Rewind Grading Co. is adding graded music to its services.
The Santa Clarita-based company will launch on July 18 a service that allows music collectors to send in their cassettes and CDs for authentication, grading and encapsulation, in a similar fashion to the verification and grading of sports cards and comic books.
The protective polycarbonate encapsulations used by Rewind feature a grade denoting the condition and quality of the music format, along with relevant information on the work itself.
Vinyl records will soon be added to the grading service.
Rewind’s announcement portends a stark boost in speculative and collecting interest. The company lets collectors keep their prized music assets safe and securely encapsulated while promoting transparency, which protects collectors from bad actors by identifying any variation from true legitimate issues, the company said.
In addition, Rewind said its process is a value-adding proposition, because a verified and graded collectible can fetch a far greater price than its raw counterpart.
Zach Kirkpatrick, a senior manager with PWCC Marketplace, a Tigard, Oregon-based collectibles company, called the graded music market the “sleeping giant” in the collectibles industry.
“Rewind Grading Co. is leading the charge to wake the beast,” Kirkpatrick said. “Someday very soon, we will hear graded music spoken of in the same reverent tone as the most sought-after graded comic books and video games. I am truly excited to witness the bright future that Dan (Allegra, founder and president) and the Rewind team are building for music collectors everywhere.”
The cost for music collectors to have their collections authenticated, graded and encapsulated is $35 for each CD or cassette and $50 for each vinyl album.