Steely Dan and Nirvana were among the artists who reacted to the news that their master recordings were destroyed in a fire.
News broke just yesterday via The New York Times that the 2008 fire at Universal Studios destroyed over 100,000 master tapes. Universal Music Group had initially denied these reports, and has released a statement disputing the magnitude of the incident.
Artists started reacting to the news on social media. Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic tweeted, “I think they are gone forever.”
I think they are gone forever.
— Krist Novoselić (@KristNovoselic) June 12, 2019
R.E.M. also tweeted, “We are trying to get good information to find out what happened and the effect on the band’s music, if any. We will detail further as and when.”
REMHQ is receiving inquiries from many people concerned about the New York Times article on the Universal Music fire 11 years ago. We are trying to get good information to find out what happened and the effect on the band’s music, if any. We will detail further as and when.
— R.E.M. HQ (@remhq) June 11, 2019
Meanwhile, Steely Dan released a statement saying, “We have been aware of ‘missing’ original Steely Dan tapes for a long time now. We’ve never been given a plausible explanation. Maybe they burned up in the big fire. In any case, it’s certainly a lost treasure.”