Releasing new music can be all fun, but understanding the different modes of release can also get a little overwhelming for budding artists. When it comes to releasing the latest pieces of music, an artist can go for an EP or an album. As a music artist, if you release your soundtracks in these two particular methods, then you will get the chance to reach out to more audiences within a brief time. These can be an excellent career strategy for the long term. It is seen that EP and album can help to have a much deeper impact on the audience. However, when a rising musician is about to release their tracks, it is important to understand whether an album or an EP, which one is more impactful. If you can opt for the right music distribution strategy, then you will get the chance to attain more fame and recognition. Here are a few things regarding EP and album that you should know if you are a rising artist-
Ø What are the key elements of an EP and an album?
Both EP and album have a few significant key elements that make them different from each other. These are a few key aspects that shouldn’t be avoided-
1. Expected audience engagement:
Every music maker is trying to build engagement with their listeners by offering various pieces of music. When you are about to release your soundtracks, your expectation of audience engagement plays a huge role. EPs are extremely useful when it comes to introducing new audiences to your music. This can help one to understand your style. Listening to an EP is much easier compared to an album. As they are easy to digest, releasing an EP is a better decision to keep the audience hooked. On the other hand, an album is more of showcasing your artistry. This particular release can be a brilliant choice for your existing audiences, as they like to listen to more of your music. It can be a much better approach and build a deeper connection.
2. Promotion strategy:
Music promotion is an integral part of every musician’s career. Without the help of promotion, it is quite hard to have an impact on the audience. If you release an EP, then promoting it can get way easier. In an EP, there are fewer number of soundtracks. So, you will get the chance to focus on each track and conduct a more effective promotion. But, with an album, you will not get the chance to do promotion in such a well-mannered. An album has plenty of songs, which makes it a little hard to promote. It is seen that you need to conduct a campaign for a long time to promote an album. Only this way, you will get the chance to boost engagement among your listeners. Thus, an album is much harder to promote than an EP.
3. Learn the length and structure of EP and album:
One of the major differences between an EP and an album is its length. EP is known as Extended Play. There are usually 3 to 6 songs in an EP. These many tracks are enough to showcase your sound to the listeners. And in an album, there are more number of songs. It is seen that in an album, there are nearly 8 to 15 songs on average. It is basically for a deep exploration of an artist. The structure of an EP and an album is quite different in many ways. Therefore, an artist needs to understand what form of release is suitable for them. This way, one will get the chance to release more soundtracks seamlessly.
4. Career goals:
When it comes to long-term career goals, EP and album play a significant role. When you are new in the music scenario and find your true audience, then an EP can be a useful option. This way, you will get the chance to showcase your individual music style and eventually grow your brand. It can help you to intrigue more audiences in a hassle-free way. On the other hand, if you are looking for recognition in the industry and showcase your artistic elements, then an album can be the right option.
5. Production cost:
The production cost has a huge difference between an EP and an album. When you are releasing an EP, then you have lesser number of songs to mix and master. You will get the chance to experiment more and get professional quality without paying much. On the other hand, in an album, there are plenty of songs that you need to work on. When you have to mix, master, and opt for professional tools for 10 songs, then definitely your production cost will increase. In this matter, you have to spend more time in the studio as well, which will directly affect the production cost. Hence, for an EP, you do not have to spend bigger amounts than you would with an album.
Between an album and an EP, there are a few major elements that make them different from each other. Now let’s find out which one is better for a rising star based on its pros and cons-
ü What are the pros of an EP?
· Time efficient:
An EP is quite time-efficient, which is one of its biggest perks. In an EP, an artist does not have to provide a large number of songs. As EPs have fewer songs, one needs to put in less effort, too. So, it can be said that one can seamlessly prepare an EP within a brief time in a hassle-free way.
· Pocket-friendly:
As a budding artist, you will get the opportunity to release an EP without spending much money. It doesn’t require that much money because there isn’t much to invest in. You have fewer songs in an EP, so you will get to save a lot of money on music production. Therefore, you will get to present an EP without wasting any money.
· Less stressful:
When you are working on a large-scale music project, you have to put in more effort. In an EP, you do not have to offer more tracks than an album. Hence, when you have less work, you will get the opportunity to take your time and accomplish it in a much more relaxed way. It can be said that making an EP can be less stressful.
· Boost engagement:
With the help of an EP, an artist will get the chance to showcase their charm in an effortless manner. You can offer some captivating pieces of music and create engagement among them quite easily. It is seen that with the help of an EP, boosting engagement among all music enthusiasts is truly seamless.
ü What are the cons of an EP?
· Lesser opportunity to narrate:
One of the major cons of an EP is that an artist does not get to narrate enough. In an EP, there are less number of songs. And that is why musicians do not get the chance to convey more with the help of an EP. It is a drawback that can be a little problematic for a music maker.
· ‘One-Hit Wonder’ concept:
If you are trying to captivate your audience with your songs, then you have to release more songs after the EP release. The consistency in such a release is quite less. That is why it is seen that artists face a little bit of difficulty in holding on to their listeners.
ü What are the pros of albums?
· Storytelling opportunity:
With the help of an album, you will get to tell a story to your listeners. Every musician conveys their stories through their songs. Thus, when you are releasing an album, you are getting the chance to release a large number of songs and do a deeper depiction. Other than the album, you will not get the chance to attain such advantages.
· Build emotional connection:
When you are releasing more songs, you are getting more time to influence the audience and build an emotional connection. You will get the chance to reach out to more number of audience in this particular manner. Therefore, growing in the industry would be much easier with the help of an album.
· Media coverage:
In most cases, it is seen that radio channels and media outlets prefer albums more. Whenever there is an album release, media companies prefer to cover it more than anything else. Releasing an album can be a great way to attain more media coverage in a hassle-free way. So, it is another perk that can be achieved with the help of an album.
ü What are the cons of an album?
· Massive production cost:
Producing an album is not an easy task. It is seen that if you have to produce a full album, then you have to spend a lot of money. With the help of an album, you have to release plenty of songs. So, when you are delivering a larger number of tracks, your production cost will also increase at a large scale, which is extremely problematic for artists.
· Overlooked tracks:
A lot of the time, it is seen that in an album, many songs are overlooked. Listeners are not always interested in listening to a whole bunch of music. Mostly, people listen to the songs that have already gained popularity. As an artist, you are offering all the songs to showcase your talent. If a bunch of them get overlooked by the listeners, then all the efforts are wasted.
Both EP and album are great in many ways. However, when it comes to music release for an emerging artist, an EP is a much better option. Releasing an EP is way easier than releasing an album. At the beginning, taking care of a large-scale project can be much difficult. So, EP can be a wise choice for all the budding artists.
