Stephen M. Braitman
MusicAppraisals.com
braitman@mindspring.com
www.MusicAppraisals.com
35 Salinas Ave
San Anselmo, CA 94960
View address on a map
1 (415) 446-7208
Stephen M. H. Braitman is a Candidate Member of the American Society of Appraisers. He is also a member of the Association of Recorded Sound Collections. He continues to actively pursue formal appraisal training and certification.
Stephen has been involved with records and music since the late '60s. He started dealing in music in the mid-'70s, buying and selling records, posters, and related items through swap meets, conventions, private sales, and on-line auctions.
His acknowledged expertise in music and memorabilia makes his appraisal service an important component of estate planning, charitable contribution, and insurance coverage and claims. As far as he knows, he is the only appraiser with expertise in music memorabilia who has formal training in the Uniform Standards Of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).
Professional Education:
* September 2004 - ASA Principles of Appraisal Practice and Code of Ethics
* March 2005 - USPAP for Personal Property Appraisers
* March 2005 - Introduction to Personal Property Valuation
* April 2006 - Personal Property Valuation Methodology - Research and Analysis
* September 2006 - Personal Property Valuation Methodology - Report Writing
* November 2006 - Personal Property Valuation Methodology - The Legal and Commercial Environment
* February 2009 - Appraisal Report Writing Seminar
* September 2010 - Estate Tax and Charitable Contributions
Background
Under the influence of his father, Stephen had a strong classical music upbringing from early childhood. However, when he purchased his first turntable in 1968, the albums he bought were: The Beatles' White Album, Tim Buckley's Goodbye and Hello, and Beacon From Mars by Kaleidoscope.
Stephen started writing about music as a young teenager in Los Angeles and has since reviewed and interviewed many recording artists, including Joni Mitchell, Electric Light Orchestra, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Jean-Luc Ponty, Blood Sweat & Tears, Richard Pryor, The Who, Melanie, Ravi Shankar, Pere Ubu, B.B. King, Judy Collins, Dave Van Ronk, Pentangle, The Band, Giant Sand, Richie Havens and Tim Buckley.
Since his college days he has been publisher and editor of numerous publications based in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Musician's News, City Arts Monthly, Key This Week San Francisco, Rolling Your Own, Entertainment News and SF Live.
Stephen was a Contributing Writer for Alternative Press for ten years, writing features and reviews on bands and musicians ranging from Apples in Stereo to Zuzu's Petals. He has contributed on a free-lance basis to many other publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Marin Independent Journal, New Times, Antique Trader, Sunset, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, San Francisco Focus and Electronic Musician, among others.
His record company, Amorous Records, released records and promoted gigs throughout California for the new wave bands Silhouette, House of Pants and Times Beach.
Stephen is a major collector of records and music paraphernalia, owning tens of thousands of LPs, CDs, 45s, photographs, magazines, and other memorabilia. Genres include rock, classical, folk, world, punk, and comedy. His collection has been used as an archival resource for many organizations, including Rhino Records, Sundazed, Ace (U.K.), MCA Records, and the Neil Young Archives project. He was a major contributor of posters and flyers for the publication of the popular book, The Art of Rock (Abbeville Press). Items from his collection are on display in the San Francisco Museum of Performance & Design. Photographs from his archive are featured in the noted series of books by Paul Williams about Bob Dylan's performing career.
He is a member of the Editorial Board for the Goldmine record price guide series published by Krause Publications.
Stephen also is a Music Analyst for Gracenote, Inc., the digital media company, in Emeryville, CA.