Director of Music Memorabilia
FeaturedJob Details
Lead RR Auction's music memorabilia category as Director, sourcing and authenticating instruments, signed material, manuscripts, and recording artifacts for twice-monthly auctions while cultivating relationships with collectors and industry contacts. You'll own the category's full operation from consignment acquisition through sale settlement, travel regularly to pursue leads, and drive revenue growth using the company's decades-old buyer database and in-house authentication and production teams.
About the Role
About RR Auction
For 50 years, RR Auction has been one of the most trusted names in fine collectibles, and we're stronger now than ever. We go head-to-head with the biggest auction houses in the world, and we hold our own: our monthly and yearly sales keep climbing, and we're a constant presence in the media covering this industry. We serve an international base of buyers and consignors across categories including historical autographs, space exploration, fine art, and entertainment and music memorabilia.
This is a place where the work stays genuinely interesting. You'll work alongside people who know their categories inside and out, and learn something new on a regular basis. Watching the results come in twice a month never gets old; it's one of the best parts of the job. With deep institutional knowledge, a decades-long buyer and consignor database, and dedicated authentication and production teams, RR Auction gives specialists real infrastructure to build major categories, along with the expectation that they'll step up and own them.
The Opportunity
RR Auction is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial Director of Music Memorabilia to lead our music memorabilia auctions, including instruments, signed material, manuscripts, stage-worn items, and recording artifacts, from sourcing through settlement.
This is a senior, revenue-driving role with full ownership of the category: you will source consignments, cultivate relationships with collectors, estates, and industry contacts, partner with our in-house and outside authentication experts to value and authenticate material, work with our production team on cataloging, and see each sale through to close. You'll have access to a database of past buyers and consignors built over decades, including significant collectors who haven't been engaged recently; finding them, re-engaging them, and bringing in material is central to the role.
You'll be expected to travel regularly to meet collectors, attend industry events and conventions, visit estates, and pursue leads wherever they lead. RR Auction's acquisitions, authentication, and production teams support you throughout, but the category's growth and performance are yours to drive, and we're looking for someone who wants exactly that.
What You'll Do
Identify, cultivate, and secure consignments of high-value music memorabilia from collectors, estates, musicians, and industry contacts
Build and manage a pipeline of consignors and buyers, including reactivating dormant relationships from RR Auction's historical client base
Evaluate incoming property and work with authentication specialists to establish attribution, condition, and estimated value
Guide consignors through the auction process from intake through settlement, ensuring a high level of client service throughout
Travel regularly for in-person client meetings, estate visits, industry events, and conventions
Collaborate with the production and marketing teams on cataloging, sale strategy, and promotion of music lots
Represent RR Auction's Music category at industry events and within the broader collecting community
Maintain and grow category revenue, with full accountability for sourcing, pipeline, and results
What We're Looking For
A genuine, serious interest in music memorabilia: instruments, signed material, manuscripts, stage-worn items, and recording artifacts
Minimum 5 years of professional sales, business development, or account management experience, ideally managing high-value client relationships or sales pipelines
A demonstrated track record of building and closing business independently, with minimal oversight
Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, and communication skills
Comfort partnering with authentication and valuation experts to evaluate and price material
Willingness and ability to travel regularly for client meetings, estate visits, and industry events
Background in the music industry, collectibles, or the auction business strongly preferred
The kind of person who sees a problem and says "I've got this," someone who takes ownership of a category and runs it like it's their own business
Compensation
Base salary plus uncapped commission on hammer price for everything you bring into the category. There is no ceiling: the more you produce, the more you earn.
Location
In-office arrangement is preferable, but we could accommodate a remote arrangement for the right candidate.