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Digital Music Release Tips

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    The LP Is Dead. Heres a Detailed

    Guide for Releasing an EPWednesday, August 21, 2013

    by Radar Music Videos

    The following guest post comes from Radar Music Videos, who argue that the long-playing album (or LP) is effectively deadfor artists in 2013. The shorter EP sibling, on the other hand, makes much more sense and is very much alive.

    (http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/bondEP.jpg)

    50

    90

    75

    (http://72.52.81.232/openx/www/delivery/ck.php?

    oaparams=2__bannerid=26__zoneid=1__cb=9bec07237f__oadest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reverbnation.com%2Fmusicforgood%3Futm_source%3Ddigital_music_news%26utm_medium%3Dbanner%26utm_content%3Dlink_120x360%26utm_campaign%3Dmfg_landing_page)

    OUR SPONSORS

    Most Heated!

    Im Charlotte

    Church. And This Is

    How Women Are

    Routinely

    Demoralized by the

    Music Industry

    (http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/10/15/church)

    iTunes Executive

    Calls DMN

    Disgusting and

    Demands an Apology

    to Every Female

    Reader

    (http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/10/11/apologize)

    The 13 Most

    Search

  • Did you know the Album is dead? Well it isfor most artists and heres a list of reasonswhy: EPs are more affordable than albums

    EPs are an easy taster for new listeners

    EPs can be released more frequently than albums

    Track for track over time, EPs could generate more revenue than albums if theres a lot of material

    EPs can keep fans up-to-date more easily than albums

    EPs are more flexible, e.g. they can be released to coincide with short tours

    Why produce an album? The only strong reason weve come across is that theyre still relevant for some types of

    artist, e.g. concept albums for prog rock bands.

    Assuming youre with us on the EP / album issue, you might find it handy to run through our timeline guide to releasing and

    promoting an EP. We identified the key stages and spoke to our friends at Warp Records, Kobalt Label Services, BAM!, and

    EmuBands for their top tips

    14 WEEKS OUT FROM RELEASE- Have your photoshoot done. Identify 3 or 4 shots that you will be using as the press shots for the campaign.

    - Make sure that your release is registered with PRS for Music, and PPL (or your local collecting society).

    Each time your song is played on the radio, downloaded or streamed online, or played in public, you are due extra

    money from PRS for Music (if you wrote, or co-wrote the song), but you have to be a member of PRS for Music and have

    registered the song with them in order to claim this money.

    (Ally, EmuBands)

    - Collate your assets (press shots, pack shots, mixes etc)

    - Commission remix

    - Identify key angles and generate press and marketing ideas. Draft your press release!

    What is special about your music? And why should a busy journalist listen to it? Thats the most important message you

    need to communicate through your press releases.

    Its also essential to send it to relevant targeted journalists in order to get good PR results. Spend time to research blogs

    and websites that have covered similar artists to yourself recently.

    (Ben, BAM!)

    - Identify marketing and PR professionals that you wish to work with. Make contact and negotiate price.

    12 WEEKS OUT FROM RELEASE- Engage PR and start campaign Initially targeting Longlead titles.

    Its still worth sending your EP to longleads who dont necessarily do EP reviews because its good to get it out to them

    for features/ single reviews/ mentions. Remember to choose your target publications depending on your artist and their

    sound

    (Leah, Warp Records).

    108

    Insidious, PervasiveLies of the ModernMusic Industry(http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/09/25/lies)

    This Is HowDistributionCompanies AreStealing ArtistsYouTube Revenue(http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/08/13/stealingartists)

  • - Engage radio and video plugger.

    - Announce EP to social media and to press / online.

    - Assuming that you havent already, engage booking agent (10-20% of gross). Discuss a tour to promote your EP, and launchparty shows. A good agent will be able to fix your band up with some suitable support slots along the way.

    - Commission the official music video, the aim is to create a stand-out, remarkable video. (Try Radar to find great newdirectors (http://www.radarmusicvideos.com/home), its completely free!)

    - Create a lyric or packshot video. The point is to have this video on the bands YouTube channel when radio play begins aheadof release date, capturing early views and interest. A correctly tagged and annotated video will help boost subscribers to yourchannels. (Again, you can try Radar to find great new directors (http://www.radarmusicvideos.com/home), its still completelyfree!)

