Sign this petition to ask Sony to bring back the MiniDisk for its 30th anniversary by either:

1. Developing and releasing a new and affordable portable player/recorder under the Sony brand. (or an existing model)
2. Releasing the patents and allowing other companies to develop a new portable player/recorder.

 

 

We will send the accompanying letter below to Sony.
 
 

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Let’s celebrate 30 years of MiniDisc ingenuity

The year was 1992. MTV still played music, the European Union was formed, the space shuttle Endeavour began it’s maiden voyage, Cartoon Network is launched in the USA, Kirby’s Dreamland comes out for the gameboy and Sony revolutionized the music industry with the MiniDisc format.

 

History

The MiniDisc format represented one of Sony’s key values back in the 90’s, personal audio use.

Sony set out to create the successor to the compact cassette, to allow end users to enjoy their favorite music on the go, wherever they were.

It was as easy to record to as the compact cassette but offered several great improvements.

MD players allowed the user to see track info on the screen.
You could skip from one track to the next without having to guess where one track stops and the next one starts.
Editing tracks no longer required physically cutting the tape and sticking it back together. Tracks could be split, joined, renamed, added or removed all together at the press of a button.
There was no loss in quality after repeated recording and erasing the same MD, which was a major issue with compact cassettes.
MD’s even offered a multitude of advantages over Compact Discs!

MiniDiscs are lot more durable than CD’s. Since MD’s use magneto-optical data storage they are less susceptible to damage from sunlight.
MD’s are entirely encased in a plastic shell which protects it from dust and scratches. Where CD’s are bound to get scratched if only a grain of sand makes its way onto the unprotected disc. MD’s can be stored loose in a backpack for years and will still play as if they were brand new, while CD’s only need to be placed on a dusty table once to get completely ruined.
Most MD players offered shock protection. Many portable CD players did too but a well placed drop or sudden shock could still render your CD unreadable.
Battery life is another major advantage of MD player as they are known to run for hours on a single AA battery. They do not need constant rotation like CD or cassette players do.

 

Mass adoption

MiniDisc technology was, and still is, widely adopted in Japan and got moderate support in Europe and the U.S.
The lower adoption rate in Europe and the U.S. were mainly contributed to the high cost of the MD players and MD discs.

It’s main target audience was teenagers who sadly could not always afford to buy the expensive players/recorders.
With the arrival of Net-MD connectivity by the end of the 90’s, and a drop in the pricing, sales started to climb again. In 1998-1999 more devices were sold than in all the previous years combined.

Apart from personal consumers, many radio stations across the globe took note of the technology and saw it as a great replacement for their old magnetic tapes. For radio stations MiniDisc was the best and most affordable way to edit commercials and other prerecorded tracks. Computers with editing software that provided similar editing tools were only available for the stations with the biggest budgets.

 

Bumps in the road

While the MiniDisc devices played music without a hitch, getting songs onto the MD’s wasn’t as streamlined as hoped. It took OpenMG Jukebox and SonicStage several versions before it was somewhat user-friendly.

Nowadays, thanks to some online aficionado’s, there are now several ways of transferring your CD’s (or even your online bought mp3’s) onto your Net-MD device.

Sadly, no new players/recorders have been released since 2013 so the world now relies on devices which are at least 8 years old.

Even though MD’s were built to last, like all Sony devices of those days, the number of functioning devices drops every year being it from wear and tear or unfortunate accidents.

 

Resurgence

Ever since 2017 however, independent artists have begun to release their albums on MD’s. Especially Hip-Hop, Vaporwave and FutureFunk seem to have found their way to world of MD’s.

Many of those can be found here:
https://www.discogs.com/search/?format_exact=Minidisc

These albums are limited in quantity but almost all are sold out in mere minutes!

 

Current appeal

People now find themselves reaching back to simpler ways of enjoying their favorite music.

Without the hassle of monthly subscriptions, without your phone stopping in the middle of Alanis Morissette’s ‘You Oughta Know’ because that colleague from work can’t find the stapler, without worrying that your phone’s built-in battery will run dry.

In the ‘always on’ world of today, people crave to disconnect and let themselves be transported to wherever their music loving minds take them.

They long for some of that old timey goodness of holding a physical copy of their favorite album.

Or better yet, they love the romance in waking up and finding a mix MD from their partner on the breakfast table. 

MD’s not only offer a sentimental value, people with disabilities or impaired motor skills often struggle with touchscreens and CD’s may be too fragile for some to handle.
The durable MiniDiscs and accompanying players may prove easier to handle.

 

30 years of MD

2022 will mark the 30 year existence of the MiniDisc format.

What better way to celebrate this amazing format than by breathing life back into it?

We, the global MiniDisc community, would like to ask you, Sony, to allow such a revival.

This can be accomplished in several ways.

• One way would be to release a new and affordable portable player/recorder under the Sony brand. (or an existing model)
• A second way would be to opensource the patents and allow anyone to create a new portable player/recorder.

 

New device proposed functionalities

We have devised a list of functionalities which we believe might benefit a new MD device.

Must have
Portable player/recorder 
Compatibility with current MD media
Compatibility with current MD recording modes
USB connectivity
Physical controls (no touchscreen)
Rechargeable and removable common battery type, preferable AA or AAA
Screen on player
Sturdy casing
Affordable

Should have
USB-C connectivity
Optical in
Metal/aluminium casing
Hi-MD recording capability

Could have
Deck player/recorder
BlueTooth connectivity
Optical out
Mic in
Charging through USB
Carry pouch
Multi platform drag and drop software
Data recording capability
Remote
Screen on remote

Won't have
Touchscreen
Built in battery
Proprietary battery model
Jog dial

 

In conclusion

We are aware that this is probably not on the Sony schedule.
We are also aware that developing a new device might be a costly project, but please keep in mind that no new technology has to be invented. All the parts were designed 30 years ago and by now production costs have severely decreased.

If it is unfeasible for Sony to develop a new MD device, then please make the patents, licenses and designs freely available to the public. This way there is still hope for our community.

If no new device can be developed and yet the patents, licenses and designs are not made publicly developed there is only one fate left for the MiniDisc…
This brilliant piece of technology that you created so many years ago, will die a slow and sad death.

However, releasing a new device to celebrate the 30 years existence or releasing all patents, licenses and designs would be a clear sign that Sony today is still the same Sony we have grown to love back in the 90’s and early 2000’s for their dedication to their customers.

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