Vintage Media Grading (VMG) -- Vinyl records. Is this a step too far?!*

Well if it's a Beatles album from 67, that would be a peppermint.

 

That's the genius of it all.

 

I can't imagine that they are playing them, so in the not un-common instance when a great looking copy has some issue unseen in the grooves; imagine cracking open your top grade DSOTM, looking at the supposedly pristine record, putting on for a spin and hearing a bunch of fuzz.

 

VMG has to establish themselves in the market as an authoritative and credible service before any of their work has value. Based on what I see, I’m very skeptical of their ability, understanding of the medium, and motivation.

On the topic of collecting and slabbing, it’s the owners’ decision as to what they want to do with their records. Nobody else gets a say in what choices others deem appropriate in respect of their property, personal opinions aside.

 

We don't?

 

I agree with you but in the case of comics the very valuable ones, think Superman #1, will never be read again anyway as they are just too valuable to handle and any nick, crease, or fold disminishes their value. Plus there are readily available reprints that offer the same reading satisfaction as the original.

They really are just objects for someone's collections too admire and give them bragging rights with other comic collectors. Slabbing them gives a collector a baseline quality appraisal that can be used when reselling and probably for insurance purposes.

On the other hand vinyl doesn't make much sense for me since most collectors want the best quality to play not be permanently sealed as art piece. Plus audiophiles strive for the best pressings so unlike comics vinyl reissues will not sound the same as an original Led Zep RL pressing for example.

At least for me I would not get too excited if someone showed me a slabbed Led Zep RL pressing if they couldn't play it for me.

 

Well, sure it's theirs and they can do with it as they please. But we have every right to say what we think about the choice made. It's no longer a medium to play back music. It's now a talisman. A commodity. But, fine, if that's what you want.

One thing about grading a record and slabbing it though, is that it can still be damaged. Stored to hot and develops some warping but it's graded at 9?

 

Why have they invented "Gem Mint" as the best grading, above Mint? Is it to do with having a new phrase that internet searching for will lead people to their website, or is this a term used in other grading systems such as baseball cards?

And, more worryingly, how will ANYONE know their grading is at all accurate once the bloomin' things are sealed up in plastic?!!? I can just imagine how that conversation would go at my local record shop. "Oh no its definately a Gem Mint copy, they told me so before completely preventing anyone else ever seeing the condition for themselves. And they've made me a digital copy without using ANY scratch-removing software, honest." Hmm.

 

Gem mint is a term used for a 10 in sports card sealed grading, which is what they're copying.

 

These guys should team up with the folks at ERC. Add an extra $100 to the price and collectors can get their $400 vinyl treasures pre-sealed and graded, complete with a NFT!

 

By having these terrible grading standards, it allows them to upsell a higher grade in the future so people resubmit the records and pay again.

I have a small vintage graded sports card collection. I speak from experience.

 

And make no mistake, if this takes hold and values soar, every type of fraud imaginable will gravitate towards records.

In sports cards they use techniques associated with art restoration and counterfeiting. This will happen.

 

There is no reason this wouldn't happen.

 

Maybe, who knows

 

With all due respect why would you want the vinyl trend bubble to pop? Fewer people buying vinyl will hurt and possibly cause the closure of a number of small privately owned record stores if sales volume goes down substantially. Also if vinyl stops selling record companies will have no incentive to press new vinyl and reissues.

Seems like a lose/ lose proposition to me

 

A lot of pressing plant capacity is clogged up by contemporary mainstream pop superstar crap and RSD gimmick releases and so on. Things will be better off without all that stuff. A bubble pop does not mean all vinyl stops selling completely, it just means that many of the gimmicks go away when things normalize a bit. Same cycle many hobbies and trends have been through.

 

VMG = Very Misguided Grading.

I'll stick with the Goldmine grading system, thanks

 

Yes, I agree; you do have a right to say what you want about a person’s choice to slab their record, but as I said, you don’t get a say in what they choose to do with their property (unless you are asked to contribute to the decision). Two very different things.

I’m not in favour of slabbing, and I won’t do it, but that’s up to each individual record owner. Some people might choose to slab a valuable or treasured record, and still enjoy the music through some other format. It’s not like once a record is slabbed that you can’t still enjoy the music. It’s a record, and potentially a collectible, so you get to do you, and they get to do them. That’s the way it works and getting indignant about what someone else does with a record, of all things, is silly. Just like my neighbour who painted his house mauve. I hate it, but it’s his prerogative, because it’s his 1.6 million dollar thing to with what he wants, within the confines of legality.

 

I won't have to worry about any of that. Of all the records I have obtained in my life, I never bought one as an investment. There are better things to invest your money in if you are trying to speculate. I suppose some like to feel they are part of a social culture if they have a copy of a popular record. Different strokes for different folks.

 

Yeah but the stuff you call crap helps to pay the bills for small independent record stores. If it goes away they may night be able to pay the bills and have to close.

There is room for all genres of music and the more vinyl that sells the better for the hobby IMHO. YMMV

I also speculate the higher volume pop superstar stuff is where record companies make their $$$ not on the small volume stuff we collect. The highvolume stuff allows them to release the limited pressing stuff we care about I think so again good for the hobby.

 

Any shop that relies too much on that crap will be crushed by big box stores if they haven't been already. It's like no one learned anything from the Best Buy/Circuit City pricing wars.

Most indie stores here and in any major city I've lived in make the bulk of their money on used vinyl. The profit margin on new vinyl is only a few dollars per record.

 

I've predicted, only half jokingly, in these forums for years that slabbing was eventually going to come to music.

It's kind of idiotic of course, because unlike baseball cards, if you can't play it what's the point?

I know there are exceptions, such as The Beatles butcher cover, where all the value is the cover and the music itself is bog standard and you're not likely to be playing the enclosed record.

When you get this slabbing, the speculators and so-called investors are starting to really distort things.

 

absolutely ball bags!

Exactly!
“Mint” should mean in “brand new” condition, as in “newly minted”! It’s not a term that’s open for subjective interpretation!

 

No, because new records can be flawed just like baseball cards. New doesn't really mean Jack. But this is an orchestrated cash grab.

 

Mint-new records can be imperfect, but only in a few ways. They cannot have wear.