    10 WEEKS OUT FROM RELEASE- Identify the track from the EP that will lead your radio campaign.

    - Start to organise interviews with longleads and pitch reviews in the publications that do them.

    Always research your PR targets. Not just for the genre of music they write about, but also the sorts of features theycontribute to their publication You want to be speaking to the right audience with the right message.

    (Patrick, Kobalt Label Services)

    - Upload EP, artwork and metadata to your digital distribution company. The earlier you do this the better, as it gives theirmarketing and promotions team more time to plan and execute a strategy for promoting your EP through the digital stores andstreaming services. The later you leave it the less chance you have of securing features, and if for whatever reason you haveto push your content to digital stores immediately many digital distributors can do this in just a few hours if necessary.

    (EmuBands have prepared a guide to preparing your release for distribution Click here (http://www.emubands.com/blog/a-guide-to-digital-music-distribution/) to view this)

    8 WEEKS OUT FROM RELEASE- Remix should be completed now. Use this as an extra PR asset.

    - Book your banner/ Facebook/ Google advertising.

    - Send single to radio and EP to online.

    Dont be offended when you dont get a response from a journalist that youre trying to reach out to. These peoplereceive a huge amount of emails every day, and they cant reply to everyone. If they like it though, youll hear from them

    (Ben, BAM!)

    - Radio promotion also begins. Single and EP promos are presented to radio producers and presenters with a press releaseand list of forthcoming live dates.

    - Social media begins to focus on the release campaign.

    Utilising social media is a great way to promote your release, for example sharing the release and any playlist it mayappear on via Facebook and Twitter

    (Ally, EmuBands)

    - Digital store promotions set up. Your digital distributor can advise you on what exposure you can expect. There are a lot ofopportunities here, ranging from being featured on the iTunes store homepage to featured Spotify advertising.

  • 4 6 WEEKS OUT FROM RELEASE- Send EP to weeklies and broadsheets.

    Once again most weeklies and broadsheets dont tend to review EPs but good to pitch for features and single reviews

    (Leah, Warp)

    - Service video to TV for playlist rotation consideration.

    - Radio playlist consideration.

    - Soundcloud stream premiere on a top site followed a day or two later with a blast out to other sites for more embedding,

    start adding up those numbers and collating your press interest to convince radio you are popular!

    2 WEEKS OUT FROM RELEASE- Organize interviews with weeklies, set up reviews.

    Its always good to include some quotes from well respected publications if you have them, especially when reaching out

    to new places. A good review helps to convince people that its not just you promoting you music, but that others are

    talking about it too.

    (Patrick, Kobalt Label Services)

    - Secure a video exclusive with a popular music site and general coverage in music media.

    - Promote fan special offers; exclusive tracks, early order discounting etc.

    There are many things you can offer journalists to help secure coverage. Its not just about the music on your EP. Do you

    have anything that they can give away? Free downloads, T-shirts or gig tickets maybe? Good video footage, tour diaries,

    live dates, press shots, should be sent to press too anything to show them you are a relevant hard working band, not

    just a flash in the pan!

    (Ben, BAM!)

    RELEASE WEEK- Digital store promotion live

    - Paid advertising live

    - TV rotation

    - Radio sessions and interviews.

    - Celebrate EP coming out!! Release show!

    POST LAUNCH- Follow up press campaign to generate further press coverage. Dont expect results instantly. It can be a slow game

    especially if this is your first release and no-one has heard of you before. Its a discovery and fan building game at first, sales

    come later. (Patrick, Kobalt Label Services)-

    Album and tour news to be associated throughout if appropriate.

  • Share this: submit Tweet 0 StumbleUponLike 0

    P.S. WHEN SHOULD YOU PAY FORMARKETING SERVICES?Its possible to do just about all these things for free. You can do it yourself, get friends to do it, pull in favours but goodprofessionals will do a much quicker and more effective job. More to the point, journalists are more likely to listen tostuff from reputable PRs; pluggers are personally connected to producers; promotions people know which advertising is cost-effective; experienced directors make attractive music videos and so on.

    All that should result in more sales of your EP and more tickets sold to your shows.

    Good luck!

    This rough guide has been compiled with the help of Leah Ellis, Warp Records (http://warp.net/); Ally Gray, EmuBands(http://www.emubands.com/); Patrick Ross, Kobalt Label Services (http://www.kobaltmusic.com/page-home.php); BenAllen, BAM! (http://benallenmedia.com/); and Mark Walker, Radar Music Videos (http://www.radarmusicvideos.com/home).

