I just read all about Iron Mountain Entertainment Services on their website, and I couldn't be happier. Let's face it, the tapes are in much better hands now for restoration, preservation, and digitalization than they ever were in Prince's hands. Finally, his legacy is being fully protected!

.

NOTE: If my comment pisses anybody off, then here are some statements made by people that had direct access to the contents of the vault, which proves my point about Prince's lack of care for his legacy. Sad, but true.

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Hans Martin Buff has alluded to the fact that Prince seemed to not really express much interest in his Vault material.

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David Friedlander said he knows firsthand how many of the earliest works were profusely shedding - a lot! He also said that he's sure there's a lot of magnetic dust now.

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Dave Hampton said that a lot of stuff that Prince wanted to be pulled out of the vault to work on or to glean ideas from wouldn't play. He had a conversation several times with Prince regarding the condition of the tapes he pulled out and why they were shedding and why they were not working. He would also tell Prince the plan that they needed to implement in order to save the tapes in the vault from any further damage, which, according to Dave, Prince didn't want to do.

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Scott LeGere recalled stepping into the "pre-vault" room and finding the floor covered with tape reels, which became flooded and led to several of those tapes suffering water damage.

[Edited 11/8/17 10:42am]

FlyOnTheWall said:

laurarichardson said:

I will bet anyone money that the court allows that stuff to stay in CA. What do you think insurance is for?

It is a smoke screen by LM to get his foot in the door despite the fact that he could be facing a court case himself.

[Edited 11/8/17 9:24am]

Insurance?? That's only money. It couldn't replace the contents of P's Vault. Those musical artifacts are irreplaceable.

Do you really think it is Iron Mountains goal to destroy the tapes? Don't you think they have protocols in place for natural disasters and would be out of business if they did not considering earthquakes and wildfires that take place out in Califorinia?

Honestly, businesses take measures for this sorts of things

laurarichardson said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Insurance?? That's only money. It couldn't replace the contents of P's Vault. Those musical artifacts are irreplaceable.

Do you really think it is Iron Mountains goal to destroy the tapes? Don't you think they have protocols in place for natural disasters and would be out of business if they did not considering earthquakes and wildfires that take place out in Califorinia?

Honestly, businesses take measures for this sorts of things

Like I said earlier, laura: Okay.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Insurance?? That's only money. It couldn't replace the contents of P's Vault. Those musical artifacts are irreplaceable.

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

Mumio said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Insurance?? That's only money. It couldn't replace the contents of P's Vault. Those musical artifacts are irreplaceable.

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

You could be right, Mumio. Fortunately, those in charge of the Estate do care.

IMHO, however, I think it's an overstatement to say that Prince didn't care about the contents of the Vault. More likely, he just didn't want to deal with the preservation piece. He had other stuff to do, like perpetually emptying his brain of the constant flow of music that seemed to flow directly from God. He certainly believed that was the source of his genius.

Really, I think that creating brilliant musical products was so second nature for Prince, he probably took it for granted. Plus, he knew that one day, someone would step in and do the heavy lifting. In essence, he's making his heirs work for their inheritance. Perhaps, he figured that's the least they could do.

That's an excellant point.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Mumio said:

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

You could be right, Mumio. Fortunately, those in charge of the Estate do care.

IMHO, however, I think it's an overstatement to say that Prince didn't care about the contents of the Vault. More likely, he just didn't want to deal with the preservation piece. He had other stuff to do, like perpetually emptying his brain of the constant flow of music that seemed to flow directly from God. He certainly believed that was the source of his genius.

Really, I think that creating brilliant musical products was so second nature for Prince, he probably took it for granted. Plus, he knew that one day, someone would step in and do the heavy lifting. In essence, he's making his heirs work for their inheritance. Perhaps, he figured that's the least they could do.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Mumio said:

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

You could be right, Mumio. Fortunately, those in charge of the Estate do care.

IMHO, however, I think it's an overstatement to say that Prince didn't care about the contents of the Vault. More likely, he just didn't want to deal with the preservation piece. He had other stuff to do, like perpetually emptying his brain of the constant flow of music that seemed to flow directly from God. He certainly believed that was the source of his genius.

Really, I think that creating brilliant musical products was so second nature for Prince, he probably took it for granted. Plus, he knew that one day, someone would step in and do the heavy lifting. In essence, he's making his heirs work for their inheritance. Perhaps, he figured that's the least they could do.

