I remember when my favorite band of 2007, Quintus, released an EP.  At the time and the ripe, naive age of 20 I remember wondering to myself, “What the heck is an EP?” And soon after, I started noticing tons of other bands releasing EPs.

So where did the EP come from, who/what made it popular, and more importantly, what can it do for you–the independent musician?

Before the EP was introduced in the early 1950s, music was mostly released as the 45 rpm vinyl single or the 33 rpm vinyl LP album. Then in 1952, RCA released the “Extended Play” 45 as a competitor to the LP. The EP was still playable by the standard 45 rpm equipment, but used narrower grooves to achieve 7.5 min of playing time per side, and containing about 4-6 tracks total.

Record companies used the EP as a promotional tool to release an artist’s just-cut tracks to generate interest in an upcoming album, and also to package several radio hits onto one vinyl record for a cheaper price.

The EP, although occasionally released in the U.S., never really caught on with consumers here, but it was a big hit with music aficionados in the U.K. and parts of Europe and Asia. In the 1960s popular bands such as the Beatles , the Monkees, and Frank Sinatra all achieved major success with EP releases in the U.K. and Japan.

By the 1980s, singles were being released in formats that allowed for more than 2 tracks (think cassette tape), transforming the EP to be defined by more than just its extended playing time. A release of 4 or more tracks of equal importance became the new standard for the EP, differentiating itself from the 4-track single, which included one main hit and three accompanying songs.

Nowadays, an EP is generally thought of as having up to 36 minutes of music and around four to six tracks, and an album has anywhere from 30-80 minutes of music and about eight to twelve tracks. So who’s releasing EP’s these days? Matisyahu released his “Shattered” EP in October of 2008, and Death Cab for Cutie, Destroyer, and Modest Mouse (The Open Door EP, Bay Of Pigs EP, No One First And You’re Next EP, respectively) all released EPs in 2009.

Most importantly, as an independent artist what are the advantages of releasing an EP (as opposed to an album)? Ultimately you’ll be releasing your new music at a much quicker pace and getting your music to fans faster; since you’ll be recording fewer tracks, you’ll cut down on studio and post-production time, and get your EP out more quickly. And what fans don’t want new music sooner?

Also, professional production costs will be reduced because there are fewer tracks to record. And fewer tracks means a unified sound will be more easily achieved, which we all know is hard to do on an 8-12 track album. Plus, your shorter release will leave fans wanting more, and anticipating your next release!

And one more thing–if you’re producing your EPs for cheaper, releasing them more often, and selling just as many as you would if they were full-length albums, that results in more financial gain in a shorter amount of time.

So when’s your EP release party???

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