    Comments (33)

    Zac Shaw Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Musicians need more no-bullshit info like this. Bravo.Only part its missing is the crowdfunding campaign to create the budget from fan patronage instead of signing yourrights over for exploitation unless of course youre into that sort of thing.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=11997#respond)

    Caroline from Radar Music Vide Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Good point, thanks!A crowdfunding campaign also useful for presales or arguably presales is the reason why to do crowdfundingcampaigns.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=11998#respond)

    Visitor Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Best post in ages.Bravo!

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=11999#respond)

    Caroline from Radar Music Vide Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Hey thank you!

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12000#respond)

    Faza (TCM) Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Okay, I guess I have no choice but to engage in my standard schtick: what we have here is a post that begins with abunch of unsubstantiated assertions and then proceeds to build what is essentially a fantasy release schedule on top ofthose.Fantasy release schedules are fun, Ill be the first to admit, but after seeing masses of similar heres what you gottado posts over the years and very little evidence of the success of such strategies I suggest we backtrack a bit andactually examine the assertions a wee bit more closely:1.EPs are more affordable for whom? Artists? Not likely. A lot of the costs associated with production studio setup,sourcing artwork and the like and promotion will be fixed. This means that on a per-song basis EPs are a more

  • expensive option, especially if you release them more often. They may also not be more affordable to fans, since its

    likely that the bundled options will be more expensive, per-song, than the album equivalent, for similar reasons.

    2. EPs are an easy taste, but one thats also not very filling. They occupy a rather tricky middle ground between singles

    (where the buyer is only interested in one particular song) and albums (where the buyer wants a healthy dose of the

    artists music) and Im not convinced that theres actually a market niche there. (More on the singles issue in a bit.)

    3. EPs can be released more frequently and thats part of what makes them more expensive than albums, especially if

    you want to go through all the steps outlined in the post for each of them, see 1.

    4. EPs can generate more revenue per-track or they might just as well generate less. Data, please.

    5. EPs can keep fans more up to date but they also offer less new material, which can get tricky when planning a live

    set. Besides, this assumes a tighter release schedule, which leads to problems pointed out in 1 and 3.

    6. EPs are more flexible true, which is why in the past they were mostly used as special-purpose releases, as opposed

    to the main product line.

    The real reason the album is, supposedly, dead is track-unbundling, meaning that essentially all songs on an album are

    singles (eliminating the need to purchase an album for those songs that werent singles). That said, I know of no major

    artist that doesnt still release albums as their main thing, so perhaps this whole death of the album line is a bit

    overstated, yes?

    Coming back to point 2 for a moment, I believe there are now two kinds of music buyer/fan. The first just wants single

    tracks to slot into their playlist and put on shuffle. For them, it doesnt particularly matter what bundled format you

    choose, coz they wont be buying the bundle anyway. The other kind likes to listen to complete works and for them, an

    EP is likely to be unsatisfying its over just as they were getting warmed up.

    In any case, since theres more material on an LP, you stand a better chance of having something on there that will

    appeal either to a single-song hunter or will serve as an entry point for the bundle buyer.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12001#respond)

    Caroline from Radar Music Vide Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Hi,

    Well the reason we did this article is 1/ we noticed a lot of our smaller label & independent artist clients are

    putting out EPs and not putting out LPs. 2/ I attended a great panel at The Great Escape recently on this theme.

    Panellists were managers and journalists, all of them agreeing the merits of EP vs LP.

    It is a fantasy release schedule in the sense that any plan is a fantasty.

    All your other points are interesting, it depends on your recording cost base, which for most artists coming

    through are low, ditto artwork.

    And that IS true, it costs as much to promote a 4 track bundle as it does to promote a 12 track bundle. BUT

    singles and bundles are opportunities to generate and congregate press, attention, engagement. And better to do

    that 3 times a year than once a year?

    I think EP-better-than-LP proposition is much more applicable to artists coming up, rather than main market,

    major label artists whose audience probably arent so comfortable with EP formats anyway.

