi was started by Napoleon III to supply water in Lyon and later in Paris in 1853.

Comcast the cable provider in North America bought a 51% controlling stake in Universal Studios in 2011 for $6.5 billion.

The rest of the 49% was sold to Comcast from General Electric in a multi-billion-dollar acquisition and is now called NBC Universal.