Talk:Extended play

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Initial comments

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When two bands are on the same record, it's sometimes called an S/T. What does it stand for? Phlebas 15:03, Jun 17, 2005 (UTC)

selftitled -darkshyne

They're more commonly called Split records. S/T stands for selftitled, where a band releases an album that has the same name as the band. Mikkel 06:03, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This article is ridiculously rockist. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.181.48.68 (talk) 02:03, 18 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

@Phlebas it's also hopelessly full of inaccuracies and false information. Won't be me, but someone really needs to clean this mess up! 46.208.242.22 (talk) 20:24, 5 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

RIAA certification

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I presume that there is a separate RIAA certification for EP format (this is probably true for other countries as well). Is there any information what a Gold EP or Platinum EP is in terms of sales? Also, is there a separate EP chart still around (there was a separate EP chart in the UK in 1960s). --FreedonNadd 23:55, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

EPs were allowed into the UK singles chart again from November 1967 (just in time for Magical Mystery Tour to get to #2) and the EP chart was scrapped. Restrictions on time, tracks and formatting gradually came in (meaning from the late 90s singles couldn't have more than 3 different tracks). Anything not a single would be counted to the album chart or possibly the budget album chart (many EPs top the budget album chart).Retro junkie (talk) 18:48, 18 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I personally have never seen an EP in the U.S..

Opeth? Bad example.

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"Fans of doom metal or experimental music such as Opeth and Current 93 are very familiar with albums containing a very low track count; indeed, Opeth's eight albums all contain single-digit track counts."

Opeth are a bad example. They are neither doom metal, nor do they have a low track count. A better example would be drone doom metal band Earth. Their second album only has 3 tracks, and the length of it clocks in at over an hour. -- Wraith 17:53, 13 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Number of tracks

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I think it would be more accurate to say that anything more than two tracks is an EP. Example: "They Came for Uranus" an EP with three tracks. -Litefantastic 23:27, 21 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Defining EP

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I took out a bunch of stuff in the Defining EP section that assumed that the number of tracks was the easiest way to determine what was an EP and what wasn't. It had about a half-dozen counterexamples from things that had lengthy songs and there are probably hundreds more. In my experience, length is a much better determinant, though I added a few exceptions. Recury 14:54, 7 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Defining EP for a Video Recorded, other definition ?

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I have a Video Recorder from Panasonic. When I record with the

When I record with the SP setting , I put 2 hours on a DVD
When I record with the LP setting , I put 4 hours on a DVD
When I record with the EP setting , I put 8 hours on a DVD
and there is also XP... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.254.148.91 (talk) 14:26, 17 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

i have a dvd recorder from panasonic which uses the same formats. mine have a 160 gigabyte harddrive but the formats are the same wether i record on the harddrive or on a dvd.84.212.73.96 (talk) 11:41, 8 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]


This is most of my logic for what I'm about to say. To me right around 35 minutes is the dividing line between an EP and an LP. I don't care and will never care about vinyl sizing or record terminology; I'm just talking about categories of music releases. The DVD or VCR tape doesn't change physical size because you put more or less video on it (quality differences notwithstanding). Whether something is an extended play or a long play should be based solely on its runtime. It's only for the sake of convenience that we even need names for different categories of releases. What benefit to convenience is there if the audience is confused? 104.176.89.25 (talk) 22:59, 22 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Promoting other longer product

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Surely an EP is ,in the modern sense, just a replacement word for what we would have previously called a mini-album. A standalone product that is not used for promoting a seperate LP or album by the same artist and does not contain tracks that feature on another product.

Punk

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I think this article would be well served by examples from punk. For example, the debut album of Minutemen (band) (The Punch Line) was only 15 minutes long, but still considered an album and they did release a number of EPs, which varied from just over 3 minutes to well over 20 minutes in length.