I find the comments by the vaultkeeper to be very interesting and well-worth keeping in mind. If there was another thing Prince was good at, it was knowing how to keep the attention of his fans. All the mystique surrounding the vault for all those years certainly worked, didn't it? At least for many.

Mumio said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

You could be right, Mumio. Fortunately, those in charge of the Estate do care.

IMHO, however, I think it's an overstatement to say that Prince didn't care about the contents of the Vault. More likely, he just didn't want to deal with the preservation piece. He had other stuff to do, like perpetually emptying his brain of the constant flow of music that seemed to flow directly from God. He certainly believed that was the source of his genius.

Really, I think that creating brilliant musical products was so second nature for Prince, he probably took it for granted. Plus, he knew that one day, someone would step in and do the heavy lifting. In essence, he's making his heirs work for their inheritance. Perhaps, he figured that's the least they could do.

I find the comments by the vaultkeeper to be very interesting and well-worth keeping in mind. If there was another thing Prince was good at, it was knowing how to keep the attention of his fans. All the mystique surrounding the vault for all those years certainly worked, didn't it? At least for many.

I agree that Prince was a master at creating mystique. And, I did read TheVaultKeeper's comments, which was not the first I've heard of the conditions of some of the tapes. That's why I said earlier that it will take years to digitize, preserve, and/or restore some of the tapes. It will be a long, painstaking, EXPENSIVE process...but, if they have the right engineers, many of them can probably be salvaged.

I base my opinion on the recent discovery and restoration of forgotten tapes of Bob Marley concerts in London and Paris, between the years 1974 and 1978. They were found in a damp London basement, where they had been rotting for decades. The master recordings were reportedly in "appalling" condition. Here is an excerpt from the BBC report on the remarkable story, "Lost Bob

Marley tapes restored after 40 years in London basement."

The tapes are the original, high-quality live recordings of the reggae legend's concerts in London and Paris between 1974 and 1978. Tracks include No Woman No Cry, Jamming and Exodus.

They were at first believed to be ruined beyond repair, largely because of water damage...

The tapes were found in a run-down hotel in Kensal Rise, north-west London, where Bob Marley and the Wailers stayed during their European tours in the mid-1970s...

From the 13 reel-to-reel analogue master tapes, 10 were fully restored, two were blank and one was beyond repair. Work lasted one year and cost £25,000 ($31,200).

"They were (in an) appalling (condition)... I wasn't too hopeful," Martin Nichols, a sound engineer at the White House Studios in the west of England, told the BBC. Read More...

Here is a short recording of the engineer talking about the back-breaking process he undertook to save the priceless artifacts. As I have said before on this thread, I sure hope Iron Mountain and Comerica consult with the extraordinary sound engineer, Martin Nichols.

Lost Bob Marley recording...y restored

[Edited 11/8/17 21:17pm]

but is this why they were taken??????

luvsexy4all said:

but is this why they were taken??????

That's the official story put forth by Comerica.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Mumio said:

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

You could be right, Mumio. Fortunately, those in charge of the Estate do care.

IMHO, however, I think it's an overstatement to say that Prince didn't care about the contents of the Vault. More likely, he just didn't want to deal with the preservation piece. He had other stuff to do, like perpetually emptying his brain of the constant flow of music that seemed to flow directly from God. He certainly believed that was the source of his genius.

Really, I think that creating brilliant musical products was so second nature for Prince, he probably took it for granted. Plus, he knew that one day, someone would step in and do the heavy lifting. In essence, he's making his heirs work for their inheritance. Perhaps, he figured that's the least they could do.

WELL articulated Fly...

and the Bolded gave me a deep sense of satisfaction and even PEACE..

Mumio said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Insurance?? That's only money. It couldn't replace the contents of P's Vault. Those musical artifacts are irreplaceable.

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

I have thought the same about Princes attitude to the vault, it was a topic of interest for people, these amazing stats interviewers would ask him about, how he has 1,000's of songs locked away ready to go, he would hint how some of his best work was down there.......

But in reality probably very little of it is ready for release, he would re-record it before releasing, so to him if he lost a song, he was the guy who recorded it in the first place, so he could easily remake it, which he would do to a commercial quality if it was being released anyways.

I think he liked to play on the vault mystique, but to him it was more like a sketch pad for ideas, that he used as a basis for making a painting, when he wanted to make something for release.

It's good they have gone somewhere like Iron Mountain, so it is safe, hearing the stories on the state of the tapes at PP, it's good they are being looked after, as they cannot be remade anymore.... my concern is that such a legend has been made about the Prince vault, what happens if it turns out allot of the material just isn't that good and that's why he never released it, some things are best left as legends............

ecnirp98 said:

Mumio said:

YET....why did he not take considerable care to ensure that those items in the vault remained in perfect condition?

