Tiny Vinyl: The 4-Inch Record You Didn’t Ask For Taking Up Shelf Space at Target, Because What Every Music Fan Needs Is a Record That Fits in Their Pocket

Despite high prices and production bottlenecks, the vinyl resurgence continues to roll like a well-oiled platter. Demand for physical media hasn’t just revived LP sales—it’s created a boom for those making turntables, phono cartridges, vinyl-friendly accessories, and storage solutions strong enough to survive both gravity and audiophile obsession.

This analog renaissance has even reopened the door for smaller-format records—like the classic 45 RPM single, which many of us remember spinning on plastic adapters with music on both sides.

Enter Tiny Vinyl—a new 4-inch 33 ⅓ RPM format that shrinks the experience down to pocket size, offering up to 8 minutes of music curated by artists for their biggest fans. Pitched as fun, collectible, and “delightfully analog,” it’s being pushed hard at Target, where apparently someone decided that 12 inches of wax was just too much commitment.

Whether it’s the next wave in vinyl or a novelty riding the coattails of a trend, Tiny Vinyl is aiming to prove that size doesn’t always matter—at least not when you’re trying to fit a record in your jeans.

Tiny Vinyl Isn’t New—And Unless You’ve Got Cargo Shorts, Good Luck Fitting One in Your Pocket

Let’s be clear—Tiny Vinyl might be making noise now, but the concept of pint-sized records is anything but new.

You can trace the origins of 5-inch records all the way back to 1917 with the Bubble Books series, marketed as “Books That Sing.” Produced by Harper-Columbia, these children’s titles combined storybooks with 5-inch records and were pressed in multiple editions from 1917 to 1923. Fast forward a few decades and you’ll find Squeeze dropping a 5-inch single of “If I Didn’t Love You” back in 1980—not exactly a mainstream format, but definitely not a first either.

Then there’s the wonderfully weird case of Hip Pocket Records. These 3 7/8-inch flexi-discs were manufactured between 1967 and 1969 by Philco, a division of Ford Motor Company. They came in brightly colored packaging roughly 6¼ by 5 inches, complete with artist photos and two-track listings—like miniature albums with built-in shelf appeal. Philco-Ford teamed up with labels like Atlantic, Mercury, and Roulette, pumping out over 40 titles featuring big names like The Doors, Otis Redding, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Sam the Sham, and Sonny & Cher.

So no, the idea of “small vinyl for big fans” isn’t revolutionary. It’s retro, recycled, and repackaged for a new generation. And with the rise of skinny jeans, you may want to ditch the pocket hype—unless you’ve got cargo shorts or a jacket with deep inner stash space. Let’s just say Tiny Vinyl may fit in your lifestyle, but maybe not your pants.

Tiny Vinyl: The Fun-Sized Format You Didn’t Know You Needed (and Maybe Still Don’t)

Tiny Vinyl bills itself as a joyful new way to connect with your favorite artists—a mini record you can allegedly fit in your pocket. Each disc offers four minutes per side, making it more of a sonic snack than a full-course meal. Think of it as the vinyl equivalent of a baseball card: collectible, novelty-forward, and aimed squarely at superfans. Each pressing is a limited edition and comes sequentially numbered (watch for the “TV#0000” stamp), just in case you’re the type who tracks print runs like they’re Blue Note mono first pressings.

Will It Actually Play? Maybe.

Tiny Vinyl spins at 33 ⅓ RPM on most manual turntables. But before you cue one up, be warned: auto-stop and auto-return tonearms may throw in the towel before the needle even hits the inner groove. Make sure your tonearm can reach the dead center of the platter while it’s still spinning. If your turntable insists on doing everything for you—like a helicopter parent—you may need to turn off some features or stick with LPs that don’t require user intervention.

Saving the Planet, One Mini Disc at a Time

To its credit, Tiny Vinyl leans into sustainability. Each disc is pressed on 100% bio-attributed vinyl—which drastically reduces fossil fuel use compared to standard LPs—and no, you can’t eat it, even if it sounds like it came from Whole Foods. Developed in partnership with Nashville Record Pressing, Tiny Vinyl is uniquely positioned to crank out these high-quality mini records at scale, all while keeping one eye on the planet and the other on your pocket.

And at just 15 grams per record—compared to the 140g (or 180g if you’re part of the “heavier must be better” crowd buying reissues from Craft, MoFi, or Acoustic Sounds)—Tiny Vinyl makes a lighter footprint across production, shipping, and storage. So yes, these little guys are technically greener than your triple gatefold copy of Kind of Blue pressed on unicorn tears.

It’s Not Replacing Your LPs. Calm Down.

Tiny Vinyl isn’t trying to dethrone your 12-inch audiophile pressings, nor should it. This is more about having a bit of fun with the format—less “critical listening” and more “look what I found at Target.” It’s a playful addition, not a revolution. So go ahead and collect them if you’re into that kind of thing. Just don’t expect them to come with half-speed mastering, tip-on jackets, or 45 RPM lacquer-cut plates. Some grooves are just meant to be tiny.

Mini Turntables for Mini Records? Because When It Comes to Inches, Size Still Matters

Looking to play those tiny 3-inch or 4-inch records but wondering if you need a turntable that’s equally mini? Good question. While vinyl’s resurgence mostly revolves around classic 12-inch LPs, there’s a niche crowd chasing the novelty of these pocket-sized discs—especially with the Beatles 3-inch singles that dropped in 2024.

Enter the RSD3 Mini Turntable by Crosley, designed specifically to handle these pint-sized vinyl gems. It’s a belt-drive mini marvel packed with surprisingly serious features: a pre-mounted AT3600L moving magnet cartridge, adjustable pitch control, headphone jack, aux output with RCA adapter, and even a Bluetooth transmitter to stream your tiny tunes wirelessly. It’s basically a full-size turntable squeezed into a smaller frame.

But here’s where the extra inch matters—because 3 inches is small, but adding that extra inch to make it 4 inches (like some other mini formats) raises questions. Does the turntable platter accommodate that inch without turning your precious Beatles singles into awkward oversized cousins? Size matters in vinyl, and when you’re dealing with mini records, compatibility isn’t just a footnote—it’s a headline.

So yes, non-traditional turntables do exist for these tiny records, but if you want to make the most of that extra inch in size, choose wisely. Otherwise, you might find yourself wrestling with your “mini” setup instead of spinning it smoothly. Because when it comes to vinyl, sometimes bigger—or at least just right—really does matter.

Tiny Vinyl Hits Target This September: Perfect Timing to Misplace Your Mini Records Right Next to the Socks and Spatulas

There are already 31 titles out there, each going for $14.99, covering a wild range from Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club/Naked In Manhattan and Gracie Abrams’ That’s So True/I Love You, I’m Sorry to Niall Horan’s Slow Hands/Black and White. Classics like The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Frank Sinatra’s Jingle Bells/Silent Nightalso make the cut, alongside the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Linus & Lucy/Christmas Time Is Here.

And just when you thought the Prince of Darkness had left the building, he’s still lurking in 4-inch vinyl form with Black Sabbath’s Paranoid/The Wizard. Size may have shrunk, but the legend lives on.

The Bottom Line

The Tiny Vinyl lineup is an intriguing blend of iconic artists and fresh voices packed into a pint-sized package that could either be a clever collector’s dream or the vinyl equivalent of MiniDisc’s awkward cousin. At $14.99 a pop, these 4-inch records promise nostalgia and novelty—but whether they’ll spin smoothly into your heart or just collect dust in your sock drawer remains to be seen. Could be cool, could be a tiny disaster.

Where to buy: $14.99 at Target | tinyvinyl.com

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