Dre heard the Slim Shady EP through Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine. Eminem signed with Aftermath after label owner Dr. Thus, the EP had a newfound and noble purpose in independent music: to introduce hungry young bands to the world.Īs the ‘90s dawned and CDs fully supplanted vinyl and cassettes as the dominant physical format, the EP kept its job and helped numerous artists sign record deals. cut three legendary EPs– each under seven minutes – before their ’81 debut Damaged.
#Eminem 2015 album cover full
Bands like Black Flag took full advantage of the format Dukowski and Co. In the ‘80s, the short song lengths of the emerging punk rock scene combined with the musicians’ inability to pay for LP-length recording sessions brought on a resurgence of the EP. A few major RCA artists like Elvis Presley had used the EP to significant success throughout the late ’50s and into the ’60s, but by the ’70s its limited space relegated the format to niche status. Singles were released to radio stations and albums were distributed to record stores. Pepper, the concept album was born, and the ‘70s ushered in the era of Album Oriented Rock (AOR). RCA compromised sound quality by narrowing the grooves to fit nearly twice as much music on each side as their original 45, but it wasn’t enough to topple the LP juggernaut.īy the mid-’60s, most artists were not content to release one to four songs on an EP when the LP allowed five or six songs on each side. In 1952 they released the seven-inch Extended Play 45. The ensuing “battle of the speeds” between Columbia and RCA Victor in the late ‘40s resulted in a decisive victory for Columbia, and the industry standardized the 12-inch, 33 1/3 LP as the receptacle of choice for its newest format: the long playing album (LP).īut that didn’t stop RCA from one last attempt at besting their rival. In 1948 Columbia Records introduced the 33 1/3 rpm 12-inch long playing (LP) record and a year later RCA Victor released its 45 rpm seven-inch single, gambling that consumers would disregard the 45’s limited four minute cap on each side in favor of its higher fidelity. So, from the day Thomas Edison sang “ Mary Had a Little Lamb” into his phonograph in 1877 to the 1920s, recorded sound was sold by the song.įinally, labels began pressing 78 rpm (revolutions per minute) records, which were able to fit two songs instead of one on the record due to the thinner grooves. Technology had not evolved enough to fit more than one song on the wax cylinders and brittle shellac discs early sound recordings were cut on.
In the early days of the music industry when vinyl reigned supreme, the single was the only format by necessity. We’re here to show you how you can use an EP to build momentum for your music we’ll also shed light on how Spotify and Apple music define an EP.īut first, what even is an EP? A brief history of the EP EP stands for “extended play,” but the format is actually shorter than long playing - or “full length” - albums.ĭespite its confusing name though, this humble format possesses a flexibility any artist can employ to their advantage. Often misunderstood and forever caught in format purgatory by digital music services, the EP has languished long enough. Pity the poor EP, that oft-overlooked music format the middle child between the single and long playing album (LP).
The difference between an EP, LP, and single on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.