Mini album

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Ok so this page is the redirect. However 'mini album', in countries like Japan and (especially) Korea, doesn't have anything to do with extended play LPs. Many new artists (I'm talking pop groups especially here) debut album is called a mini album, which means it has mabye 5 to 7 tracks, being a couple of singles, a bit of filler and a remix or two. I'm thinking that since this isn't something that is both a) widespread and noteworthy and b) not easily included in this article that it might be worth me starting a new article for Mini Album? Caspar esq. (talk) 01:49, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move (1)

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The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Not moved ≈ Chamal talk ¤ 13:52, 12 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Extended play → EP — WP:COMMONNAME and this discussion. —Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 18:19, 2 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Clearly defining an EP

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There are issues going on with several articles regarding the definition of studio albums and EPs. Is there a link or something from the RIAA on how to clearly define what constitutes as an EP such as total time or number of tracks? This would make fixing up other articles a lot easier. Jpagan09 (talk) 04:59, 22 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See also my reply in the next section - it's about how the release was defined when it was released (we can tell from sources from that time, catalogue numbers, etc.), not how long it is. It's extremely annoying when editors attempt to reclassify historical releases based on their ideas about how long recent EPs/albums are and how many tracks they have. The original EPs bore little relation to many EPs released these days, and early LPs only had half the capacity of a CD and typically didn't use all of it. --Michig (talk) 20:14, 8 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Problem

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Creedence Clearwater Revival's album Green River is under 30 minutes (my copy being 29:19) and is classified as an LP. While Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies is over 30 minutes (my copy being 30:49) and is classified as an EP. My question: How is an official LP shorter than an official EP? Green River has 9 songs while Jar of Flies has 7 so does amount of tracks count? I believe both of my versions are the standard versions and know for sure neither of my versions contain bonus tracks. Mrmoustache14 (talk) 19:53, 8 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The length of albums has varied in different eras. Short albums were common in the 1960s and 1970s. Long EPs have been common since CDs became dominant. Whether a release is an EP depends on whether it was marketed as an LP or EP, not on how long it is. --Michig (talk) 20:04, 8 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

History of the Term 'EP'

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I see in the article a lot of history of EPs as they are now conceived. But the history of the term "Extended Play" doesn't seem to be covered distinctly. If there were EP's 80 years ago, is that what they were called at the time? When and where did the term first appear, and what is the history of the extent of its use?CountMacula (talk) 11:16, 20 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

  • It looks like it was "Extended Play" ("EP" for short) from the beginning. I guess these so-called "Extended Play" records were invented as an alternative to LPs. They weren't as "long-playing" as LPs were, but they offered "extended" playtime, hence the name.
    I've been creating some articles about Mario Lanza's albums, and I have found the term "Extended Play" used as early as 1952: https://www.discogs.com/master/357261-Mario-Lanza-Selections-From-Because-Youre-Mine.
    P. S. In the late 1940's – early 1950s, RCA released albums in two formats: as sets of 78s and as sets of 45s. But those 45s were "singles" (one track per side). And then at some point, in the mid-1950s or so, RCA added an EP format, where there were 2 songs per side. --Moscow Connection (talk) 07:59, 11 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
2001@Žeb 173.217.162.54 (talk) 13:59, 20 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

EP vs. Mini-Album

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We should separate classification of release type and the terms LP/EP/SP. Originally there were spedific formats of vinyl, this is how they should be understood. As you mentioned in the article EPs are equated as "Mini Albums", this is the term that should be properly used to call a medium length release, as ALbum is a full length release (usually released on LP at the vinyl-age).

