ABSTRACT

An American lateral-cut, single-sided disc issued by Leeds and Catlin Co., New York, from ca. 1900 to 1909. Imperial was sold in Britain also, for two shillings, from April 1906, by Cook’s Athletic Co., London. Through agreements between Leeds and Catlin and the German Favorite Schallplatten Fabrik, masters from the Favorite catalog appeared with Imperial labels. The Leeds and Catlin factory in Middletown, Connecticut, was pressing 100,000 records a day in early 1907. Gilbert, Kimpton, and Co. assumed the role of European agents for Leeds and Catlin, claiming to be the sole authorized distributors; John G. Murdoch of London and Trevor Jones of Birmingham were licensed factors in the U.K. Success of the label, which carried operatic and popular music, was indicated by the international sales pattern that included South Africa, India, and South America. There were 500 titles in the catalog issued in October 1907.