    It will be interesting to see whether iTunes/Neilson will create another EP chart

    Thanks for your comment,

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12002#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    The main argument for EPs is even if someone wants to give a new act more time to sink in, its usually not for

    ten tracks/45 mins. EPs are great for giving that taste and leaving them wanting more. And as long as you dont

    wait a year to put out another, youll have more music out.

    As for costs of recording, etc, you can still do it all at once, just release the songs split up. And in 2013, there are

    numerous ways to do so without incurring a substantial amount more cost.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12003#respond)

    David Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Ive noticed a tendency (not that I can quantify it) for artists to release an EP (4 or 5 tracks) then later to include the

    same tracks on a full-length album. (I think Laura Mvula is a case in point she had a 4-track EP in 2012, 3 tracks from

    which went onto her album in 2013, and all 4 onto the deluxe version.)

    Now this is fine for the artist, as they may sell the same tracks twice, but it can be annoying for the consumer if they

    were not expecting it. I think at least that if artists intend to do this they should make it clear in advance.

    There is also a danger that if you release your best material on an EP, and then include it on an album, the album itself

    is a letdown. I can think of at least one case of this (not Laura Mvula).

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12004#respond)

    Greek X-music industry insider Sunday, September 8, 2013

    There is no need for such detailed things to sell music focus on the quality of the music you are releasing, and on

    the timing of the release A good song, ep, lp etc. will find its way to the world/market.

    Also please keep in mind that at the end of the day if the product is not good, it doesnt matter how much money

  • youll spend on marketing advertisment etc the product will failInvest on creating music!

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12005#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    1. If someone gets some ideas out of this, whats the harm?2. Plenty of great artists get swallowed up in ocean of music out there.3. A significant amount of mainstream music is mediocre at best, but enough money pumped into it leads toenormous exposure/sales.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12006#respond)

    TheGreek Sunday, September 8, 2013

    1. its harmless did i say the opposite?2. can you please name a dozen of them (if you can then, they didnt swalloed up by the ocean ofmusic)? I can name only Sixto Rodriguez by the way3. can you please talk with numbers? for example do you know how much money invested on Gagas 1stalbum and on Gagas 2nd album, and what was the ROI of each? Do an exercise and check for bands thatmade their debute an had huge hit, then the record companies invest a lot to have more sales on thesecond album and because of the lack of a hit they never got their money back. When you sayenough money pumped into it leads to enormous exposure/sales i think you confuse exposure withsales its true that you will have exposure, and logical as well if you pay for ads etc, everyone willknow about your product but why do you think that this will lead to sales???Where is Duffy, Gabiella Cilmi etc? Do you think that their record company didnt follow the stepsmentioned on this article? Of cousre they did but their album were empty of hits (no offense aboutthose artits, they were just an example)

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12007#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    1. You said theres no need for detailed things. Reading detailed things can lead to ideas, sothere is need for them in a way. If some artist asked you for advice, youd just say Make greatmusic and release it? Wow, helpful.2. Uh, if you really think there arent great undiscovered artists in a country of 300M+ or a world ofa couple billion, I dunno what to tell you.3. I didnt confuse exposure with sales, which is why I wrote it as I did. And no, exposure does notalways lead to sales, but it still leads to exposure. Which is why a Paris Hilton single will getinfinitely more airplay than 99.9% of actual musicians, and even if it sells shitty, probably still sellmore than most of them. Or at the very least, millions more people are exposed to that music. Thelabel recouping their costs is irrevelant to my point.Also, I dont think you know how much money it costs to get the PR, marketing and radio promo toeven be able to cut into the mainstream market. Duffys first single was everywhere and herpromotion was pretty substantial, as well. The fact that she didnt catch on (after her first couplesingles which actually sold hugely) is, again, irrelevant to the intial point.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12008#respond)

    TheGreek Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Have you ever worked for the music industry? Have you ever worked with a breakthroughartist? Have you ever created an artist? Or you are here just for commenting other people(and pros sometimes) comments sitting in front of you pc and just read a lot about music,online?

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12009#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Ive worked in the music industry for almost ten years. Yes, Ive worked with abreakthrough artist, although very low on the totem pole, was still privy to plenty ofinfo. So please, tell me where Im wrong. Or just ignore all substance of my postaltogether

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12010#respond)

    DudeNoDyde Sunday, September 8, 2013

  • Digital listening is one thingFFWDFFWD, but if someone with a turntable goes to the trouble of droppin the needle,I believe the time spent with that vinyl should be as long as possible and the band should utilize as much of the realestate on the disc as possible.cheers!

