Whatever happened to the 3" CD?

[Late]

Not a practical medium, but they were kind of cool. I don't own any, but remember them from the late 80's. There was a short-lived improvised music label (I wish I could remember its name) in the 2000's that released a series of 3-inch compact discs of solo performances. One of them was by Anthony Braxton.

Anyone here have any 3-inch CDs? Do you play them? I guess they were a thing for a while (maybe still are) with Beatles collectors.

[Chuck Nessa]

If you have a cd player in your car, don't feed one in.

[GA Russell]

I have a number.  Rhino issued mine in the early '90s.

All were oldies.  I think four songs each.

[jcam_44]

Nate Wooley had an early release I think was on a 3 inch disc. I’ve always wanted to hear it but never had a chance. I don’t remember the name of it but If I remember correctly it has a whale on the cover. 

[Dan Gould]

I had no idea that the tiny CD thing ever saw releases, I knew of it only as a marketing tool when I started in VOs, there was a company that offered a hybrid business card/demo tape via 3" CD. Instead of telling you all the reasons I didn't go for it I'll just reference a famous early SNL "commercial":  It's a business card! No, it's a VO demo!

[Joe]

YouTuber Techmoan posts frequently about obsolete media formats. I feel like he's discussed the history of 3-inchers in at least one of his videos. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I still have at least one from the DMP label. I think they gave them away when you bought one of their regular CDs. It was shrink-wrapped onto the back.

I had a few of the Beatles 3 inch CDs but I sold them years ago. They are probably worth more now but I seem to remember selling them for crazy money even 20 years ago. The thing was, the music on those Beatles 3 inch CDs was digitally identical to what was on their regular CD release, so all these people are paying for is the collectible. I don't collect things, I collect & listen to music.

[colinmce]

11 hours ago, Late said:

Not a practical medium, but they were kind of cool. I don't own any, but remember them from the late 80's. There was a short-lived improvised music label (I wish I could remember its name) in the 2000's that released a series of 3-inch compact discs of solo performances. One of them was by Anthony Braxton.

Anyone here have any 3-inch CDs? Do you play them? I guess they were a thing for a while (maybe still are) with Beatles collectors.

Nur/Nicht/Nur put out a few 3" CDs in the early 00s if that's what you're thinking of. I have one by Erhard Hirt. 

The Euphonium label currently releases some things on the format. 

[Late]

37 minutes ago, colinmce said:

Nur/Nicht/Nur put out a few 3" CDs in the early 00s if that's what you're thinking of. I have one by Erhard Hirt. 

I just checked out that label on Discogs. Looks interesting. I didn't see a Braxton title on that label, but when I looked through Braxton's listing on Discogs (not that it's necessarily comprehensive) I also didn't see any listing for a 3 inch compact disc. I used to own a 3 inch disc on this label, purchased in 2005 at the Berkeley Amoeba Records. It was a baritone saxophonist (solo) who recorded in (I hope I'm remembering this correctly) a submarine. For whatever reasons I let the disc go, even though the music was good. I can't even remember the horn player's name. 

2 hours ago, bresna said:

The thing was, the music on those Beatles 3 inch CDs was digitally identical to what was on their regular CD release, so all these people are paying for is the collectible.

Yes, that and the different cover art.

My roommate in college used to have a 3-inch disc of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, I believe the unit with Bobby Watson.

[medjuck]

I have a 3 inch Sting cd because it includes a long cut with the Gil Evans Orchestra which is not available elsewhere. (Yes I have the Johnny Mathis record with Gil arrangements too.) 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

15 hours ago, Late said:

I guess they were a thing for a while (maybe still are) with Beatles collectors.

Get all 22 of the Beatles 3 inch CDs in a special box - only $500!

https://www.discogs.com/release/7037181-The-Beatles-CD-Singles-Collection

[Rooster_Ties]

4 hours ago, medjuck said:

I have a 3 inch Sting cd because it includes a long cut with the Gil Evans Orchestra which is not available elsewhere.

