Showbiz Sandbox 453: The Biggest Disaster in the History of the Music Industry

When a fire ripped through Universal Studios in Los Angeles back in 2008 it was initially feared that all of the historic films and music locked away in the vaults that burned were lost forever. At the time Universal reported that, quite miraculously, very little damage had occurred and that few, if any, of the master recordings in the vaults were damaged.

However, in an in-depth investigative piece The New York Times reports that the fire actually wiped out hundreds of thousands of invaluable masters of legendary recording artists such as Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Elton John, Nirvana and possibly hundreds of others. Universal Music Group continues to insist the loss is overstated, but artists are clamoring for more information and the first class action lawsuit has already been filed.

Meanwhile talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Talent Agents over packaging fees and affiliate productions have stalled and now lawsuits have started to fly.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including which Broadway shows got a post-Tony Awards bump in grosses, J.J. Abrams lands at WarnerMedia and Celine Dion is leaving Las Vegas.

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China Box Office Drops in First Half Despite 14.5 Percent Jump in Hollywood Revenue
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-drops-first-hollywood-jump-1221663

Box Office Blues: 2019 Revenue Down Nearly 10 Percent Midyear
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-blues-2019-revenue-down-10-percent-midyear-1221934

Regal To Launch Unlimited Movie Subscription
https://deadline.com/2019/07/regal-cinemas-unlimited-movie-ticket-subscription-program-cineworld-1202640441/

WGA Talks Move To One on One
https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/writers-guild-agents-talks-end-packaging-1203248689/

WME Alleges Writers Guild Leading an Illegal Boycott in Antitrust Lawsuit
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/wme-alleges-writers-guild-leading-an-illegal-boycott-antitrust-lawsuit-1220562

Scribes Petition WGA On Strategy, Conflicts, Endgame
https://deadline.com/2019/06/wga-ata-20-writers-send-petition-leadership-endgame-ata-1202635478/

Abrams Artists Agency Agrees To Broad Terms of WGA
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/abrams-artists-agency-breaks-ranks-offers-drop-packaging-fees-1222186

Woody Allen’s Next Film Confirmed For July Shoot In Spain With Christoph Waltz, Louis Garrel & Elena Anaya
https://deadline.com/2019/06/woody-allen-cast-next-film-spain-christoph-waltz-louis-garrel-gina-gershon-1202626540/

Max Landis Dropped by Management in Wake of Sexual Misconduct Allegations
https://deadline.com/2019/06/max-landis-dropped-by-managers-writ-large-sexual-assualt-allegations-1202634930/

Academy Invites 842 New Members
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-academy-members-2019-revealed-full-list-1221972

‘Dune’ Series Ordered at WarnerMedia Streaming Service, Denis Villeneuve to Direct
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dune-sisterhood-tv-series-a-go-at-warnermedia-1217286

Amazon and Counterfeits
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/23/technology/amazon-domination-bookstore-books.html

Industry Sales Fell 1.6% in 2018
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/80559-industry-sales-fell-1-6-n-2018.html

Celine Dion Wraps Historic 16-Year Run in Las Vegas With Record-Breaking $681 Million in Ticket Sales
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8515781/celine-dion-wraps-historic-16-year-run-las-vegas-681-million

J.J. Abrams Bidding War Won By WarnerMedia as Bad Robot Nears $500M Partnership
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jj-abrams-bidding-war-won-by-warnermedia-as-bad-robot-nears-500m-partnership-1207800

Broadway Analysis Week Of June 23
https://deadline.com/2019/06/broadway-box-office-36-million-mel-brooks-to-kill-a-mockingbird-beetlejuice-1202637157/

Dutton Will Drop Linda Fairstein
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/80390-dutton-will-drop-linda-fairstein.html

ICM Dumps Linda Fairstein in Wake of TV Miniseries
https://deadline.com/2019/06/linda-fairstein-ava-duvernay-when-they-see-us-icm-partners-wall-street-journal-oped-netflix-emmys-1202630886/

Breaking the back of a bookstore: How the city landmarking process will strangle the Strand
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-breaking-the-back-of-a-bookstore-20190614-65uxejxmiffydhikn2cdwm5gwe-story.html

DJ Khaled vs. Billboard May Be a Breaking Point in the Merch-Bundle Chart Wars
https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/dj-khaled-vs-billboard-explained.html

Why a DJ Khaled ‘Monster Lawsuit’ Is the Best Thing That Could Happen to Billboard — And the Music Industry at Large
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/06/11/billboard-dj-khaled-lawsuit/

A Billboard No. 1 Is at Stake, So Here’s an Album With Your Taylor Swift Hoodie
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/09/business/media/billboard-charts-bundles.html

‘One Day At a Time’ Saved As Pop Picks Up Praised Comedy Series For Season 4 After Netflix Cancellation
https://deadline.com/2019/06/one-day-at-a-time-saved-pop-picks-up-season-4-comedy-series-netflix-cancellation-1202638695/

Pre-Saving Albums, Singles Gives Labels Extraordinary Access To Your Account and Personal Info
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8517869/when-you-listen-they-watch-pre-saving-albums-allow-labels-track-users-spotify

Musicians’ Union Strikes New Deal with the Broadway League
https://broadwaynews.com/2019/06/26/musicians-union-strikes-new-deal-with-the-broadway-league/

SVOD Surge Sees Video Pirates Scuppered
https://www.rapidtvnews.com/2019062856510/svod-surge-sees-video-pirates-scuppered.html

The Day The Music Died: Universal Music Fire In 2009
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/magazine/universal-fire-master-recordings.html

Universal Music Group Archivist: Vault Fire Damage ‘Surprisingly Overstated,’ But Any Loss Is ‘Painful for Us’
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8516256/umg-archivist-interview-universal-fire-masters-tapes-litigation

Fire Will Have Zero Impact On Universal Music sale; Masters Belonged to them so Suing Not An Option
https://variety.com/2019/music/news/universal-music-fire-zero-impact-on-company-value-1203249173/

Universal Music Group Hit With Class Action Lawsuit by Tupac Estate, Soundgarden & More Over 2008 Vault Fire
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8517081/universal-music-group-class-action-lawsuit-2008-vault-fire

Lawsuits against Universal Music Group expected next week in response to 2008 fire
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-umg-fire-recordings-lawsuits-universal-studios-20190613-story.html

More Acts realize Their Masters Have Been Lost
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/magazine/universal-music-fire-bands-list-umg.html

Author Judith Krantz Dies At 91
https://deadline.com/2019/06/judith-krantz-dies-best-selling-author-91-obituary-1202636830/

Sylvia Miles Dies At 94
https://variety.com/2019/film/news/sylvia-miles-dead-dies-midnight-cowboy-1203241094/

Acclaimed Director Franco Zeffirelli Dies At 96
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/arts/music/franco-zeffirelli-dead.html

The Dark Side of Franco Zeffirelli: Abuse Accusers Speak Out Upon the Famed Director’s Death
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/franco-zeffirelli-abuse-accusers-speak-1219298

Ma Rainey Dies At 53
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/obituaries/ma-rainey-overlooked.html