Thousands of classic master recordings - Nirvana, Eminem, R.E.M., Aerosmith -lost in Universal Studios fire

Thousands of master recordings were destroyed in “the biggest disaster in the history of the music business” - a fire at Universal Music Group’s Vault on Universal Studios, the New York Times reports. The fire happened back on June 1, 2008, it was widely reported at the time but mainly from a movies/television angle and the Universal Studio theme park, and the music side was downplayed, with UMG saying "there was little lost from UMG’s vault". But actually, the masters lost in the fire were ones by Al Green, Ray Charles, Elton John, B.B. King, the Four Tops, Nirvana, Snoop Dogg, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Tom Petty, Joan Baez, Nine Inch Nails, Neil Diamond, Cat Stevens, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Eric Clapton, R.E.M. Hole, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Barry White, Patti LaBelle, the Police, Sting, Steve Earle, Janet Jackson, Guns N’ Roses, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, 50 Cent and The Roots. All in all, approximately 175,000 tapes were lost, totalling up to 500,000 song titles.