T Bone Burnett to Auction One-of-a-Kind Iconic Music Recordings at Julien’s

Partnership Announcement

Julien's Auctions has announced an exclusive partnership with Grammy and Oscar Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett to bring his “Ionic Original” CDs to the auction market.

What is Ionic Original?

Ionic Original is described as “a single, hand-made collector's edition master recording specially arranged and performed by the artist for each individual disc recorded.”

An Ionic Original disc will be released in 2022 for Bob Dylan, the first new studio recording of his classic track since 1962. Blowing in the wind was sold at Christie's in London for Pound sterling £1.48 million (US$1.76 million at the exchange rate at that time). Burnett was a guitarist in Dylan's band in the 1970s.

The recording technology was developed by Burnett's company, NeoFidelity Inc., which used advances in nanotechnology, materials science, and materials to develop “the most significant advance in analog recording and durability in more than 70 years.”

In this physical audio format, a “specially designed” coating is applied to a traditional acetate substrate to provide “superior” audio reproduction. Ionic discs can be played on existing vinyl playback equipment.

Under the new agreement, all Ionic Originals models will be sold exclusively through Julien's Auctions moving forward, creating a direct channel for these musical artifacts to reach collectors and fans.

“Musicians have solved the mystery of the United States – and many common out of many, one. We have listened and harmonized with every culture that has touched these shores,” Burnett said.

“The Julien's Auctions team understands that United States music is fine art and deserves to be treated with the seriousness and respect of painting or any other fine art.

“I am thrilled to be working with Julien's to achieve our goal of opening up the music space in the visual arts world to provide all musicians with a new high-quality and more reliable medium, as well as a new source of income after the recorded music industry faced a downfall due to poor quality sounds from mass technologies.”

“The team at Julien's Auctions understands that the music of the United States is fine art and deserves to be treated with the seriousness and respect of painting or any other fine art.”

T Bone Burnett

Burnett is a multiple Grammy and Oscar winner. His portfolio includes soundtracks for films such as Oh brother, where are you?, The Big Lebowski, Cold Mountain, The Hunger Games, Crazy Heart, and Walk the line, as well as the HBO series A real detective.

He recently released his first solo album in over 15 years, titled The other side.

David Goodman, CEO of Julien's Auctions, said: “Julien's Auctions is thrilled to partner with legendary creative T Bone Burnett on this groundbreaking collaboration to make Ionic Originals available to a global audience of passionate music collectors, art collectors, and anyone who recognizes these recordings as true works of art akin to those of Basquiat, O'Keeffe, or Rothko.”

“Each unique disc in the series not only creates an unparalleled listening experience thanks to its revolutionary technology, but importantly, both companies are redefining the category of music that will enter the auction market, representing an exciting future for rarities and classic records.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for collectors, as well as creating a new way for artists to appreciate their ‘works of art’ that truly reflect their influence and importance to art and culture.”