There are certain bands, artists or moments we instantly think of when we think of music history. Woodstock, Ozzy Osbourne and the bat’s head, Live Aid and many others. Original mementos and memorabilia such as posters from these events are very highly sought after and are now a full blown investment area akin to art or antiques.

The 20th century was a musical era that no other will compare to, only the classical era of Mozart et al can come close. The expansion of music and new genre’s created Jazz, Blues, Rock, Pop, Dance means there is now something for everyone. So the investor should not carried away for one or their favourite genres, if you left your personal tastes drive your money making senses, you will most likely be burned and lose cash.

Music is the easiest subject to argue over, the vast range means no two peoples tastes are 100% the same, so don’t stick to your own likes and avoid your dislikes, obviously for any investor you have to have a mix in any portfolio, the same is true for music memorabilia. The amount of people who have lost money by slavishly sticking to their own favourite bands and genres are too many to count.

The internet is the best tool for seeking expertise and advice; there are thousands of dedicated blogs and sites to the collection of rock memorabilia. So every new investor to the market should be looking to make the most of such a vast and free resource of knowledge.

This means you have to make sure you are not being ripped off in the market; prices are inflated by chancers trying their luck. You do not want to end up with an original poster from a legendary gig that was overpriced; therefore you are not going to see a return on it, do you?

There can be no doubt posters are the main item people go for, so are considered modern art masterpieces, some sell for six figure numbers, Woodstock, Beatles or The Who all command high prices in the market. Obviously this doesn’t mean any old poster, condition, context and age will make even the same posters vary in price and desirability.

While the market has become more mainstream than it was, it is still easily classed as niche. So you’re going to have to do your homework if you want to make a decent amount of money in this market. That means learning about music genres you’ve never been inclined to listen to in the past, as you might find more memorabilia bargains in a less crowded genre like Jazz when compared to Rock n roll which everyone goes for.

The major downside of the music memorabilia market becoming more mainstream thanks to the internet is that it has attracted many more professional investors every year. The anger of real aficionados is that it has made the market more of a business than a hobby, which has in turn increased prices, creating a cycle of more money pouring into market and more professionalization.

That is what it takes in this market, investment skills, patience and a good knowledge of music history. Your buying to fill space up in your study bookcases, you’re buying to make some good capital gains further down the line.

Become knowledgeable about the worth of certain items, are few months of closely watching the market should get you there. Think long term and don’t let compulsion take over, not every item or artist centered piece is going to be valuable in the future, if you buy whatever takes your fancy you’ve just become an obsessive fan of a hobby!

Marcus Selmon writes for Just Commercial Mortgages the UK’s No1 site for the latest commercial mortgage rates and commercial property finance news.