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Victor Red Seal

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Please use ONLY for releases that explicitly say "Red Seal Record" on the label. This label was reserved for [l61808] releases by concert and operatic performers of the highest caliber and first appeared in March 1903. Red Seal records were single-sided until 1923, when the first double-sided releases were announced. The [l80573] trademarked both the term "Red Seal" and the red label color scheme and defended them aggressively. They quickly sued any competitor that used red labels. They successfully protected their use of red labels until they were finally defeated in the courts in 1943. The earliest Red Seal records consisted entirely of domestic pressings of European masters recorded by the [l348500] and were released on [l61808] [l215731] (10") and [l61808] De Luxe Record (12") labels. Domestic recordings began in April 1903, and [a319180] signed an exclusive [l61808] contract later that year. This greatly elevated the label's prestige, and by 1905 most Red Seal releases were pressed from American masters.