Featured in an Collector’s Weekly article in 2010, Stephen M. H. Braitman shares his insight on why the first wave of British bands flopped before the Beatles made it big in America in early ’64, how British Invasion impact American music in the long run and 70’s punk genre, key labels at the time and more.
In this interview, he discusses the British Invasion from a collector’s perspective, and explores the evolution of the technology behind the tunes—from 78s to 45s to LPs, from mono to stereo to quadrophonic. Both a music appraiser and collector, Stephen can be reached via his website, MusicAppraisals.com
In addition to responses specifically about British music translocating to America’s scene, Stephen was also asked to share his role in today’s world of music as an appraiser.
“There are two things that are amusing to me,” said Stephen. “When Michael Jackson died, for weeks after, I would get at least one call a day from people saying they had this really rare, original album by Michael Jackson that was really valuable. The album was called “Thriller.” Or maybe it was a 45 of “Beat It.” “It’s an old record,” they’d say. “It’s 20 years old! It’s really old! It’s really valuable.”
[…] other thing that happens regularly, every month or so, is the call from someone saying that they have found the original signed contract for The Who to play at Woodstock. “This is an amazing artifact. This is the actual contract because their signatures are on it. This was a famous concert. It’s Woodstock. It’s got to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
[…] I have to tell everyone who calls—and they call regularly—that in 1970 in the “Who’s Next” album, the band included a copy of its Woodstock contract, as well as all this other memorabilia, with rare signed photos and posters and postcards. Over the years, all that stuff’s gotten out of those albums and is floating around out there. Every so often, someone finds one and thinks they’ve financed the mortgage on their house.”
The veteran music appraiser also has advice for anyone that is interested in getting started as an appraiser: “Start with a genre or start with one band. If you really like U2 or you’re a really big Replacements fan, just stick with that in terms of what you’re actually going to search and buy. Set some limits.”
For the full interview, visit Collectors Weekly.
If you’re looking for a professional Music Appraiser to evaluate a collection or to appraise a music memorabilia, contact Stephen M.H. Braitman, ASA at 415-897-6999 or braitman@musicappraisals.com to schedule a consultation.