RULEZ (or WHAT A F***IN' GEEK!)
I'm about 1000% sure that absolutely nobody but me cares about THIS.
The UK chart rules are ever changing. When I first started really collecting imports, the rules for singles were pretty loose. You could release as many different formats (7" single, CD single, 12" single, etc) with whatever marketing gimmick you could think of (posters, postcards, coloured vinyl, picture discs, etc). And so long as the single clocked in under 40 minutes, it would still qualify for the singles chart (and not have to compete in the albums chart). All these things were allowed and utilized to try to get a single into the UK charts.
Over the years, the rules changed. They limited the amount of formats allowed (2 CD singles and a DVD single or a 7" single, a CD single and a DVD single, or like the more recent trend-- 2 7" singles and a CD single). They limited how long the single could be (25 minutes or under). They even limited what kind of freebies could be given. Nowadays, the only thing that could be given away that would still be chart eligible is a small folded poster. One of the biggest rule change that they implemented was the limitation of how many actual songs could be available on each single. In the past, a "single" could have as many as 7 new songs. One CD could have the lead track and 3 b-sides. And the second CD could have the same lead track (or even an alternate version of the lead track) and 3 entirely different b-sides. This totally gave the buyers value for money. In 2004, they changed the rules so that one CD was only allowed a maximum of 2 songs. And the second "maxi" CD was only allowed a maximum of 3 songs (including the lead track), for a total of 3 new songs across 2 CDs. And thus getting rid of the classic "e.p." format that was used for years and years (as far back as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones-era rock).
Of course, not everybody stuck to these rules. Many bands couldn't give a rat's ass about making it into the charts. But the majority of record labels (both indie and major) chose to abide by these rules.
This year, however, changed. I recently just found out that in conjunction with allowing digital downloads of singles that are no longer physically available to be chart eligible, they've also implemented a new rule allowing one CD to, once agan, contain four tracks (with maximum of 25 total playing time).
Personally, I'm very happy to see this happen. I've always liked the idea of 4-track e.p.'s. There isn't a need to come up with a full album of songs where only four or five songs were good while the rest was filler. With an e.p., you can release the best four songs and that's it. It also allows for a stop gap between albums. Some of my favorite bands have released some great e.p.'s (Ride's Today Forever, Mansun's cleverly titled Two e.p., My Bloody Valentine's Tremolo e.p.).
I hope a ton of bands take advantage of this new "old" rule. It will give them the opportunity to release more music and even experiment musically without having to put the songs on a full length album.
LONG LIVE THE E.P.!!
The UK chart rules are ever changing. When I first started really collecting imports, the rules for singles were pretty loose. You could release as many different formats (7" single, CD single, 12" single, etc) with whatever marketing gimmick you could think of (posters, postcards, coloured vinyl, picture discs, etc). And so long as the single clocked in under 40 minutes, it would still qualify for the singles chart (and not have to compete in the albums chart). All these things were allowed and utilized to try to get a single into the UK charts.
Over the years, the rules changed. They limited the amount of formats allowed (2 CD singles and a DVD single or a 7" single, a CD single and a DVD single, or like the more recent trend-- 2 7" singles and a CD single). They limited how long the single could be (25 minutes or under). They even limited what kind of freebies could be given. Nowadays, the only thing that could be given away that would still be chart eligible is a small folded poster. One of the biggest rule change that they implemented was the limitation of how many actual songs could be available on each single. In the past, a "single" could have as many as 7 new songs. One CD could have the lead track and 3 b-sides. And the second CD could have the same lead track (or even an alternate version of the lead track) and 3 entirely different b-sides. This totally gave the buyers value for money. In 2004, they changed the rules so that one CD was only allowed a maximum of 2 songs. And the second "maxi" CD was only allowed a maximum of 3 songs (including the lead track), for a total of 3 new songs across 2 CDs. And thus getting rid of the classic "e.p." format that was used for years and years (as far back as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones-era rock).
Of course, not everybody stuck to these rules. Many bands couldn't give a rat's ass about making it into the charts. But the majority of record labels (both indie and major) chose to abide by these rules.
This year, however, changed. I recently just found out that in conjunction with allowing digital downloads of singles that are no longer physically available to be chart eligible, they've also implemented a new rule allowing one CD to, once agan, contain four tracks (with maximum of 25 total playing time).
Personally, I'm very happy to see this happen. I've always liked the idea of 4-track e.p.'s. There isn't a need to come up with a full album of songs where only four or five songs were good while the rest was filler. With an e.p., you can release the best four songs and that's it. It also allows for a stop gap between albums. Some of my favorite bands have released some great e.p.'s (Ride's Today Forever, Mansun's cleverly titled Two e.p., My Bloody Valentine's Tremolo e.p.).
I hope a ton of bands take advantage of this new "old" rule. It will give them the opportunity to release more music and even experiment musically without having to put the songs on a full length album.
LONG LIVE THE E.P.!!