First of all here are a few brief descriptions:
The EP:
Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single but are too short to qualify as albums. Usually, an album has eight or more tracks (anywhere between 25–80 minutes), a single has one to three (up to 10 minutes) and an EP four to seven (or around 10–25 minutes).
The Demo:
This is a trial recording of a song or album. Such recordings are done as promotional recording to obtain work or a Music contract. They usually consist of up to three songs & serves as a example of their capabilities.
Now on to the BIG question – Do I make a demo or an EP?
Well, this is up to personal choice & it depends somewhat on what you are hoping to do with your music. “Pop” (very contemporary) music tends to do much better with the support of record labels. Labels are happy to put money behind these artists because they market them to the masses & have a higher rate of return on their investment. Keep in mind though that competition is rife so your best chance is to invest in making a radio quality demo. Labels are known to put demo songs straight to radio if it is of good enough quality because it saves them time & money.
If you are an indie, rock or slightly obscure artist you can do just as well going it alone. We are fortunate enough these days to have some great initiatives for unsigned musicians. For example in Australia we have Nova unsigned & radio stations like Triple J who will air your music. They do however require your tracks to be of radio quality. That means a high quality recording that is possibly mastered as well. This costs money & that’s why the EP or album trumps the demo for the indie artist. It’s only one step further than the demo but you can sell an EP or album on sites such as C.D. Baby or your own personal website. You are able to make money straight away & start booking gigs. This makes more sense than spending money on making a quality demo, sending out hundreds of copies & waiting months for responses or any return on your investment.
The other good news about investing in your own music & making an EP over a demo is that you can still get picked up by a label. In fact labels tend to be more interested when they see you have created your own fan base & have done a lot of the work for them. It gives you leverage in making a deal because a label will have to offer you things that you can’t do for yourself.
All in all, what we’ve discovered is that at the end of the day a good quality demo can take as much work & money to make as an EP so for many of us, the choice is obvious.
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