Using the term EP for both vinyl format and release type is misleading and consufing/

83.13.239.255 (talk) 18:54, 9 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move (2)

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The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Not moved. The current title is a natural and didactically precise disambiguation. (non-admin closure) walk victor falk talk 11:27, 19 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]


Extended play → EP (music)EP (music) – The term "extended play" is essentially archaic, and the term "EP" with no expansion or explanation is the standard term for this format. "Extended play" is just an etymology; it's not the common name and is almost never used. Gendralman (talk) 03:21, 11 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you Unreal7.
@AjaxSmack the problem is, that the term EP is incorrectly used for non-vinyl releases, LP, EP and SP are terms describing type of vinyl, the terms to call a type of releases are Album (for full-length release), Mini-Album) for short albums), Single (I don't think tihs requires explanation) and Compilation. 83.13.239.255 (talk) 10:57, 17 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Incorrect, maybe, but that is not for Wikipedia to decide. The term EP has been used for non-vinyl EPs for a long time. Decades ago, Martin L. Gore's Counterfeit e.p. was called an EP whether on vinyl, cassette, or CD. In addition, while an LP was (is) a single physical vinyl format, a 12" record, EPs of the vinyl era were all different shapes and sizes, making the term "EP" more of a rough designator of a quantity of material than the name of a physical format. In short, there was no single "EP record". —  AjaxSmack  12:16, 17 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.
@AjaxSmack all 45rpm records are EP records, the term is used for Mini-Albums in the same way as LP is interchanably used with full-length Albums, while Album and Mini-Album reffers to content, the LP and EP specifically reffer to the type of vinyl record. There:
http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=ddiwuUpODi8C&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false
The bottom of page two clearly says that.
It is common to use terms EP and LP outside of vinyl area, but they are imprecose and indicate direct interpretation of Mini-Album and Album respectively.

Also, LP is not a single specific format, there can be 10" LPs, so LP is not 12" record, but 33rpm record, it can be even 5" (Therion's latest single is 5" LP, tehcnically). 83.13.239.255 (talk) 10:43, 20 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Definitions are not precise

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Per recent edits, there are no tight definitions of what is and is not an EP. Reliable sources do not support such tight definitions, so neither should this article. Please stop presenting personal opinion as fact. The suggestion that 'EP' can only refer to a 45rpm record is, once again, nonsense. --Michig (talk) 21:25, 7 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This is not duggestion, but the definition fo the format from when it was implemented, see Note 1 on the article, the term is incorrectly used to describe short albums, but Extended Play record itself is nothing else than 45rpm vinyl disc. The same goes with LP and Album, they are not the same thing, thus EP and Mini-Album are also not the same thing, the first terms describe type of vinyl record, while the other are terms used to classify a release of whatever carrier. Precision is the basis of database and terms that have clear meaning.
83.13.239.255 (talk) 09:04, 8 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
"Extended Play record itself is nothing else than 45rpm vinyl disc": That simply is not true. There are 33rpm 7-inch EPs, 45 rpm 10-inch EPs, 45rpm 12-inch EPs, 33rpm 12-inch EPs, CD EPs, cassette EPs, etc. etc.. The term in its purest sense relates to a vinyl format where the playing time is extended by running at a slower speed or having closer-spaced grooves, but the article needs to reflect all of the different types of usage. --Michig (talk) 11:54, 8 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
They are not Extended Play records, RCA created and patented Extended Play as a 45rpm vinyl format. Everyone is of course calling EPs various releases, which does not make them such. 33rpm records are Long Plays (as patented by Columbia Records). Those 10 and 12" 45rpm are of course EPs, because they are 45rpm, but 33rpm discs are LPs, CD and cassette "EPs" are most likely Mini-Albums, or if they are longer than 25 minuter or have more than 4 tracks they are Albums according to The Official Charts Company [1]. The different usage is a Mini-Album, in the same way, why sometimes Album is called LP, because it is a long playing release, but not always a vinyl record, so long albums are called LPs and short are called EPs, this is common, but imprecise, on wikipedia we have separate articles for full-length albums and LP record, why not for EP record and Mini-Album?
SF 83.13.239.255 (talk) 19:42, 9 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Of course it "makes them such". In the absence of any officially sanctioned nomenclature, the name of a thing is what the thing is named. You have found no official definitions from reliable sources that support your claims that, for example, only a 45 rpm record can be an EP; your own proclamations are not proof. You claimed at Talk:Gramophone_record that these terms were in some way "patented". Well, patents (including expired ones) are online and searchable at uspto.gov. So it should not be very difficult for you to find the patent numbers. If you can't (and it seems you have not, so far) then as far as I can see you have nothing but examples on your side... but there are examples that contradict you, too. So until you can find patents or any other similarly official backing for your claims, you're just not going to get any traction. In the meantime, by the way, it would help a lot if you would confine this argument to just one of the talk pages; I suggest Talk:Gramophone_record. Or, heck, just see WP:DEADHORSE right now. Jeh (talk) 21:08, 14 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Dance and vine acting and rapper

