The Vaping Friar

Label "Odeon" was created under the aegis of the International Talking Machine Company, located on 24 Lehderstrasse, Berlin. It was founded in 1903 by Max Strauss and Heinrich Zunz with financial support from Frederick M. Prescott, who just quit the job of the head of European Zon-O-Phone branch. It was named after a famous theatre in Paris, whose classical dome is represented on the Odeon record label. The company has quickly drawn general attention by its double-sided phonograph records at a time when other companies made exclusively single-sided records, that was the industry norm. "Odeon" records also had very high sound quality that was greatly appreciated by the public.

The important role in becoming "Odeon" a major international company played Carl Lindstrom who entered the picture after International purchased his small manufacturing plant. It is curious, that Lindstrom;s genius lay in invention and production, while according to Max Stauss he was "unmusical and hard of hearing". In July 1911, Carl Lindstrom acquired controlling interest in the International Talking Machine Company and began to expand the company aggressively, acquiring many smaller European labels in the process.

"Odeon" repeatedly made attempts to get on Russian market. In the beginning of 1910 "Odeon" sent to St.-Petersburg the most experienced Italian engineer Patetti who recorded well-known opera singer L. J. Lipkovska, actor K. A.V arlamov and operetta prima donna V. M. Shuvalova. In the following 1911 the comapy expanded its repertoir, and made much more recordings of N. A. Shevelev, A. I. Dobrovolskaya, M. I. Vavich, and etc. Later had been recorded A. M. Davydov, O. I. Kamionsky, M. V. Bocharov. However, "Odeon" did not play significant role in the history of Russian recording.