I find it interesting the number of times that vaults are in the news.  The most recent was the article about the Estate Custodian drilling into the vault at the estate of the artist formally known as Prince.  But even that issue could be contested as there was no Will to establish the estate to make a formal request to open the vault in bausch a rushed manner.  I cannot find his symbol on my keyboard so imagine an F printed in Luminary font style with a “O” on top of the F.

It is not unusual for famous bands to build vaults for their collections and memorabilia.  We have done vaults for four very famous bands.  Records management is a critical function in keeping their collections straight and maintaining the provenance of the materials.

I was very surprised that the vault was opened so quickly by Bremer Trust, as it was on private property, no clear right of authority to open the vaults had been determined; and, since the artist was very dedicated to privacy and security, I am shocked that this occurred immediately. The reports said no Last Will & Testament existed so this is a tricky records management and legal issue.  Especially since providing a valuation on the equity existing in the vault was a large concern.

Have we ever had a discussion about how a records manager protects the right of the record holder to maintain authority and privacy for their records?

In this case, shouldn’t the attorney for the Estate have brought in their own firm’s records manager to develop some control over this process.  These written songs, digital recordings, CD’s and so on are being trampled on in a manner inconsistent with the estate.

Has anyone ever developed a policy for the corporation, a sole proprietor with regard to the location and security of the Vital Records.  This would seem to be an interesting topic.

Does not Prince’s behavior in life where he always protected his intellectual property speak to keeping this material secure and safe.  Since he deliberately did not provide anyone the combination or code for the vault, this would seem to speak to a desire for measured confidentiality.  

The State of Minnesota’s right to tax revenue should not allow them to so quickly trample on the Estate’s proprietary property.

If you were a records manager for the sister of Prince what advice would you give her?  If I was Prince’s own records manager or archivist, how would I act in his regard?


Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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