A collection of more than 100 hours of early Oasis recordings and outtakes will be offered at auction on October 3, with a guide price of £1.2 million to £1.6 million, despite objections from the band.
The material was captured by Huw Richards, who worked as the band’s sound engineer from 1994 until 2001.
Auction and Provenance
The archive is being sold by Littleton Auctions in Worcestershire. Ben Homer, the auction house’s managing director, said the Oasis camp is aware of the sale ‘and has expressed concerns.’
Homer added that the sale is being handled through the appropriate legal process and that the recordings come with verified authenticity.
Archive Contents
- More than 100 hours of soundchecks, rehearsals, and candid conversations
- A recording of Oasis’ 1996 show on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland, said to be the only one in existence
- 209 DAT (Digital Audio Tape) tapes, 73 analog cassettes, and three MiniDiscs
Rights and Future Use
Whoever buys the archive will not be able to release the recordings commercially, because Oasis retains the intellectual property rights.
Ben Gisbey, partner at Simkins LLP, said that creates a difficult decision for the band. Oasis ‘may wish to exploit the recordings themselves in the future,’ he said, and must decide whether to ‘buy the archives themselves now’ or ‘risk any buyer demanding a substantial fee for access to the recordings down the line.’