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12011#respond)

    Matt Urmy Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Disagree. Fans will support the artists they love, despite format. Discovery is a separate issue, and you have to includesingles, and videos in that discussion. If you know your fans, and you make art that they crave, they will buy it whetherits 5 songs, or 10 songs.If you want to argue about business models, or smarter go-to-market strategy thats finebut title the article: EPs arebetter for business.At the end of the day, great music that is well promoted is what sells.Love this site by the wayquite entertaining.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12012#respond)

    Minneapolis Musician Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Most Important, before you do any of this:

    First: be able to reliably fill a 500-capacity room every 6 weeks in your hometown. And in any nearby town that is atleast 3-hours drive away.

    If you cannot do this, you do not have the popularity to be releasing yet another recording in the ocean of recordingsthat are out there.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12013#respond)

    FOH Perspective Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Ive been booking bands into clubs and festivals and doing sound professionally for over a decade, and I was a workingmusician for over a decade before that so my perspective.I prefer seeing bands do EPs to LPs. Assume I book a band into my room 4 times a year. Ive noticed that on average, aband will sell to10% of a new room. A cd release show will move 30- 50% perhaps, unless a cd is given with eachticket sold. Each subsequent time the band plays that same room, however, the percentage drops unless the band hasnew merchandise unavailable the previous show.EPs keeps fresh product on the table. It can be bundled with other EPs to form sets .. soJan / EP12013 comes outEP1=$7April / EP22013 comes outEP2 = $7EP1 = $5Purchased separately = $12Purchased together = $10

    July / EP32013 comes outEP3=$7,EP2=$5,EP1=$4.Purchased separately = $16Purchased together = $13.50

    Oct / EP42013 comes outEP4=$7EP3=$5EP2=$4EP1=$3SEPARATELY = $19TOGETHER = $15

    Maximizing merchandising options leads to increased sales metrics.Doing EPs keeps bands in studio perfecting studio craft and song craft. Keeping bands in studio provides for moresustainable revenue for studios, instead of the more typical on-off every 18 months that too often occurs.None of this will work for every band, or under every situation and exceptions abound in every case but myperspective from where I sit is that EPs are more valuable than LPs nowadays.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12014#respond)

    Michael Sunday, September 8, 2013

    This is essentially my reason for pushing for EPs: it gives people another reason to check out the same band inan overloaded market.Attention spans are very thin, these days. My impression is that more often is better than longer.

  • M

    A-lyric.com

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12015#respond)

    Jerry Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Since the market is overloaded isnt the last thing we should be doing is suggest that everyone quadruple

    their release schedule?

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12016#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    People will still not hear or listen to 99.9% of music released so doesnt really matter.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12017#respond)

    dave Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Sorry but every decade there seems to be a EP to replace LP initiative I remember as a kid buying CBS Nu-Disc 10

    EPs.. these were supposed to replace both the single and the LP!

    I think that in the digital world EP/LP/Single is irrelevant for many bands However, lets just keep EPs and LPs as two

    separate entities that can live in peace and harmony w/one another. Pretentious prog rock bands may also want to

    issue an EP as well! Just like a soul artist might want to issue an LP that is a cohesive artistic statement and snapshot of

    time.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12018#respond)

    tippysdemise Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Check the discography of any band you like (as huge as you like) where statistics are shown (streaming services etc.)

    and notice the fraction of plays and general attention that EPs receive relative to LPs in the discography.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12019#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    EPs are historically promoted far less than LPs, though. For the acts I am a fan of that have EPs, Id say almost

    across the board EPs were/are either early releases, self-released or on tiny labels just to get music out in the

    world, a supplement to an album that casual fans would ignore, basically just a filler if they knew itd be a while

    before more music, or something geared toward diehard fans, whether it was the afore mentioned idea or some

    b-sides/rarities, whatever.

    If youre going to go the EP as release route, you obviously have to structure it much differently than it

    traditionally has been.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12020#respond)

    Chris Sunday, September 8, 2013

    EPs are far better for an artists career than an LP WHY?For a start 2013 is all about engagement constant

    engagement. Traditionally youd write an album, release it then tour it a process that would be a 2- 4 year cycle.

