Entertainment Alliance Entertainment

Photo Credit: Eric Krull

Entertainment Alliance Entertainment completes its acquisition of Endstate to double down on serving the collectible and vinyl authentication ecosystem.

Alliance Entertainment, a global distributor and creator of entertainment and collectible products, has announced finalizing its acquisition of Endstate, which will serve as Alliance’s dedicated authentication and resale platform. The transaction includes the acquisition of all Endstate assets and the formation of a new subsidiary, Endstate Authentic.

Endstate Authentic will use its patented technology to power next-gen NFC-enabled collectibles, authenticated resale marketplaces, and digital product identity solutions across Alliance’s catalog and partner ecosystem.

As part of the transaction, Endstate co-founders Bennett Collen and Stephanie Howrd have joined Alliance Entertainment. Collen has been appointed President of Endstate Authentic, while Howard will serve as Senior Vice President of Operations, Endstate Authentic.

“This acquisition is a major strategic milestone for Alliance,” said Jeff Walker, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Entertainment. “By combining Alliance’s unmatched global distribution platform and deep relationships across music, video, gaming, and collectibles with Endstate’s patented NFC authentication and marketplace technology, we believe digitally verifiable authentication will become foundational to the future of premium physical goods, generating value across the entire product lifecycle—from initial sale to authenticated resale. Endstate Authentic positions Alliance to help define that standard at global scale.”

Designed for scale, Endstate Authentic is purpose-built to serve the needs of brands, licensors, marketplaces, and platforms facilitating primary sales, secondary resale, grading, and authentication. The platform enables authentication, real-time ownership verification, and counterfeit prevention—without requiring custom scanning hardware, proprietary applications, or changes to existing fulfillment and commerce workflows.

Through Endstate Authentic, Alliance expects to:

  • Enable the creation of new classes of encapsulated, uncirculated, and authenticated collectibles with embedded NFC chips linked to blockchain-based digital identifiers, enabling full lifecycle authentication from initial sale through verified resale.
  • Enable authenticated peer-to-peer resale of chipped items, creating recurring, high-margin revenue streams and capturing secondary-market royalties.
  • Offer NFC-enabled authentication, engagement, compliance, and marketplace services to third-party brands, licensors, and ecosystem partners.
  • Expand Alliance’s technology moat through a growing portfolio of issued and pending patents, proprietary software, and marketplace infrastructure.

Combining the backing of Alliance Entertainment’s scale, capital resources, and global partner network, Endstate Authentic is poised to become a leading authentication and digital identity platform for physical collectibles worldwide.

“This combination transforms Alliance from a traditional distributor into a technology-enabled platform company,” added Walker. “Endstate Authentic strengthens our competitive differentiations, expands margins, and positions Alliance at the center of the future of authenticated physical collectibles.”