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LETTING THE
GOOD TIMES ROLL: AN INTERVIEW WITH BACKSTAGE AUCTIONS |
By
Jeb Wright
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Jacques van Gool is
excited about the upcoming Denny Somach auction at
www.backstageauctions.com, despite the current economic situation
facing his potential bidders. How can he be excited during an obvious
downtime for the dollar? Easy, he has an amazing collection of rock n’
roll memorabilia for fans to check out, all at very affordable starting
bids. In fact, this auction truly has something for everyone. For
those watching the wallet, there are collectable magazines and
promotional records from classic rock’s heyday. For those who don’t
mind spending, there are true treasures, including a Beatles record
award once owned by Ringo Starr, and an unreleased concert by the Kinks
from New York City’s famous Beacon Theater. This truly is a situation
where everyone who participates can win.
Backstage Auctions
has built a wonderful relationship with Classic Rock Revisited. We are
Brothers in Arms, so to speak. We have both built our businesses on
dedication and passion for the music we love. I suppose it shows for
both of us. We are not just journalists and auctioneers…We are music
fans. Being a self-professed Rock Nerd, myself, I highly recommend
checking out the Denny Somach auction preview. Just go to
www.backstageauctions.com and
start surfing the site. If you love rock n’ roll the way I do, then you
won’t be disappointed. You will be amazed at just how easy it is to
walk away with something that you will treasure for the rest of your
life.
Jeb: How are
Backstage Auctions, and the entire collectible market, surviving in
these lean times?
Jacques: These are
indeed interesting times where we have noticed that Collectors are
spending their dollars differently than let’s say a year or two years
ago.While I generally believe that – in general – most collectors still
have the same budget available for expanding their collection, I also
believe that the media focus on the current state of the economy has
caused that spending behavior to change.
We’ve even drawn a
comparison to the annual hurricane season a couple times. With the
slightest threat of a hurricane, you see a stampede to the grocery store
where people stock up one bottled water and canned goods, only to find
that there was no hurricane after all. It’s the more and more common
case of media fear mongering and don’t get me wrong; there is no denying
that there is a recession. But at the same time, if you beat people down
– day in, day out – with bad news, you eventually will adjust their
(spending) behavior accordingly. Naturally, this goes well beyond the
realms of collecting, as it has affected every level of commerce.
Specifically to the
auction business this has translated into collectors focusing more on
collectibles in the low and mid-range, rather than higher priced items.
Collectors are being a bit more conservative and selective when making a
buying decision, but they are still buying. Simply put, it’s easier to
move a $100 collectible than a $5000 collectible. The value certainly
hasn’t changed over the past 12 months but if today's market isn’t the
right time to sell a "holy grail" item, then you are better off holding
on to it and wait until the climate has improved to that of a year or
two ago.
Anticipating a
change in the collectors spending habits, we designed a new format in
how we build a catalog, specifically in lot size and pricing. For
example, in December of last year we hosted an auction that featured
lots that were in general smaller in size (qty of pieces per lot) which
naturally resulted in a lower starting bid price. The majority of the
500 lots featured were items in the low to midrange category in the
hopes that we could still satisfy the collector’s needs but at the same
time be a bit easier on their wallet. The formula seemed to work and
the auction was one of our best auctions (sales percentages and overall
results) we had in 2008. On average we typically sell at least 65%, so
when we sold 90% of the catalog it far exceeded our expectations.
Additionally, we also experienced higher than average bid activity and
realized prices. We are simply trying to keep an eye on the market,
study auction sales and trends and are remaining flexible in this
economy.
Jeb: What are some
of the items in the upcoming Denny Somach auction?
Jacques: Well,
where do I begin? I mean, there’s so much to pick and choose from. For
starters, there are over 700 auction lots and it is arguably one of our
most diverse auctions ever, both in terms of the artist and bands that
are represented in the auction, as well as the diversity of
collectibles. For instance, there is an amazing collection of 7" vinyl
in this auction, which for the most part are white label promotional
releases from the 1970s. Collectors are very interested in these because
they are different from the stock copies, with alternate B sides and
different sleeves. What also makes them appealing is that Denny never
played these records and that – for the most part - they are in absolute
mint condition. Further, there are over 100 autographed items and
thousands of magazines.
Jeb: I understand
there is an unreleased live film of the Kinks in the auction.
Jacques: Indeed, it
is a professionally produced 16 mm film in black and white, filmed at
the Beacon Theater in New York in 1975. The sound quality is very
impressive, considering this is thirty-five years old. We had it
professionally transferred to DVD and noticed that is was shot from at
least four camera angles. The movie was never released by the Kinks and
was initially intended to be used for promotional purposes and perhaps
even for Midnight Movie play, which was a very popular thing to do in
the 1970's. Either way, if you are a Kinks fan or a collector of rare
concert film material, then you will be amazed by it. The movie is an
hour long and, as I said, the sound quality is very impressive.
Jeb: There is also
some Bob Dylan footage available.
Jacques: The Dylan
footage is not a complete show, like the Kinks. It comes from a 1967
film called Don’t Look Back. The film was D.A. Pennebaker, who
also did Woodstock. Don’t Look Back was a documentary
that went straight to theaters. We are auctioning an original strip
with the actual movie cells, featuring Dylan backstage at the Royal
Albert Hall on London. I could easily see the future owner of this
material taking the film strips and cutting them up into single cells
and mating and framing them with a movie poster or postcard, similar to
what has been done in the past with some of the classic Disney and Elvis
movies.
Jeb: A lot of
Denny’s collection is what you call the low to midrange. How is that
range defined?
