The reissue of Burl Ives' first album had to be dubbed from a clean shellac copy.

As many major record labels have discovered, much to their chagrin, it is also possible to own the copyrights and yet possess no "originals" due to recycling, fire, flood, sticky shedding, &c &c. You may find yourself dealing with the devil just to get physical access to your own stuff.

Moe Asch & Stinson Trading Co. masters & stampers are an entire body of publishing case law unto themselves.