Despite physical media having a resurgence due to the issues with Spotify licensing and the bigger record labels "allegedly" paying them to have major label artists pushed to search results when someone searches an unsigned artist, Sony is discontinuing yet another physical media format of theirs.
While MiniDisc players ceased all production in 2010, the media disc in cassette like cases but much smaller, had continued to be produced in mass. The MiniDisc had a recent popularity spike over the last 4 years, with artists including them in their music videos and cover arts. That seems to not have deterred the end of production of the MD format however.
This will be heavily detrimental to the EDM and lo-fi communities it seems, as companies like BandCDs still offer Mini Disc as a format for print for artists when ordering physicals of their albums, as well as offering custom printed cassette tapes. With the production on MD stopping by year end, companies like them will also run out of stock it appears. Unless they learn to make the MiniDiscs in house prior to recording albums to them.
Many people buy the discs across Asia still and rent CDs from CD rental shops to rip to the smaller and easier to store discs, so the resale market is bound to eventually dry up. If you personally use the format it would be wise to buy some from the official Sony.jp store or to grab some from Surugaya if you can.
