Archiving the Past for the Future

What should be archived, why, and how?  Join us as Toby Scott, engineer for Bruce Springsteen, and Brad Mindich, CEO of Inveniem, share their experiences developing the archives of Bruce Springsteen and other major artists. This presentation will include an overview of the various media in use over the years for recording audio and video. Topics will include recording formats and resolution when digitizing for posterity, archiving practices and methods for preservation of recorded files, and safe storage of archived files and migration to future platforms and media.

 

 

After recording and managing bands throughout high school and college, Toby Scott landed a job as assistant engineer at Clover Recording studio in Hollywood. Within weeks he was engineering projects for major labels. During this time he worked with some of the greatest producers in the business including Steve Cropper, Tom Dowd, Chuck Plotkin, Michael James Jackson, and Steve Smith. By the 1980s, Scott had developed a relationship with Bruce Springsteen and moved to New York City to record Born in the USA. The partnership continues to this day, where Scott engineers or oversees the engineering of all of Springsteen’s work while also acting as production supervisor, along with maintaining Springsteen’s large catalog of recordings. 

 

In 1985, Scott developed a database to inventory every song and reel recorded by Springsteen. Over time that inventory grew from several hundred reels and now totals approximately 8,200 reels. In the early 2000s he began the digitization of Springsteen’s recording outtakes and other noteworthy material. Along the way, Scott educated himself in proper storage and archival practices for the digital age. Currently, Scott is in the process of completing the archiving of all audio, video, and printed images from Springsteen’s career for preservation and display in the coming Bruce Springsteen Archives and American Music Museum at Monmouth University in New Jersey.

 

In addition to serving as an engineer on Springsteen albums and live performances over the past 40 years, Scott has recorded numerous additional artists including Bob Dylan, Natalie Merchant, Steve Perry, Bette Midler, Booker T. & the MGs, Blue Öyster Cult, and the Replacements.

 

 

Brad Mindich is the CEO of Inveniem. An archiving and technology/cultural archaeology company, Inveniem works directly with artists, record labels, estates, brands, and individual celebrities on finding, organizing, preserving, and monetizing their artifacts and history. The company’s client list is confidential, but it includes some of the most well known artists, labels, estates, and industry leaders.

 

Mindich is also the founder of Agent Phoenix, a brand realignment and creative consulting agency. Agent Phoenix has created everything from national sales and marketing strategies, online branding, e-commerce platforms, and multi-day festivals, to original print, radio, digital, billboard, and television campaigns, as well as exclusive events with artists including Coldplay, Metallica, Norah Jones, Jeff Bridges, Peter Wolf, Tegan and Sara, Gary Clark Jr., Questlove, and Elvis Costello.