There was a time when I was asking this question, and I honestly couldn’t get it. I mean music is such a complicated thing, right? I mean EP, LP, album, mixtape…geez! So many things.
Well in time I have learned to search for information about music the moment when I started to become more and more passionate about it. And of course I have learned about an EP.
Now let me bring you some clarifications. First of all, let’s start with the definitions.
According to Wikipedia, EP stands for Extended Play and is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. Contemporary EPs generally contain a minimum of three tracks and maximum of six tracks, and are considered “less expensive and time-consuming” for an artist to produce than an album.
Also according to Wikipedia, An album is a collection of audio recordings issued as a collection on CD, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium.
But let’s get more into it, go beyond the definition and check out some similarities and differences.
- Both contain a collection of songs
- Both can be recorded on vinyl and CDs
- Both contain songs released by the band. Sometimes the songs might coincide
- EP usually contains a number between three and six tracks, while an album may have 11-12 tracks
- EP is usually cheeper than an album
- While an EP can only be recorded on vinyl or CD (correct me if I’m wrong), an album can also be recorded on an audio play or some other mediums
- EPs are usually 7″ diameter and 45 RPM records while LPs are usually 12″ diameter and 33 RPM records
RPM stands for Rotations per Minute and indicate the speed at which the vinyl record you’re listening to is supposed to rotate on the turntable you’re using. Records that rotate at faster speeds generally contain more musical data, and are said to sound better.
There are many to be said about EPs and Albums, but I prefer to only syntethise the information available on the internet for better structuring and understanding.