as per lollardry yesterday, mp3 of caruso singing “vesti la giubba” HERE: this is conventionally regarded as the first million-selling record (though he recorded it more than once in the years for difft record companies 1902-03, and i imagine the sales include all versions): IT IS ABOUT SCARY SAD CLOWNS
ps i also think i said yesterday that RED SEAL was a fancy imprint of the GRAMOPHONE and TYPEWRITER COMPANY — actually i’m not sure of this and would have to look it up properly (the complexity of who recorded what, who was working for who, and indeed what was called what in those years, is fairly severe): I think Red Seal was part of VICTOR, while the G&T went on to become EMI. But that’s off the top of my head and I may well still be muddled.