Disc Phonograph Spreads in Home: Victor Victrola In the first decades of the 20th century, the Victor Talking Machine Company in many ways delivered on the promise of the phonograph as a personal instrument. Victor's spring-driven disc version of the phonograph was cheaper than Edison's models and they were better at marketing the musical recordings that were produced for their machine. The cabinets for the Victrola were more in keeping with the style of the times. The horn was hidden in the cabinet resulting in poorer sound reproduction but a cleaner aesthetic. Once the craze hit on, people wanted to include the phonograph as part of the sitting room or parlor furnishings. Before Eldridge Johnson invented his special tone arm making the clandestine horn possible, few wanted to make the 'home stereo' the center of attention. The famous red label series was first introduced in Europe as a way to boost record sales amongst the wealthier Victrola owners; the idea was that the upper crust would buy these special 'reserve' records to show superiority and outdo rival owners, the idea worked. The first series sold in 1902 for $1 to $5 each and included popular stars such as young tenor Enrico Caruso. Caruso was in many ways the first pop star and he broke most if not all of the early records for sales of recordings. For those lucky enough to have a Victrola at the turn of the century, it was possible to create a personal relationship with a performer in the comfort of one's own home. When artists realized that it took a special talent to capture an audience in their living room, the royalty system was implemented.

Above diagram taken from the Victrola Instruction Manual