The vinyl record collecting blog - with news about new vinyl record releases, vinyl record sales, new music releases, album cover art and weekly features
Two private press LP's top the list this week, one from the early 70s beats one from 1985 by $100.00. An Odeon labeled copy of "Yellow Submarine" sells for almost $5k, but that's half what it sold for sometime around 2003. The Odeon label continued to be used on Apple records pressed in the UK but intended for distribution in Commonwealth countries. We'll have more on the Madrigal and Mark Everett LP's and what they are and where they come from VRT this Tuesday.
This is a great article and explains that what you think your records may be worth, get a reality check, just because the recorda may be old, doesn't make them valuable, someone has to WANT them!
How and Where to Sell Old Phonograph Records
By Robert Hess
Have you studied your ABCs lately--that is Attics, Basements and Closets? They could yield up some extra money and free up some valuable space in your home for other uses. LPs (long-playing 10 and 12 inch discs, playing at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute), 78s (easily breakable discs, playing at 78 revolutions per minute with one tune on each side) and 45s(7 inch discs playing at 45 revolutions per minute) may be valuable.
Record collecting as a hobby is just beginning to grow after many other collectibles have been prominently featured in antique stores and the media. It is not an expensive hobby to establish, but disposing of them can be expensive in many ways.
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE VALUE
Many people think that just because a record is old that it has great value. Very few records have any real value to collectors or dealers. Value is based on a combination of three factors -
(1) Supply and demand. How available is the record? If millions were initially sold it is likely that many will turn up in thrift shops, used record stores and in many homes. The scarcity factor must be present. There must be a demand for that record because of the artist performing (e.g. a major talent who died young and before being able to make many records), the label on which it was recorded (the original recording as distinguished from a "reissue"), or an oddity concerning the record(e.g. a V-disc, wartime government recording or aircheck-taken from a radio broadcast, an original picture disc or a 10-inch LP). The scarcity factor can also be affected by whether a record is "out-of-print"(no longer available from the manufacturer) thereby decreasing the supply. "Bootlegs" (records illegally produced from live concerts or broadcasts) are also valuable to collectors.
(2) Condition of the record. Those with surface noises and scratches will be of little or no value. If it is in "mint" condition (perfect) or "near mint" condition it will have the highest possible value. A record in "very good" condition should not have any distorted sounds or loss of sound quality. "Good" means it may have some imperfections, but can be readily enjoyed. "Fair" means it can play, but will have obvious sound impairment and detract from your enjoyment and the value of the record. Some dealers may have a slightly different grading scale.
(3) Content of the recording. Generally speaking there is more interest in music than in spoken word or comedy records and the value therefor would be greater. Certain kinds of musical recordings bring high sales prices. Jazz, original Broadway cast and movie soundtracks tend to provide a more active market and greater value. Also early rhythm and blues records and the doowop sound are also highly valued and collectible. Among classical records the most valuable are orchestral performances, then solo instrumental, chamber music and concertos and solo vocal and operatic arias and finally complete operas. To some collectors, whether a record is mono or stereo affects the value. Recently a market began developing for rock records of early vintage, especially those of deceased cult figures such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Also, brisk trading now occurs among collectors of 45s, especially among the 1950s rhythm and blues and early rock artists. Great interest maintains in rare and unusual (foreign issues, etc.) in Elvis and the Beatles. However, most of their records have little value because so many were produced without any distinguishing characteristics. In other words they were all the same.
WHO WILL BUY YOUR RECORDS?
Records are purchased by collectors, mail order dealers, used records stores and the general public, sometimes on a nostalgic impulse or because of a favorite artist. For truly rare records the best prices will come from dealers who know the market and for how much they can resell them. Collectors are emotional and sometimes fanatical collecting their specialties. They may pay top prices for particular idiosyncracies. It is unusual to get top dollar for a rare record from the "general public', where only the performance value is recognized, not the resale or trading value. Painstaking research and knowledge of the record industry and its artists is required to determine the value of a particular recording. It may be possible to determine a value for a "rare" record once you have determined that it is truly rare.
WHAT WILL THEY PAY?
Most records that are not "rare" can bring only pennies - 25 cents to a dollar - from dealers. The "general public" may pay $1 or $2. Rare records can bring from $25 to the thousands. There are a number of price guides published, but values indicated are generally highly inflated or based on an isolated sale. Obviously, collectors and dealers want to read that records can bring high prices. Remember, value rests in the mind of the buyer.
HOW DO YOU FIND A BUYER?
A buyer for every record you wish to sell probably exists somewhere in the world. How to find that person is a big problem. It is not uncommon for people to discover old records in their homes and proceed to spend many dollars (far in excess of the eventual e record) and untold hours in pursuit of a buyer. It can become very frustrating and sometimes obsessive. Expectations almost always exceed reality.
Records can be sold by advertising - in local classifieds or collectors' publications, by selling to local used record stores, selling at flea markets or bazaars or by promoting a garage sale. Start by cataloging the records. List the artist, the title of the record, LP, 45 or 78rpm, the record catalog number and its condition. Take the list to a record librarian and some used record stores for offers and indications as to rarity. Talk to friends and associates.
Selling involves prospective buyers visiting your home. Or, you may have to pack and cart the records to a store for a price quote and no sale. Damage in transit can make them worthless. Out-of-town prospects requires mail correspondence, packing, insurance, carting to the post office, placing postage and sending C.O.D. The buyer may refuse to accept upon receipt.