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I would like to learn new things Bhad nyc (talk) 08:07, 7 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Add mini album

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I have created a mini album draft article per this discussion. This could be created as an article or added as a section to this article. I would prefer it as it's own article, but if insistent on a section here, where should it be placed? Lectrician1 (talk) 20:40, 4 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hello Lectrician1,
...wouldn't information about mini albums be better put in the main article about albums?
In the UK, the usual rule was that EPs which had too many tracks on them got categorised as a mini-album and then stuck in the budget chart or main albums chart depending on dealer price. There were a few 5-trackers in the 90s like Carleen Anderson's Dusky Sappho EP which got into the UK album top 40[1][2] thanks to its high price, though now you have also got some people calling 6-trackers/7-trackers as EPs (such as Top 10 album chart hit The Underrated Youth by YUNGBLUD)[3] whereas other acts call them mixtapes (such as Easy Life[4] with their top 10 album chart hit Junk Food) - and that's not including the people who seem to release an EP with about 20 tracks on it, classing it as an EP and not an official studio album when they know its not going to be as successful as their last release (i.e. some of this might just be marketing waffle): BECCLES81.152.238.125 (talk) 15:59, 7 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@81.152.238.125:
> ...wouldn't information about mini albums be better put in the main article about albums?
Ummmmmm maybe?
The draft I made discusses "mini album" as in the South Korean music release type, not UK type. You should see the linked discussion for more info about the type. The draft could include the UK if type if we wanted to.
In Korea at least, every release is termed an "album" so I guess it could make sense with that perspective to put it on the main article for albums.
However, I think the mini album is unique and prevalent enough to deserve it's own article. Lectrician1 (talk) 20:25, 7 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
But to have an English-language article called mini-album and then it just be about K-pop might be confusing especially when there is already a stub called Mini-LP...which probably should be renamed Mini-album, extended to include your stuff about Korea and given more prominence on the album page (as there is only about one mention of mini-albums on that page and I missed it the first time I looked). Now it seems the mini-LP article was started by a Brit, so it might be the case that mini-albums were not something that the American music industry picked out as being anything different to a standard LP/album...but before anyone in the UK ever took notice of Korea (e.g. see cars like the Hyundai Stellar and Hyundai Pony, which were just seen as cheap joke foreign cars alongside Ladas, Skodas, FSOs etc. and then look at the current Hyundai SUV range) people would use the term mini-album/mini-LP and have an idea of what was meant by the term...
Now currently the opening of the mini-LP article states...

A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini-LP is not to be confused with the Japanese CDs issued in a "mini LP sleeve" or "paper jacket". In South Korea, the term "mini album" is a synonym of extended play.[5]

— Mini-LP stub

...now the last bit about mini album being a synonym of extended play is linked to AllMusic, a site which had alt-pop as being the same thing as alt rock (which might not be the case anymore)...

