Is the MiniDisc due for a musical comeback next? A look at the quirky format and its history with journalists

• It was once considered the cutting edge of audio technology and an essential piece of kit for journalists.
• However, one Apple product later and the format was left in the dust.
• However, the humble MiniDisc is making a small comeback - but what is the format and who is releasing on it in 2025?

Since writing about vinyl, cassette, and video tapes over the past 12 months, there's one format I'm constantly asked about: MiniDiscs.

Now, for those who went to university in the early 2000s, you might already be familiar with the format. It was once considered the 'future' of journalism due to its portability, 'easy' editing functions, and ubiquity across radio newsrooms nationwide.

However, another format was already making waves just as the MiniDisc was reaching its prime: the old, sometimes infamous MP3.

While MiniDisc was a technological advancement—especially those versatile recorders you could do a lot more than just record music onto—it never quite gained the widespread adoption that its initial hype suggested.

But what if I told you it could be the next format on the rise? Or would you just look at those hand-labelled diskettes piled up and think, 'Why bother?'

As Generation Z starts to pick up on millennial formats, including the MiniDisc, it might be worth paying attention to it ahead of a potential rebirth.

So, what was/is a MiniDisc, why was it the journalist’s 'Swiss Army Knife,' and is anyone still releasing on the format today?

What is a MiniDisc?

So, what even was a MiniDisc, you ask?

Well, it was an erasable magneto-optical disc format cooked up by Sony, first hitting the scene in 1992. Think of it as Sony trying to get the best of both worlds: the digital quality and instant track access of a CD, combined with the record-anything freedom of a cassette tape. It was this neat little 2.5-inch (64mm) disc tucked into a tough plastic case, kind of like a tiny, super-fancy floppy disk.

These MiniDiscs could hold 60, 74, or even 80 minutes of digital audio. And get this – Sony actually claimed you could re-record onto them up to a million times.

For audio, it used Sony’s own special compression called ATRAC, which was a way to shrink a CD's massive data down while still trying to sound good. Later versions, like Hi-MD, even let you record uncompressed, CD-quality sound.

Honestly, it was essentially a wild mix of a floppy disk and a CD-R – if you're trying to picture it.

Why were MiniDiscs considered the 'future' of journalism?

Little bit of a nostalgia trip for me here - as I was one of those who went to University ‘all in’ with the MiniDisc’s functionality.

Studying radio journalism as part of a module at University, we were shown the wonder of the MiniDisc editing suite; imagine those hi-fi stacks with a CD player, a radio tuner and a turntable - now imagine one of the stacks played home to two MiniDiscs.

We would record on our personal recorders and edit on them ‘on the fly,’ or head into the newsroom in order to edit on the larger editing suites with a copy of Audacity or one of the numerous audio editing programmes available. Then we’d record the finished, edited audio back onto a MiniDisc to hand over to the producers.

Needless to say, everything done with cloud storage and various file formats made the process a lot easier - not too shortly after the MiniDisc became the attempted format du jour at the time.

The ability to split, combine, move, or delete tracks directly on the portable player was revolutionary for on-the-go editing, allowing for quick assembly of soundbites or cleaning up interviews in the field, and unlike cassettes that could wear out or be eaten by players, MiniDiscs offered a more stable and long-lasting recording medium.

Some recorders even allowed you to store data on the discs, becoming (with the correct software) a sort of USB stick or a zip drive, allowing not just audio but crucial information to share the same disc space as your System of a Down recording from their most recent show.

How popular was the format upon release?

Upon its release in 1992, MiniDisc aimed to be a digital successor to the cassette tape, offering a recordable, portable, and high-quality audio experience. It gained a strong foothold in Japan, where it became quite popular, especially due to CDs being more expensive there and teenagers embracing MD singles.

However, its popularity was more limited in Western markets like the US and Europe during its initial years. Initial hardware was relatively expensive (original recorders costing around £400), and it faced immediate competition from established formats like CDs and the rapidly emerging digital alternatives.

While appreciated by audiophiles, musicians for demo recording, and certainly journalists, it struggled to achieve widespread mainstream consumer adoption compared to the burgeoning CD format for pre-recorded music.

It was in the late 1990s and particularly the early 2000s that Sony made a significant push to normalize and broaden the format's appeal. This period saw crucial price drops on MiniDisc players, making them far more accessible to average consumers. Key technological advancements like MDLP (MiniDisc Long Play), introduced around 2000, allowed discs to hold twice or even four times the recording time. This dramatically increased the format's efficiency and value proposition.

Further efforts to integrate MiniDisc into the digital age came with NetMD (late 2001), enabling faster music transfers from computers via USB, essentially positioning MiniDisc players as early, physical-media-based "MP3 players."

These '00s innovations and pricing strategies led to MiniDisc achieving its highest level of visibility and moderate mainstream acceptance in Western markets, even if its ultimate decline was already on the horizon due to the upcoming digital revolution.

What led to the downfall of the MiniDisc player?

The MiniDisc player's decline can be attributed to a perfect storm of converging technologies and market forces. Arguably the biggest killer was the rise of MP3s and digital downloads, with devices like the Apple iPod (launched in 2001) offering unparalleled convenience by removing the need for physical media entirely, while file-sharing platforms like Napster further popularized digital audio.

At the same time, as CD-R drives became common and blank CD-Rs incredibly cheap, consumers could easily burn their own compilations with uncompressed CD-quality audio using widely available technology.

MiniDisc's proprietary nature and DRM (Digital Rights Management) also played a part, with Sony's reliance on its ATRAC codec and the often clunky SonicStage software creating a less user-friendly walled garden experience compared to the simplicity of MP3s. Despite price reductions, MiniDisc players and blank media remained more expensive than CD-Rs and the burgeoning digital alternatives.

Finally, a lack of mainstream record label support for pre-recorded MiniDiscs further limited its appeal to average consumers, preventing it from truly competing with the ubiquitous CD format - though I recall Robbie Williams and Bombfunk MC’s both giving the format a go back in the day in HMV.

Behind the counter at HMV owing to its price, might I add, but still in the retail store.

Are any artists releasing on MiniDisc in 2025?

While MiniDisc is no longer a mainstream format, it has found a niche cult following, similar to how cassettes are embraced by certain genres - especially among the noise rock and EDM circles, I can attest.

In 2025, you can still find artists releasing music on MiniDisc, though it's typically independent artists or those in genres like vaporwave who appreciate the format's aesthetic and unique physical presence.

For example, Sam Fender released his album "People Watching" on MiniDisc on February 21, 2025, via Polydor. This shows a continued, albeit limited, interest from some mainstream artists or their labels in offering niche physical formats to collectors and dedicated fans.

Beyond mainstream acts, independent artists and small labels often use platforms like Bandcamp to sell limited-edition MiniDisc releases, particularly for genres that lean into retro aesthetics or lo-fi sounds.

So, while it's not a widespread phenomenon like vinyl's comeback, the format is certainly not entirely dead for new music releases.

Did you ever own a MiniDisc player or recorder, or were you a University student who learned how to edit audio on the format? Share your memories before the bandwagon start speeding off by leaving a comment down below.