Mariah Carey’s monumental 1980s demo tape sells for eye-watering amount, marking history
The demo’s history extends beyond the music itself, it marks the rise of Carey’s worldwide stardom
By Aaron Sugg
A Mariah Carey 1988 demo cassette tape has sold at auction for $54,050 (£40,900), setting a record as the highest-selling cassette by a female artist at a public auction.
Announced and sold by Wax Poetics last week (4 December), the cassette comes from producer Arthur Baker’s personal archive, after Carey recorded demo tracks with collaborators Ben Margulies and Chris Toland in the late 1980s.
Baker reportedly received the tape at a 1989 Christmas party, foreshadowing, some might say. before passing it on to industry executives, helping bring Carey to worldwide stardom.
Five singles from the demo tape made the cut for Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut album
The cassette contains seven demo recordings from 1988, five of which later evolved into songs on Carey’s 1990 self-titled debut album, including ‘Vision of Love’, ‘Someday’, ‘Alone in Love’, ‘All in Your Mind’ and ‘Vanishing’.
‘Here We Go Around Again’ and ‘Hypnotized’ were on the demo but did not appear on the original 1990 album. The former was later released on her 2020 album The Rarities, while the latter remains unreleased.
The demo’s history extends further: it was recorded while Carey was working as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr, who showed the tape to Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola the same year.
Carey’s career took off in 1988 when she signed to Columbia Records
Mottola listened to the tape, marking the moment Carey’s career took off. He reached out to her to offer a record deal, which she signed with Columbia Records in December 1988.
Wax Poetics CEO Alex Bruh said in a statement: “This tape is history – a real one-of-a-kind piece that has been long sought-after by Mariah fans.”
“The impact this tape has had on music is unprecedented, and we are incredibly proud to have been a part of its story,” he continued.
“A testament to her self-made beginnings” – Wax Poetics CEO Alex Bruh on the sold demo cassette tape
Speaking about Carey’s early sound exploring funk, synth-pop, and R&B vocals, he added: “It captures the exact moment a generational voice was taking shape, and stands as a testament to her self-made beginnings and the creative foundations that defined her ascent.”
The buyer has yet to be announced, though it has been confirmed that the person who now owns the historic tape paid a record-breaking $54,050.
Carey has just finished entertaining Las Vegas with her “Christmastime in Vegas” residency, which began on 28 November and concluded on Saturday 13 December, promoting her latest album Here For It All, released earlier this year.
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