Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
Fire at UMG vault destroys thousands of master recordings: The New York Times made waves when it published its investigation into a 2008 fire at a Universal Music Group vault. The accident caused the destruction of as many as 500,000 master recordings from many imprints and across several decades of American music. It’s a terrible loss. Several of the impacted artists, their families, and their estates have filed a class action against the label in an effort to recover settlement proceeds. A few analysts spoke to Variety about the legal effort, and opined that a lawsuit may not have great odds for success. The anonymous experts also spoke about how the fire may impact parent company Vivendi’s efforts to sell off a stake in UMG.
How to find better podcasts: Many have lamented the challenges of finding new podcasts, but Lifehacker is here to help. The site has posted a pretty comprehensive set of ideas for how you can discover new shows.
Honoring advances for digital radio in cars: WorldDAB is looking to recognize impressive work on digital radio in cars. The organization announced plans to present the WorldDAB Excellence in Automotive Award at its conference next year in Turin, Italy. That means you’ll have until April 1, 2020 to submit any nominations for individuals, groups, or teams that have made critical contributions in this space.