Not a popular opinion, but I don't think he cared all that much really.

[Edited 11/8/17 16:55pm]

I have thought the same about Princes attitude to the vault, it was a topic of interest for people, these amazing stats interviewers would ask him about, how he has 1,000's of songs locked away ready to go, he would hint how some of his best work was down there.......

But in reality probably very little of it is ready for release, he would re-record it before releasing, so to him if he lost a song, he was the guy who recorded it in the first place, so he could easily remake it, which he would do to a commercial quality if it was being released anyways.

I think he liked to play on the vault mystique, but to him it was more like a sketch pad for ideas, that he used as a basis for making a painting, when he wanted to make something for release.

It's good they have gone somewhere like Iron Mountain, so it is safe, hearing the stories on the state of the tapes at PP, it's good they are being looked after, as they cannot be remade anymore.... my concern is that such a legend has been made about the Prince vault, what happens if it turns out allot of the material just isn't that good and that's why he never released it, some things are best left as legends............

Were it not for all the corroboration from Prince associates, sound engineers, and other artists, I might share your skepticism. That's not to say that ALL of the musical, video, and film artifacts from the Vault are of commercial quality, but I do believe a substantial portion of them are. Not to mention, Prince's unfinished, so-called rough work is probably head and shoulders above anything that MOST artists will ever produce.

FlyOnTheWall said:

ecnirp98 said:

I have thought the same about Princes attitude to the vault, it was a topic of interest for people, these amazing stats interviewers would ask him about, how he has 1,000's of songs locked away ready to go, he would hint how some of his best work was down there.......

But in reality probably very little of it is ready for release, he would re-record it before releasing, so to him if he lost a song, he was the guy who recorded it in the first place, so he could easily remake it, which he would do to a commercial quality if it was being released anyways.

I think he liked to play on the vault mystique, but to him it was more like a sketch pad for ideas, that he used as a basis for making a painting, when he wanted to make something for release.

It's good they have gone somewhere like Iron Mountain, so it is safe, hearing the stories on the state of the tapes at PP, it's good they are being looked after, as they cannot be remade anymore.... my concern is that such a legend has been made about the Prince vault, what happens if it turns out allot of the material just isn't that good and that's why he never released it, some things are best left as legends............

Were it not for all the corroboration from Prince associates, sound engineers, and other artists, I might share your skepticism. That's not to say that ALL of the musical, video, and film artifacts from the Vault are of commercial quality, but I do believe a substantial portion of them are. Not to mention, Prince's unfinished, so-called rough work is probably head and shoulders above anything that MOST artists will ever produce.

Thing is though, all of these people would no doubt think the work they were involved in was top notch, right? I mean...think about it. They won't see their contributions to whatever as not worthy. So.......

Mumio said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Were it not for all the corroboration from Prince associates, sound engineers, and other artists, I might share your skepticism. That's not to say that ALL of the musical, video, and film artifacts from the Vault are of commercial quality, but I do believe a substantial portion of them are. Not to mention, Prince's unfinished, so-called rough work is probably head and shoulders above anything that MOST artists will ever produce.

Thing is though, all of these people would no doubt think the work they were involved in was top notch, right? I mean...think about it. They won't see their contributions to whatever as not worthy. So.......

And they perpetuate the vault myth..... no doubt there are lots of gems in there, but I doubt there are that many that are commercial quality, lots will be outtakes/early/alternate versions of released songs, to raise them to commercial releasible quality will take allot of work, and who's to say they are going in the direction Prince would of wanter? They then go into the realms of remixes/cover versions when you tinker too much with the original without the original artist input, I'd rather they put them out as they are now, so we can hear them as Prince left them.

[Edited 11/12/17 11:46am]

At this point, with regards to the contents of Prince's Vault, all we can do is speculate.

FlyOnTheWall said:

At this point, with regards to the contents of Prince's Vault, all we can do is speculate.

Yep, whatever the contents, at least they are safer now and stand the best chance of being able to be released, whatever the quality.

ecnirp98 said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

At this point, with regards to the contents of Prince's Vault, all we can do is speculate.

Yep, whatever the contents, at least they are safer now and stand the best chance of being able to be released, whatever the quality.

I'm not so sure that they are more secure now. I've made repeated posts about the increased likelihood of catastrophic natural disasters in California. That is factual. Like, for real, for real.

