This article is really interesting, I encorage you to read it, below are some key excerpts:.
“The first prototype samples started coming out of production in May 2024, and we delivered the first Tiny Vinyl release to country musician Daniel Donato in July 2024,”
“There's a lot of engineering, and there's also kind of a lot of secret sauce in this,” Coker said. “So we're a bit tight-lipped about how this is different. I'm very cryptic, but I will say that there are issues with PVC compound, there are issues with mastering, there are issues with plating, there are issues with pressing, there are issues with label application. It is definitely a challenge...... ..... ...
“We will make Tiny Vinyl for anyone, any artist or label that brings us music they have the rights to, and they can distribute that however they want,” .... ...
But for now, the big push is with the upcoming launch with Target, and so far, existing collectors are curious. ... ... “We've been contacted by Barnes and Noble, and Walmart, and Best Buy, and other retailers. But Target jumped in with both feet.”
....With production capacity at full blast for the rollout with Target, though, Tiny Vinyl currently requires a minimum order of 2,000 units. That just isn’t financially feasible unless a band already has a large enough fan base to support it.
Still, some artists have already had early success with the format. ..
“We don’t have an album, but we have a few singles, so we said, ‘Let’s take our two favorite songs and put them on there,’” Mills said. We sell them for $15 at our merch booth, and for people that don’t have enough money to buy a shirt, they can still walk away with something really cool.”
Though just over a dozen Tiny Vinyl records have been released in the wild so far, including titles from the likes of Derek and the Moonrocks, Melissa Etheridge, America’s Got Talent finalist Grace VanderWaal, and Blake Shelton, Target has over 40 titles lined up to start selling at the end of September.....
Apparently the "new" format is gaining a lot of steam now. But all I see is a 45rpm record with a smaller hole (though these are 33rpm). This article says that like a 45 it has only one song on each side, but I think earlier articles said each side would have 2 songs. These messages ni-albums cost $14.99
"Shrinking the record down to pocket size is an unexpected evolution for this old technology, but starting later this month this new take on an old concept will be hitting stores nationwide."
I only find them interesting, but have no actual intention of ever buying any of them, I haven't had a turntable in over twenty years. But the article also revealed a very interesting statistic about the modern wave of normal sized vinyl records sales:
"A report from 2023 found that 50% of vinyl record buyers do not have turntables on which to play them. “They never even open the shrink on the vinyl,” says Kohler."
Apparently the "new" format is gaining a lot of steam now. But all I see is a 45rpm record with a smaller hole (though these are 33rpm). This article says that like a 45 it has only one song on each side, but I think earlier articles said each side would have 2 songs. These mini-albums cost $14.99 each
"Shrinking the record down to pocket size is an unexpected evolution for this old technology, but starting later this month this new take on an old concept will be hitting stores nationwide."
I only find them interesting, but have no actual intention of ever buying any of them, I haven't had a turntable in over twenty years. But the article also revealed a very interesting statistic about the modern wave of normal sized vinyl records sales:
"A report from 2023 found that 50% of vinyl record buyers do not have turntables on which to play them. “They never even open the shrink on the vinyl,” says Kohler."