A rare Mariah Carey demo tape will soon go up for auction. Just in time for the holidays, someone could own a one-of-a-kind music collection from the Queen of Christmas. Experts estimate the rare recording could sell for $20,000.
The 7-track cassette, recorded in the late 1980s and recently discovered in producer DJ Arthur Baker’s personal collection, will be auctioned in December through the music magazine and merchandise site Wax Poetics. It features early versions of songs from Carey’s debut album, including “Vision of Love,” “Someday,” and “Alone in Love,” as well as several unreleased tracks.
Baker recalls the night he met Carey at a holiday party. The then-19-year-old was working as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr when she handed Baker the tape. When he listened to it later that evening, he knew he had discovered a gem.
“I stick the cassette in and the first three songs are all hits, and I’m thinking ‘Holy s**t it’s Madonna meets Whitney. She writes like Madonna, sounds like Whitney. This is it, I’ve discovered gold,’” said the producer, who has worked with artists such as Afrika Bambaataa, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, and Prince.
However, according to Baker, another copy of the tape ended up with Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, who signed Carey to a record deal in 1989, propelling her into superstardom.
Wax Poetics CEO Alex Bruh describes the tape as one of the most sought-after items the company has acquired and estimates it could sell for up to twenty thousand dollars.
“It captures the exact moment an era-defining artist was emerging, before the world knew her name,” Bruh said in a statement obtained by Billboard.
The auction, which runs Dec. 2-11, will include a certificate of authenticity, archival notes, and materials from Wax Poetics’ collection. Fans can register to bid on the tape via the Wax Poetics website.
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