FlyOnTheWall said:

At this point, with regards to the contents of Prince's Vault, all we can do is speculate.

To some extent, but the Revolution said they recorded 3 albums a year for a period and that the NPG did too (Even though we got only 1 album a year). The NPG said that they even made videos for songs never released.

kewlschool said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

At this point, with regards to the contents of Prince's Vault, all we can do is speculate.

To some extent, but the Revolution said they recorded 3 albums a year for a period and that the NPG did too (Even though we got only 1 album a year). The NPG said that they even made videos for songs never released.

I agree. That's what I meant about corroborating accounts from associates, but some on here are skeptical about those claims.

FlyOnTheWall said:

kewlschool said:

To some extent, but the Revolution said they recorded 3 albums a year for a period and that the NPG did too (Even though we got only 1 album a year). The NPG said that they even made videos for songs never released.

I agree. That's what I meant about corroborating accounts from associates, but some on here are skeptical about those claims.

I hope there's loads of quality music from the Revolution era, that was my fave time, I was more pointing out that there has been a whole myth built around 'The Vault', where stats are always given to wow people on Princes talent/work ethic, this was even done with Prince when he was interviewed, the media loved to quote that Prince had 100's of albums of material waiting for release.

My concern is that allot of that music won't be 'ready' to be released, it will need allot of work, there will be very rough warly demo's etc, and when people start working on them tracks, it's not really Prince anymore.

Hopefully we will find out how much is in the vault, not sure how they will do it as they cannot release 'albums' if there is that much material, your talking more uploading it and selling it piecemeal.

FlyOnTheWall said:

luvsexy4all said:

but is this why they were taken??????

That's the official story put forth by Comerica.

but does it also mean they will be be made ready for release?

FlyOnTheWall said:

ecnirp98 said:

Yep, whatever the contents, at least they are safer now and stand the best chance of being able to be released, whatever the quality.

I'm not so sure that they are more secure now. I've made repeated posts about the increased likelihood of catastrophic natural disasters in California. That is factual. Like, for real, for real.

Please read the estate documents today from Iron Mountain today They explain exactly what is going on and the tapes are secure. They music was not secure in building which in now a public place and they point out that there is on Iron Moutain facility in the mid-west that handles restoration.

This was something that LM the great business advisor could have found out via a simple Goggle search on phone call. He is embarassing himself and I feel sorry for the older sibs.

laurarichardson said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

I'm not so sure that they are more secure now. I've made repeated posts about the increased likelihood of catastrophic natural disasters in California. That is factual. Like, for real, for real.

Please read the estate documents today from Iron Mountain today They explain exactly what is going on and the tapes are secure. They music was not secure in building which in now a public place and they point out that there is on Iron Moutain facility in the mid-west that handles restoration.

This was something that LM the great business advisor could have found out via a simple Goggle search on phone call. He is embarassing himself and I feel sorry for the older sibs.

There is nothing that can convince me that California is the best place to store the contents of Prince's Vault. Nothing. Period.

FlyOnTheWall said:

laurarichardson said:

Please read the estate documents today from Iron Mountain today They explain exactly what is going on and the tapes are secure. They music was not secure in building which in now a public place and they point out that there is on Iron Moutain facility in the mid-west that handles restoration.

This was something that LM the great business advisor could have found out via a simple Goggle search on phone call. He is embarassing himself and I feel sorry for the older sibs.

There is nothing that can convince me that California is the best place to store the contents of Prince's Vault. Nothing. Period.

Read the docs and let me know what you think.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Please read the Affidavit of Director of North America Operations for Iron Mountain that was filed at Court.

After reading his Affidavit I know it was a very wise decision to move The Vault to Hollywood.

http://www.mncourts.gov/m...-10-17.pdf

His Affidavit is only 4 pages long.

Also, read the Affidavit of a Comerica Representative as to the condition of The Vault.

They even found boxes adhered to shelves, rusted canisters, and film that smelled of vinegar which is an indication of degradation.

http://www.mncourts.gov/m...-10-17.pdf

Smarter people than I have said this was the right thing to do with the vault contents. Now there's additional people chiming in, and what they are saying still says it was the right thing to do. I believe them.

laurarichardson said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

There is nothing that can convince me that California is the best place to store the contents of Prince's Vault. Nothing. Period.

Read the docs and let me know what you think.

Without even reading the docs, I know that the restoration/digitization process is a necessary and good thing. I have never questioned that. I just wish it was not happening in California.