Like collectible cars, it has only been in recent times that vintage guitars have become very valuable at auction and are now viable alternative asset classes for investment. The electric guitar is the foremost musical instrument of the last 50 years, so it's not surprising that guitars that have played a lead role in significant musical happenings sell particularly well at auction. Popular music and technology has helped each and every one of us to construct our own individual soundtrack for our lives, and store it on our person. Nothing catalyses the reliving of a moment in one's life quite as vividly as a musical track. Now that everyone has an audio player in their phone and everyone has a phone, music is more influential than ever. Updated: Febru| The rise of popular music in the last century can largely be attributed to the accessibility of music, with first recording and playback devices (records, tapes, CDs), the proliferation of mass media (radio and television), then the unstoppable momentum of the MP3 file format and widespread distribution and consumption of music via the Internet.