Ep395: Grading & Slabbing Vinyl with VMG - Vintage Media Grading
The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds
Nate Goyer
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2023
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For decades collectors of comic books, coins & sportscards have protected their collectibles by having them professionally graded & slabbed. The team behind Vintage Media Grading (VMG) shares how their process can be a gamechanger for vinyl record collectors.
Topics include:
- Vinyl grading is tricky – why use VMG?
- VMG Grading comes from Goldmine standard
- Using best practices from Baseball Cards & Comic Book gradings
- Walking through the grading process
- Supplying info, provenance, etc
- What would get rejecting for rating?
- How other industries get graded (paintings, cards)
- Is there an appeals process for a grade?
- The difficulty in getting a "10" grading
- Grading is consistent no matter the rarity
- 12" records now, 7" and 10" under development
- Can they do double or triple LPs?
- What about inserts, special LP additions, etc
- Ability to change album details if new information arises
- Vinyl has much more complexity than other graded items
- VMG Focuses only on facts, cannot state assumptions
- How VMG labels promotional copies
- Their sources for determining authentic pressings and info
- Not relying on crowd-sourced materials
- Does VMG do play-testing?
- Hot-stampers may not be right for VMG
- The impact of the plastic case on records and covers
- Can the plastic case be opened?
- Autographed records, backstage passes, etc
- Will they work with acetates and test pressings?
- Working with international customers
- Best practices for shipping to VMG
- How are the records handled through the grading process
- Length of time the grading process takes
- Not just collectible records but personally important records
- Interview wrap up
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If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is brought to you by Groove Washer, the best record cleaners and protective sleeves |
| 0:04.3 | for your vinyl collection. Ask for the groove washer from your local shop or go to groove washer.com. |
| 0:09.7 | Discount code, vinyl guide 10. And now, on with the show. |
| 0:16.3 | Well, hey, everyone, it's Nate. Welcome to episode 395 of The Vinyl Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds. |
| 0:23.7 | And today, we've got some special guests covering quite a controversial topic for record collectors, professional vinyl grading. |
| 0:32.5 | And for that topic, we have on the show Michael Harwood, as well as Chad and Paul Brayman of VMG, Vintage Media Grading, |
| 0:40.7 | a company that is attempting to do with vinyl records, what has been done in the past to all sorts of collectibles, |
| 0:47.7 | including sports cards, comic books, video games, and more. |
| 0:52.0 | And I must admit, this concept of professional vinyl grading does not come |
| 0:58.3 | easy to me. I mean, for starters, having your vinyl graded and slabbed means the record becomes |
| 1:05.1 | unplayable. It's locked away in plastic. The way VMG grades these records, then puts the sleeve and vinyl within |
| 1:12.2 | this tamper-proof plastic case, means that it's no longer able to be played on a daily basis. |
| 1:17.8 | And the concept of unplayable records will always sit strangely with any record collector. |
| 1:23.6 | I mean, after all, aren't records supposed to be played and enjoyed? |
| 1:27.6 | And to me, the answer is yes, and for the vast majority of my personal records, that will remain the case. |
| 1:33.4 | However, at the same time, I also have several records that are highly collectible that I don't play a lot. |
| 1:40.0 | I mean, an immediate example is my Beatles butcher cover. |
| 1:43.2 | It's never been a great-sounding record. |
| 1:45.2 | That's a perfect example of a record that could be graded and slabbed. |
| 1:48.6 | I've also got a USA promo pressing of Stoge's Funhouse, or a first tan pressing of Sam Hain |
| 1:54.3 | Unholy Passion. |
| 1:55.6 | I mean, these are beautiful records that I can get the music from any time from a variety |
... |
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