Prince’s Sisters Angry After Master Tapes Moved From Minnesota Vault to California
It's been over a year since Prince passed away, but the late superstar's music has been a constant source of drama since his death.
On Wednesday, Prince's half-sisters, Sharon and Norrine Nelson, told the Associated Press they were prepared to take legal action after contents of Prince's vault, including master tapes of unreleased music, were moved from Paisley Park to California, Billboard reports.
"We want the music back home in Paisley Park where it belongs," Sharon said, while Norrine called it "extraordinary and unconscionable."
According to Sharon, she was told on Sept. 29 by a "Paisley Park representative" that about four trucks came to the studio-turned-museum in early September and took all of the contents from the vault.
“It’s just as though Prince passed away again,” Sharon said. “That’s how I felt. I was really devastated by that.”
The sisters also claim Comerica, which serves as the personal representative or executor of Prince's estate, didn't tell them where the music was being taken or why. But according to Comerica, it did speak with the sisters.
“In an effort to ensure the preservation of Prince’s audio and visual content, Comerica selected the premier entertainment storage and archive company, Iron Mountain Entertainment Services,” the statement said. “On four separate occasions, Comerica discussed the process with the heirs and any suggestion otherwise is not accurate.”
Comerica also said the recordings are safer in the new facility.
“After reviewing the storage conditions at Paisley Park and out of concern regarding the consequences of a fire or other loss at the facility, Comerica determined that it was necessary to transfer the audio and visual content to a secure location where all of the original content could be securely stored and digitized as a safeguard against the destruction or loss of any original content,” the company said.