Kerry Katona - Atomic Kitten (Left the group in 2001) (1980)
They Are Missed:
Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed (September 6, 1925 - August 29, 1976) was a blues musician and songwriter most notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries. His lazy, slack-jawed singing, piercing harmonica and hypnotic guitar patterns were one of the blues' most easily identifiable sounds in the 1950s and 1960s
Record producer Tom Wilson died in 1978. He worked with various acts including Bob Dylan, (The Times They Are a-Changin', Another Side of Bob Dylan, and Bringing It All Back Home), Frank Zappa, (Freak Out!), Simon and Garfunkel (Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.) and The Velvet Underground, (White Light/White Heat).
Tom Fogerty, guitarist with Creedence Clearwater Revival, died in 1990 (age 49), due to complications from AIDS acquired during a blood transfusion. During 1969 CCR scored three US Top Ten albums and four Top 5 singles. Released several solo albums.
English keyboard player Nicky Hopkins died in 1994 (age 50), in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from intestinal surgery. Was a highly respected session musician, worked with The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, George Harrison, and the Jerry Garcia Band. The Kinks song ‘Session Man’ from Face to Face is dedicated to (and features) Hopkins.
History:
"The Biggest Show of Stars for 1957" launched in Pittsburgh in 1957. The bill included Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers and Frankie Lyman & the Teenagers. Due to Southern segregation laws, white performers were forbidden from playing on the same stage as African-Americans, so they miss several dates.
Bob Dylan debuted at the Gaslight Cafe in New York City in 1961.
Jerry Lee Lewis' contract with Sun Records expired in 1963 (he signed with Mercury).
Cilla Black signed a management contract with Beatles manager Brian Epstein in 1963. Cilla changed her name to Black, (it was white), after a misprint in the music paper 'Mersey Beat.
John Lennon began filming his role as Private Gripeweed for 'How I Won The War' in 1966. The film was directed by Richard Lester who also directed "A Hard Day’s Night" and "Help!"
Working at Abbey Road studio’s in London in 1968, the Beatles recoded overdubs onto the new George Harrison song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Eric Clapton added the guitar solo and became the first outside musician to play on a Beatles recording and George recorded his lead vocal.
In 1969, James Brown announced he would retire from live performances in July the following year saying 'I'm tired man'.
In 1970, Jimi Hendrix made his final live appearance when he appeared at the Isle Of Fehmarn in Germany. The guitarist died on Sept 18, 1970.
1974, The 101 All Stars (featuring Joe Strummer), made their debut at The Telegraph, Brixton Hill, London in 1974.
George Harrison launched his Dark Horse record label in 1974. "The Place I Love" by Splinter was the first release.
Glen Campbell started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1975 with "Rhinestone Cowboy," his first #1 after 13 Top 40 hits.
Jefferson Starship went to #1 on the US album chart in 1975 with 'Red Octopus.'
All girl group Bananarama went to #1 on the US singles chart in 1986 with "Venus," the song had also been a #1 for Dutch group Shocking Blue in 1970.
2,000 items of Elton John’s personal memorabilia including his boa feathers, 'Pinball Wizard' boots and hundreds of pairs of spectacles were auctioned at Sotheby’s in London in 1988.
In 1989, the Pittsburgh Steelers were banned from practicing on their own field, Three Rivers Stadium, because The Rolling Stones were rehearsing for their upcoming concert.
Originally banned (or just not played because of its anti-commercialism message) by MTV, Neil Young`s "This Note`s For You" won the MTV Best Video Award in 1989.
Don Henley, Jimmy Buffett, Elton John, Sting and Aerosmith performed at a benefit concert in Boston for Walden Woods in 1993.
Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis performed the National Anthem in Baltimore's Camden Yards in 1995 before Cal Ripken Jr. set baseball's all-time consecutive games played record.
In 1997, Elton John recorded a new version of "Candle In The Wind" after performing the song live at Diana Princess of Wales funeral. A record 31.5 million across the UK watched Elton play the special tribute to Diana. The track went on to become the biggest selling single of all-time.
In 2000, US District Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that MP3.com had willfully violated copyrights and awarded Universal Music $118-250 million in damages.
In 2001, Earth Wind and Fire announced that Viagra would sponsor their forthcoming 30th anniversary American tour.
Victor Willis, who performed as the policeman in The Village People, was given three years probation in 2006 for drugs offenses after pleading no contest to the charges, dating from March 2006. Willis co-wrote some of the group's biggest hits - including ‘YMCA’ and ‘In The Navy.’
In 2006, a man named Paul van Valkenburgh from Florida died of lung cancer. An obituary published in a local paper was picked up by the Associated Press, which ran a short obituary of the dead man but giving him the wrong name. The real Paul Vance, who was alive and well and living in Coral Springs, Florida, contacted local media after viewing a report of his death on local TV. He announced that he was still alive and was able to prove this with a stack of royalty cheques from ASCAP from his biggest hit ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini.’ He told a reporter for the New York Times that his relatives and friends, shocked by the AP report, had called to check on him after the media reports.
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx spoke at the 18th annual National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month luncheon in Washington, DC in 2007. He discusses his struggle with drug abuse which led to writing of his memoir, The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star.
In 2008, rock band Great White whose pyrotechnics sparked a fire that killed 100 people, agreed to pay $1m to survivors and victims' relatives. The blaze began at The Station nightclub in the state of Rhode Island in 2003 when the band's tour manager shot off pyrotechnics at the start of the concert. More than 200 people were also injured in the blaze. One band member, guitarist Ty Longley, was killed in the fire. Tour manager Daniel Biechele pleaded guilty in 2006 to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and was given parole in March after serving less than half of his four-year prison sentence.
