New York, NY (December 9, 2025)—A few days ago I received an announcement that an “ultra-rare” demo tape by Mariah Carey would be going up for auction on the WaxPoetics website. The tape was reportedly given to music producer Arthur Baker in the late 1980s before Carey had a record deal and is sourced from his private library. The recording is said to be one of the most-sought demo tapes in existence, containing seven tracks, including early versions of songs that would form the foundation for Carey’s debut album. How much of that is true and how much of it is hype, I cannot say.
This cassette demo from Carey isn’t the first demo that’s expected to fetch a handsome price at auction. Last May, Bob Dylan’s earliest known demo sold for almost $40,000, while back in 2019 a demo of David Bowie’s song “Starman” sold for more than £50,000 (about $68,000 at the time). Recorded when he was only 18 years of age, Prince’s 1976 demo sold in 2023 for almost $70,000. That’s a lot of scratch, regardless of your tax bracket. Not that I have $70k laying around, but it might be kinda cool to have the Bowie demo.
I find watching such auctions to be very interesting (and entertaining) because I often wonder if these items will hold their value in the long term. Take, for example, Clapton’s 1964 “The Fool” Gibson SG that sold for $1.27 million in 2023 to the late owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay.
• Mix Live Blog: Don’t Sell Yourself Short
I would not debate Clapton’s contributions to the music world, and I’m comforted by the fact that some of the proceeds went to benefit charity, but I can’t help but think, “What happens when Clapton fans age-out?” Will that guitar continue to hold its value, or will it diminish as fans of the guitarist leave our planet for heavenly pastures?
No doubt an original Monét will continue to accumulate value, as will a manuscript from the hand of Mozart or Beethoven. Whether music-making tools from the modern age will evolve into collectible items of such enormous value for future generations remains to be seen. While I don’t think a Studer J37 that was used to record The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band would be a long-term collectible, lyrics from the hand of McCartney for one of those songs certainly would be. I suppose it’s a bit of a crap-shoot for those who can afford it, much like collecting Pokemon cards, spending a weekend in Vegas playing roulette at the high-rollers table, or speculating on stocks. Yikes.
Discover more great stories—get a free Mix SmartBrief subscription!
As of this writing, bidding for the Mariah Carey demo was at $9,750 and—with almost a week to go on the auction—bidding is likely to go significantly higher. All for a cassette you probably can’t even play because the tape stock is 40 years old!
Mix Book Review Week: ‘Unplugged’
New York, NY (December 9, 2025)—The colder months of the year are a perfect time to settle in with some hot coffee (or something stronger) and read something that’s not on a screen. There’s any number of bestsellers out there to devour, but audio pros occasionally want to read something [...]| Play | Cover | Release Label |
Track Title Track Authors |
|---|