For a first release, what is better, an EP or an LP

[jndietz]

We have enough material to release an LP, but would it be more beneficial to pick our five best songs and put them on an EP record for promotional use?

What do you guys think is a better route to take?

[Seafroggys]

it doesn't matter....the CD's will cost the same to make either way.

Side note though, I've never liked EP's. The actual real EP's are irrelevant to the test of time (does anybody actually care about the British only Magical Mystery Tour EP? no...didn't think so), and I always felt that EP's nowadays (why call them EP's when they're on CD's or pure digital?) are just money grabbing machines in between albums.

And what's the line in between EP's and Albums?

Just release some free songs off the album to promote it, then release an "LP" or hwatever you want to call it.

[Erockrazor]

Originally Posted by Seafroggys

And what's the line in between EP's and Albums?

EP = Up to 36 minutes
LP = 30-80 minutes

Originally Posted by wikipedia

In the United Kingdom, the Official Chart Company defines a cut off between EP and album classification at 25 minutes length or four tracks (plus alternative versions of featured songs)

[Erockrazor]

To the OP.

I've released 3 albums and 0 LP's. I have a few friend's bands that have gone on to release 1 EP and then break up. It's as if they're building it up to be some miraculous release and the thing just never even comes out because they break up after the first EP. I take the stand that it's important to put out your work because you never know who is going to like it. The song that you didn't want to put on your album may be the only one that a select fan LOVES. This isn't the traditional case when releasing an album, you typically want only your favorite or "best" songs. I value quantity as well as quality so I put the songs that my bands write on the album (mostly).

So my final say.. If you have enough content to release an LP and you are proud of that content, then release the LP. It would be a shame to only put out 4 instead of 10 songs because your band released an EP instead of the LP, then broke up. That is 6 songs that the general public never had a chance to enjoy or loathe.

Either way, freaking release SOMETHING.

[mrhotapples]

The medium is irrelevant. Be it the internet or a CD or vinyl or tape, putting out an EP of 3-4 songs and some bonus material (a song that isn't marketable, maybe a special version of one of the other songs, a remix, a video, whatever) is good promotion for a full-length LP.

I say you demo the whole album at home, pick the songs that sound good and put them on an EP as such, keep it under 30 minutes, and take the songs you don't think worked out and keep working on them. In fact, keep working on everything; what worked as your first EP release can still get better and change before it's final recording as an album.

The basic idea nowadays is to release as much as you can, it's easy to lose track of and stop caring about a new band nowadays. Even if it's a remix or an acoustic version or some kind of weird cover, release stuff, create hype, and worry about the LP when you're already famous. You'll sell more copies.