    Think about that. Your fans only get one set of music every 2 4 years.As an artist writing 2 3 tracks every few

    months is far easier than writing 12 16 in one go. It also means you can keep feeding your fans desire for new

    content. Your fans expect soemthing for you every few weeks and will appreciate the constant attention.Albums are

    dissapearing from the publics psyche. A number one album in the UK now can be as few as 10,000 sales!Also from a

    purchase point of view Its difficult to make people spend 7.99 on 12 tracks. If someone loves one track at 79p its

    far easier to get them to think of doubling or trebbling their spend to a couple of pound to buy your EP. And think about

    that youve just doubled your revenue!Streaming and YouTube especially are all about the single so do that add on a

    couple of tracks and make people buy 4 to 5 EPS a year its the same as an album but youve got a constant flow of

    content out and revenue in.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12021#respond)

    Wampus Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Yeah, and EPs are certainly shallower, less ambitious, and less well-developed than LPs, which makes them perfect in a

    market for disposable goods.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12022#respond)

    DudeNoDude Sunday, September 8, 2013

  • EPs Tell and LPs Sell!

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12023#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    One of the stupidest things Ive read on here. I have some EPs Ill listen to any day over some albums that fallapart.Shorter length does not mean more shallow or less ambitious, it just means shorter. Or, hey, lets not toss thesemediocre songs on the record for the sake of making ten songs. If your artistic vision is a 20-25 minute span ofmusic, why is that worse than a 45 min span of music, which almost always has a weak spot(s).

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12024#respond)

    DudeNoDude Sunday, September 8, 2013

    I do have 25+ years experience, developing and promoting artists on the way up and always consideredcost vs. sales margins!EPs tell and LPs sell!Sure with a Lady GaGa and the likes who can sell EP tonnage because of an enormous cost effective salesbase, because theres volume to justify the costs with these incrumental EP sales. Everything related toEPs generally appeals to hardcore fans and collectorsIf your a band/artist with a low 1-10,000 potential EP sales base that goes right to your bottomline.Spending a bit more pressing an LP is more thorough and cost effective for budgeting purposes. Individualtastes will dicate what are___marginal songs__good songs and great songs!, but if you dont put them onthe pressing you wont know. Developing bands can put whatever they want on a LP: demo tracks, livesongs, alternative versions of songs, cover songs, anything that constitutes 38-60 minutes and greatartwork, etc.. Why limit yourself?Leave it to digital universe to test the waters on individual songs (look before you leap) These days onyour way up you have to mindful of your budget.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12025#respond)

    GGG Sunday, September 8, 2013

    I dont disagree with any of this. I still dont think and EP is an innately inferior thing because itsshorter, though.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12026#respond)

    anon Sunday, September 8, 2013

    Who is coming up with this crap?EPs as 12 inch singles are frowned upon by physical distributors. Much shoter shelf life than lp. Dont encourage labelsto waste money.And no one buys cd e.p.s or singles.

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12027#respond)

    Dirk van den Heuvel/Groove Dis Sunday, September 8, 2013

    I have to disagree with this post too. It seems to assume no physical product is being made. The timeline nevermentions manufacturing deadlines (4 weeks out, check tests pressings, etc).As a importer/distributor we find there are basically two markets: singles and albums. Very few EPs manage to appealto either one very well. The ones that DO, would have succeeded anyway. Many indie rock stores dont want to carrysingles and many EPs strike them as singles on steroids. LPs on the other hand they are happy to stock and keeprestocking.Also in the dance world most EPs are treated like singles ANYWAY. The day of a 2 track 12 single is long gone. So with4-5 tracks/remixes most 12 singles these days are EPs, but they are bought and sold like 12 singles. Not LPs. And noteven like mini-albums.

    So if this article is strictly about digital releases it may very well be correct, but if you are talking about releasingphysical product (vinyl records or CDs) forget about it. EPs are a middle ground compromise that MOST times doesntsatisfy the market.Dirk van den Heuvelgroovedis.com

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12028#respond)

    Chris Sunday, September 8, 2013

  • @Dirk and @anonOf course its digital only. UK has 99.8% of singles as digital the peoiple who make physical product

    are hipster indie bands (7 vinyl) and X Factor winners (CD singles) NOBODY else bothers with physical singles

    anymore in the UK

    Reply (/permalink/2013/08/21/pep?replytocom=12029#respond)

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