I have that one too -- with a 10 minute version of Jimi Hendrix' "Up From The Skies".  It (plus "Little Wing" from the main Sting album this single goes with) were surely the very first time I ever heard the Gil Evans Orchestra.

Got it very early in college -- before I got into jazz -- but I was a HUGE Hendrix nut, thus my interest.

[miles65]

Brownie the complete EmArCy recordings of Clifford Brown has one as a bonus with Flossie Lou rehearsal. This was my first CD boxed set. Bought it back in 1990 when I graduated from university.

Still have three unused adapters so you can play them in a regular CD player.

[mjzee]

51 minutes ago, miles65 said:

Brownie the complete EmArCy recordings of Clifford Brown has one as a bonus with Flossie Lou rehearsal. This was my first CD boxed set. Bought it back in 1990 when I graduated from university.

Still have three unused adapters so you can play them in a regular CD player.

Thankfully, the later pressings replaced the 3" disc with a regular-sized one.

[Late]

10 hours ago, bresna said:

Get all 22 of the Beatles 3 inch CDs in a special box ...

You wonder how many people actually listen to The Beatles that way. 

I remember that Sting 3-inch CD. My roommate had it! Isn't Sting bowing with a violin in his hand for the cover?

I wonder if the Japanese market ever made mini-LP cardboard sleeves for 3-inch discs. That seems like something you might actually see in Japan.

A lot of Vogue albums I have would actually fit on 3-inch discs because they're so short.

[medjuck]

2 minutes ago, Late said:

I remember that Sting 3-inch CD. My roommate had it! Isn't Sting bowing with a violin in his hand for the cover?

Yes.

[Late]

Just now, medjuck said:

Yes.

Aha!

Though Sting needs to change his bow hold.

[Д.Д.]

On 5/4/2022 at 4:58 AM, Late said:

There was a short-lived improvised music label (I wish I could remember its name) in the 2000's that released a series of 3-inch compact discs of solo performances. One of them was by Anthony Braxton.

Could you be thinking of emr: https://www.discogs.com/label/62498-emr ? I have a few of their releases (Eubanks, Drake, etc.), some quite good stuff.  

On 5/4/2022 at 11:58 AM, jcam_44 said:

Nate Wooley had an early release I think was on a 3 inch disc. I’ve always wanted to hear it but never had a chance. I don’t remember the name of it but If I remember correctly it has a whale on the cover. 

Yes, this is the one: https://www.discogs.com/release/3571229-Nate-Wooley-The-Boxer 

[jcam_44]

11 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

Yes, this is the one: https://www.discogs.com/release/3571229-Nate-Wooley-The-Boxer 

That's it! I remember looking for it after I got Wrong Shape To Be A Storyteller and loving it. I was never able to find it.  

[Late]

14 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

Could you be thinking of emr: https://www.discogs.com/label/62498-emr ? I have a few of their releases (Eubanks, Drake, etc.), some quite good stuff.  

I'm not sure, but that label and its music looks interesting. I wonder what the Zorn sounds like. The label I'm thinking of, if I recall correctly, used a single red dot for its cover art for a number of its releases. Argh—I usually have a decent memory, but I must be getting older. The Berkeley Amoeba at the time had a handful of these mini discs for sale. I can't recall if they were a European label or otherwise.

[Д.Д.]

59 minutes ago, Late said:

 I wonder what the Zorn sounds like. 

This is Jonathan Zorn (not John Zorn) - initially a bassist and then an electronics musician. I don't find his music that interesting. 

[corto maltese]

The Dancing Wayang label released a couple of nice free jazz albums on vinyl (Mats Gustafsson, Peter Evans, Phil Minton...). The first 100 copies of each release came with a bonus 3" cd (or cd-r?) with extra music.

[Chuck Nessa]

[mikeweil]

I remember two Verve promo Cds in that farmat, Diana Krall and George Benson/Al Jarreau. There were a few from ECM, too.

[Late]

15 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

This is Jonathan Zorn (not John Zorn) - initially a bassist and then an electronics musician. I don't find his music that interesting. 

Ahh, gotcha.