Jacques: For me,
lower to midrange means lots starting between $25 up to a few hundred
dollars, average opening bid price is in the $100.00 range. This auction
really goes from AC/DC to ZZ Top and there are very few single lot
items; most lots have multiple pieces. For example, the AC/DC lot
features several AC/DC 7-inch white label promos, but there is also a
white label promo from Brian Johnson’s first band Geordie and a white
label promo from The Easybeats I believe there are even a couple tour
programs in that lot. You can go all the way down to ZZ Top and you
will find similar content. The bottom line is that you will find good
stuff and highly attractive prices. Denny’s stuff is very unique and it
is all in wonderful condition.
Jeb: Are there
reserve prices on the lots?
Jacques: We don’t
work with reserves. The opening bid is the opening bid and if you’re
the high bidder, then you’re also the winner. We don’t like working
with reserves. Simply ask what you are willing to part with it for. To
have a hidden number in an auction is not fair. I think you should
always let people know where the bidding starts. You may have an item
that is worth a $1000 but start it at $100 with a reserve. Bidders only
get frustrated as they continue to bid and not meet the reserve. Why
frustrate the people who are trying to take part in your auction? That
doesn’t make much sense to me. I would rather have a starting bid that
is very justified and legitimate.
Jeb: I hear there
are a few RIAA record awards in the auction as well.
Jacques: There are
a couple of Beatles awards. One is a ‘Rubber Soul’ award that was
issued to Ringo Starr which is one of the main featured pieces. There
is a platinum award for the Live at the BBC that was issued in
1994. A Beatle award from the 1990's is perhaps not as sought after as
an award from the 1960's, but if you’re a collector then you know that
it is still an official Beatles release and it is just as much a part of
their catalog as for example The White Album.
There are a couple
of RIAA awards issued to the Hard Rock Café. There is one from the
Stones, one from Led Zeppelin and one from Kansas. The Kansas one is a
45 for “Dust in the Wind.” But we also have RIAA awards issued to Yes,
Eric Johnson and Alan Parsons for example. We have a large number of
concert posters and lithographs as well. Denny was involved in a
company that received the merchandising rights to do a series of
lithographs. They did twelve on the Beatles, twelve on the Stones and
about two dozen on a host of other bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer,
Yes, AC/DC, Bon Jovi and The Who. This was done in the 90's and they
were released as limited editions. They sold out very quickly and the
only way to find them is if somebody decides to sell them. We have
about fifty of them in this auction. Several of them are signed by the
album artist, such as Giger, van Hamersveld and Volmer but we also have
lithos that are signed by the band. We have several Stones signed
lithographs, as well as ones signed by Yes, ELP, Santana and Stevie
Wonder.
Jeb: Define the
different types of collectors that come to Backstage Auctions.
Jacques: There are
three types of music collectors. There are band specific collectors who
want to have anything related to their favorite band or artist, be it
record awards, autographed items, albums, magazine articles . . . It
doesn’t matter. Next are the genre specific collectors, who are
exclusively interested in –for example - everything psychedelic rock or
everything punk or new wave. The third type of collector is the item
specific collector who exclusively collect let’s say concert posters,
guitar picks or 7" singles. For item specific collectors it is more
about the item than the artist or band.
With this auction,
we are catering to all three types of collectors. Take for example
posters. In this auction you will find Beatles posters, which is band
specific, concert posters, which is item specific, as well as Classic
Rock poster, which are genre specific. In the end, we will have
something for everyone.
Jeb: How are music
collectors different than stamp collectors?
Jacques: Hmmmm,
that’s an interesting question. I’m not sure that there’s an academic
answer to that so I’ll give you my best possible opinion. I believe that
what makes music collectors unique from stamp collectors lies in the
very origin of their hobby. Nine out of ten times, a music collector’s
origin stems from a positive personal experience, something that
ultimately made them very passionate. Let’s say you’re a die-hard
Journey fan. Once you start to peel down why and what is it that made
you that way, you will find an origin that go back to Journey being the
very first band you ever saw live, or “Escape’ being the first album you
ever bought. Heck, chances are that the first time you made out with
your current wife or husband was in the back of your car listening to
Journey.
With stamps it is
probably more driven by interest rather than anything else. I mean, I
don’t think that your first time standing in line at the post office or
licking the back of a George Washington stamp created an ever-lasting
passion for stamps. It’s very much the same for other collectors, be
that war memorabilia, antique lamps or butterflies. For the most part –
and again, this is a general opinion – I believe that “other collectors”
are first and foremost driven by a historic, abstract, academic or
scientific interest, which ultimately leads to a hobby. But talk to a
Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix or KISS fan and you’ll get a story that
begins with a personal – life altering – experience and a deep-rooted
passion that eventually formed the very basis for them becoming a fan
and collector.
I strongly believe
that the passion and the personal experience is what makes the music
collector unique. I mean, in the end, music becomes the personal
soundtrack to your life. All of us can –without a doubt – recall a
dozen or two events that center around music. Strung together, those
event and memories have become a permanent life line which often
explain and tell your personal story of why you are the fan and
collector you are today. Music collectors are also more outwardly
visible and passionate compared to other types of collectors. I love
that side. Sometimes, the passion means things will get heated. I
don’t think stamp collectors argue over stamps the way Led Zeppelin fans
argue over which album is the best.
Jeb: Last one: When
does the auction preview start? I want our readers to be able to check
all of these items out.
Jacques: The
preview is live so your readers just have to click over to the site (www.backstageauctions.com)
and they can view every single lot, complete with the opening bid price.
The auction itself starts on, Sunday, June 21st and ends
exactly one week later, on June 28th.
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