Mariah Carey’s ultra-rare 1988 demo tape sells for $54,050 in historic Wax Poetics archival auction

Offered in partnership with Arthur Baker & Brenda K. Starr, the ultra-rare artifact surpasses expectations, setting a record as the highest-selling cassette by a female artist.

Wax Poetics has confirmed the sale of an exceptionally rare early Mariah Carey demo tape for $54,050. Sourced from producer Arthur Baker’s personal archive and offered in partnership with Brenda K. Starr, the cassette was given to Baker on the same night Carey was discovered at a 1989 Christmas party. Revered as a “holy grail” by fans and collectors, the recording is one of the only known originals to survive and the first of its kind to ever reach public auction.

The tape contains seven formative recordings from 1988, including five early versions of songs that became the nucleus of Carey’s self-titled 1990 debut album – which produced four No. 1 singles–plus two unreleased tracks long mythologized by fans and collectors. Its emergence and subsequent sale underscore the item’s status as a defining piece of pop and R&B history.

The Wax Poetics CEO Alex Bruh said:

“This tape is history – a real one-of-a-kind piece that has been long sought-after by Mariah fans. The impact this tape has had on music is unprecedented and we are incredibly proud to have been a part of its story. It captures the exact moment a generational voice was taking shape, and stands as a testament to her self-made beginnings and the creative foundations that defined her ascent.”

The demo is directly tied to the now-legendary 1989 Christmas party where Brenda K. Starr, an early champion of Mariah’s talent, introduced Carey and the demo to Tommy Mottola. Having initially planned to bring her mother, Starr brought Carey instead, hoping to help her secure a record deal. That decision set off one of the most consequential breakthroughs in pop music history.

Produced and arranged with Ben Margulies and Chris Toland, the recordings present Carey in her raw, unfiltered pre-label creative form. Early versions of “Someday”, “Alone in Love”, and “All In Your Mind” reveal her wide-ranging musical instincts: Minneapolis-inspired funk, quiet storm elegance, new-wave-infused synth-pop textures, and R&B sensibilities that Columbia would later distill for her debut.

As Toland recalls: “The songs were more primitive in demo form, but all the elements that led to the final record are there – the hooks, the background vocals, the kicks, the chords. Mariah already had it.”

THE WINNING LOT INCLUDES:

• The original 1989 Mariah Carey demo cassette

• Certificate of authenticity

• Archival notes and historical documentation

• Verified materials researched by the Wax Poetics archive team

  
  

The sale marks a milestone moment in Wax Poetics’ growing archival auction series, which merges deep editorial storytelling with authenticated cultural artifacts to preserve and elevate music history. Previous archival releases have highlighted the legacies of Nightmares on Wax, Bootsy Collins, Don Blackman, Louie Vega, and Arthur Baker.