Record labels forgot these songs existed. One man rescued them
...
...
In fact, one survey by the US Library of Congress suggested that less
than 20% of all recorded music was available on the internet.
...
...
Sometimes, those recordings are tied up in complex contractual
agreements. De La Soul spent two decades clearing the samples on their
landmark debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising, before it finally
arrived on streaming services last year.
But hundreds of other songs have simply been forgotten.
That's where Rob Johnson comes in.
By day, he's a 41-year-old working in business development for a
London law firm. By night, he's a music industry crusader - digging up
obscure gems and persuading record labels to make them available
online.
Over the last six years, he's been responsible for 725 releases,
including tracks by Sting, Cher and Annie Lennox, with a strong bias
for late 90s pop acts such as Billie Piper, S Club and A*Teens.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgl7ld1glk3o
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