Alternative Pop/Rock is essentially a catch-all term for post-punk bands from the mid-'80s to the mid-'90s

— Quote - AllMusic overview[6]

...which kind of gives you the opinion that AllMusic is a site which might be in need in going through its terms and updating itself so it reflects 2021. So probably it would be best to take that last bit and AllMusic link out of the mini-LP article and putting your new information into the article....perhaps as a new Korean/K-pop section under history. from 81.152.238.125 (talk) 12:51, 8 July 2021 (UTC)BECCLES[reply]

References

  1. ^ https://www.discogs.com/Carleen-Anderson-Dusky-Sappho-EP/release/172890
  2. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27590/carleen-anderson/
  3. ^ https://www.nme.com/reviews/yungblud-underrated-youth-ep-review-2557832
  4. ^ https://www.discogs.com/Easy-Life-Junk-Food/release/14668164
  5. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/superm-the-1st-mini-album-superm-mw0003314271?1618716204352
  6. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/style/alternative-pop-rock-ma0000002422

Inconsistency of definition

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Not our fault, but there is still inconsistency in defining an EP. We cite industry as saying 25 minutes is the max length for an EP, yet there have been many EPs (Sarah McLachlan Live being but one example, with a run time longer than 30 minutes) that have exceeded 25 minutes in the CD/download era. 136.159.160.121 (talk) 21:39, 20 June 2023 (UTC) Some are even longer. On the other end of the scale, you have LP releases such as the Elvis Presley soundtrack album for It Happened at the World's Fair with a run time of 21 minutes, yet it is not considered an EP. 136.159.160.121 (talk) 21:39, 20 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There's nothing to be done about this really because the EP/LP distinction is vague in the contemporary music industry. The reason that "It Happened at the World's Fair" is classified as an LP is because it was literally released as a 33 rpm 12" vinyl "long play" vinyl record. At that time the distinction was physical. Now that vinyl is not the industry standard the term has become increasingly disconnected from the format of a recording's vinyl release, if there is one (Note that the UK release of The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" is commonly referred to as a "double EP" to this day, whereas Radiohead's "Hail to the Thief" is not despite the vinyl release consisting of two EP records).
Now, the digital era, "EP" roughly corresponds with the imprecise definition laid out in the opening sentence of the article: "more tracks than a single but fewer than an album" (although there are exceptions even to this, such as releases with a small number of long tracks e.g. Bell Witch's one track, 83 minute "Mirror Reaper" released in 2017).
The industry standards impact eligibility for certain things such as charts and certifications but, as you noted, don't reflect the common usage of the term in the contemporary music industry, which is influenced more by marketing and artistic intent.
In summary: why is Yes's Close to the Edge, at three tracks and 37 minutes universally classified as an LP whereas Burial's Antidawn at five tracks and 43 minutes is considered an EP? Artistic intent, marketing, and because Close to the Edge was released in the vinyl era as an LP and Antidawn was released in the streaming era.
As far the implications for this for the article, I think there should be more discussion of the contemporary, imprecise usage of the term within the music industry, how the definition of "EP" has changed over time, and how the evolution of music release formats has contributed to this. Will look into citations that might be suitable for the article. MusicalCartographer (talk) 15:15, 28 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  • I think there should be more discussion of the contemporary, imprecise usage of the term within the music industry, how the definition of "EP" has changed over time. — Agree. The German article (de:"Extended Play", which I corrected a bit) discusses some of the inconsistencies it its third paragraph. I think we can add something like that as a separate section. --Moscow Connection (talk) 16:48, 28 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

miss. You. Gerald. Levert. 24.234.25.162 (talk) 05:45, 16 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, the beginning of the "History" section ("EPs were released in various sizes in different eras. The earliest multi-track records, issued around 1919 by Grey Gull Records, were vertically cut 78 rpm discs known as "2-in-1" records. These had finer grooves than usual, like Edison Disc Records.") doesn't make much sense cause those "2-in-1" and Edison records weren't called EPs. --Moscow Connection (talk) 16:48, 28 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, went ahead and edited the beginning of the "History" section. Section and article generally suffer from a lack of focus and missing citations. MusicalCartographer (talk) 17:22, 28 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Empty "Studio EP" Section

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Can we just delete the empty "Studio EP" section? What content is meant to go there that isn't covered elsewhere? Literally every single EP used as an example in the article is a studio EP. MusicalCartographer (talk) 14:35, 28 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]