Before cassette tapes, the music world was dominated by Extended Play (EP) and Long Play (LP) records. An EP was a collection of songs similar to an album; however, there were some differences between the two. Extended Play is a collection of music tracks that is more than a single but contains fewer tracks than a full album. EPs became popular during the 80s, but today, an EP is a collection of 3-4 songs from an artist’s most recent album, serving as a preview for fans. It is often considered a promotional gimmick, with artists sending their EPs to critics for favorable reviews. A CD with only 4-5 songs is called an EP, while a CD with a larger number of songs is called an LP. Nowadays, artists who want to release an album but cannot afford the fees of a music studio for a long duration are opting for EPs, which are recorded in a studio but take much less time.
While EPs are an older concept that originated in the times of record players, they still exist today in the form of CDs with a small number of tracks. An EP is larger than a single but is not a full-fledged album, containing fewer music tracks than an album. In the times of record players, EPs were considered the opposite of LP records. Today, EPs are CDs containing fewer music tracks than full albums.
Key Takeaways
- EPs are a collection of music tracks that contain more than a single but fewer tracks than a full album, often serving as a preview for fans.
- Today, EPs are CDs containing fewer music tracks than full albums, sometimes used as a promotional gimmick or a way for budding artists to release music without the cost of a full album.
- Though EPs originated in the times of record players, the concept still exists today, with CDs containing a smaller number of tracks than albums.
