Tiny Vinyl: The Pocket-Sized Record for the Spotify Era
▼ Summary
– Record Store Day and Crosley revived a 3-inch collectible vinyl format in 2019, while Tiny Vinyl now introduces a 4-inch format with Target as an exclusive partner.
– The global vinyl market reached $2 billion in annual sales in 2025 and is growing at about 7 percent annually, accounting for over half of physical music media sales.
– Tiny Vinyl was founded by Neil Kohler and Jesse Mann, who leveraged their backgrounds in toy marketing and the music industry to create a new collectible format.
– Kohler, who helped popularize Funko figurines, and Mann, with decades in music production and events, are both based in Nashville, benefiting from its music industry connections.
– The idea for Tiny Vinyl emerged when Kohler asked a vinyl manufacturer if a small record could fit inside a Funko Pop box, leading to the 4-inch format.
The vinyl revival continues to surprise, with a new pocket-sized format making waves among collectors and music lovers. Tiny Vinyl, a fresh 4-inch record concept, is poised to become the next must-have item for enthusiasts. Following the 2019 reintroduction of 3-inch vinyl by Record Store Day and Crosley, this even smaller format is now launching exclusively at Target, with dozens of titles expected soon.
With the vinyl market now valued at over $2 billion annually and still expanding at a steady pace, there’s plenty of room for innovation. Even as cassettes and CDs enjoy a nostalgic comeback, vinyl continues to dominate physical music sales. It was against this backdrop that founders Neil Kohler and Jesse Mann saw an opportunity to introduce something playful and new.
The idea struck Kohler during a chance encounter. With a background in toy development, including work that helped make Funko Pop figures a cultural staple, he wondered if it was possible to shrink vinyl records even further. Mann brought decades of music industry expertise from roles at LiveNation and Bonnaroo. Both based in Nashville, their proximity to the heart of the music scene undoubtedly fueled their creative partnership.
In 2023, Kohler met Drake Corker, who runs Nashville Record Pressing, a modern vinyl plant that opened just two years earlier. Kohler posed a simple but intriguing question: could they produce a real vinyl record small enough to fit inside a Funko Pop box? That conversation sparked the development of what would soon become Tiny Vinyl.
(Source: Ars Technica)
