The producer who discovered Mariah is selling her earliest recordings
A piece of pop history is about to hit the auction block: an ultra-rare Mariah Carey demo tape from the legendary producer/DJ Arthur Baker’s archive is going under the hammer via Wax Poetics.
The auction preview opened Nov. 11, with bidding going live Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. ET and running through Dec. 11.
The tape, described as “one of the only original demo tapes in existence,” comes with a certificate of authenticity, archival notes, and historical context from Baker and the Wax Poetics archive team.
It captures the very moment Carey emerged as a star, before anyone outside that Christmas party in New York knew her name.
Baker recalls the night Carey handed him the tape: “I stick the cassette in and the first three songs are all hits. I’m thinking holy shit, it’s Madonna meets Whitney. She writes like Madonna, sounds like Whitney. This is it; I’ve discovered gold.”
Wax Poetics co-owner Alex Bruh added, “Our mission has always been to preserve and grow music culture with care, context and respect. This release honours one of the greatest singers and songwriters of our time by preserving a rare piece of her story.”
The auction follows Wax Poetics’ past sales featuring memorabilia from Don Blackman, Bootsy Collins, Louie Vega, DāM-FunK, and Baker himself, cementing it as a hub for collectors chasing music history.
Check it out here.
