Inside the Rushed Development of MiniDisc

The Race to Redefine Digital Audio

In the early 1990s, Sony stood at the pinnacle of innovation.

Born from the ashes of World War II, the company had spent nearly half a century shaping how the world listened to music. From the early transistor radios, to the Walkman and the Discman, Sony defined portable audio.

As the world shifted toward digital audio, Sony saw an opportunity to redefine the next era of music.

But ambition came at a cost. In chasing innovation, Sony pursued a vision that often outpaced what its own technology could deliver.

This is the story of how a rushed launch shaped the legacy of one of Sony’s most ambitious audio formats.

One of the driving forces behind the project was Norio Ohga. A classically trained opera singer with a sharp ear and sharper instincts, Ohga first came to Sony in the 1950s after sending the company a detailed critique of a tape recorder’s sound quality. Rather than take offense, Sony’s founders were impressed and invited him in.