A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini-LP is not to be confused with the Japanese CDs issued in a "mini LP sleeve" or "paper jacket". In South Korea, a mini album () is a type of music release that contains 4-7 songs. It is shorter than a full album but longer than a

single album ''Single Album'' is the fourteenth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX, released on February 26, 2021. It is the band's first studio album in nearly five years, since 2016’s '' First Ditch Effort'', marking the longest gap between ...

. It is usually synonymous with

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, however, some music distributors may classify mini albums with 7 or more songs as an album. Artists often use the chronological placement of a mini album in their discography as part of the title of the release. For example, '' 2NE1 1st Mini Album'' or '' Taste of Love: The 10th Mini Album''.

History

Mini-LPs became popular in the early 1980s with record companies who targeted consumers who were reluctant to buy full-length and full-priced albums.Grein, Paul (1982) "Retailers, Labels Predict Greater Role for Mini-LPs", ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', 30 October 1982, p. 1, 67 Several mini-LPs had been released in the late 1970s, including

John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Around this time, he performed on stage with sev ...

's ''

Walking Back to Happiness ''Walking Back to Happiness'' is the third album by John Cooper Clarke, originally released on 10" clear vinyl in 1979,Gimarc, George (2005) ''Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock 1970-1982'', Backbeat Books, , p. 215 The format was usually 12-inch or 10-inch

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

, with a playing time of between twenty and thirty minutes, and around seven tracks.Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition'', Canongate, They were often used as a way of introducing new acts to the market or as a way of releasing interim albums by established acts between their main albums.

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

introduced the 10-inch ''Nu-Disk'' format in the early 1980s (an example being

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

's 1980 release ''

Found All the Parts ''Found All the Parts'' is an EP released by Cheap Trick in 1980. It was released on a 10-inch disc as part of Epic Records' short-lived Nu-Disk series. The EP also contained a bonus promotional 7" single of "Everything Works If You Let It". '' ...

''), but they found it difficult to merchandise, and 12-inch mini-LPs became more common. Notable mini-LPs of the early 1980s included U2's ''

Under a Blood Red Sky ''Under a Blood Red Sky'' is a live album by Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released on 21 November 1983. The record's eight tracks were compiled from three concerts during the group's 1983 War Tour, including two songs from ...

'', which reached number 2 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

in 1983,U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky
Chart Stats, retrieved 15 December 2009 and

The Honeydrippers The Honeydrippers were an English rock and roll band of the 1980s, deriving their name from Roosevelt Sykes, an American blues singer also known as "Honeydripper". Former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant formed the group in 1981 to sati ...

' '' Volume 1'', which reached number 4 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1984.Denberg, Jody (1985) "Dancing in the Streets", ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'', December 1985, p. 198

Independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

s often released mini-LPs by artists before releasing full-length albums. In 1987, 4AD took this approach with both

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

'' Come on Pilgrim'' debut and the second album by

Throwing Muses Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originall ...

, ''

The Fat Skier ''The Fat Skier'' is a mini-LP by Throwing Muses, released on 6 July 1987 on the 4AD label in the UK and licensed to Sire Records in the US.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 546 It played at 33 ⅓ RPM on ...

''.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, In 2018,

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

spearheaded an effort to release five mini-albums from five different artists in five weeks. He led the release of ''

Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Da ...

'' by

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...

, '' Ye'' by Kanye West, ''

Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all-caps) was an American hip hop music, hip hop duo (music), duo composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Kanye West#2017–2019: Ye and the Wyoming Sessions, Wyoming sessions, ...

'' by

(a project consisting of Kanye West and

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

), ''

K.T.S.E. ''K.T.S.E.'' (an initialism of ''Keep That Same Energy'') is the second studio album by American recording artist Teyana Taylor, released on June 22, 2018, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. Following the release of ''VII'' in 2014, Taylor t ...

'' by

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert ( Taylor; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Afterwards, she choreographe ...

and ''

Nasir Nasir ( ar, ناصر, translit=Nāṣir) is a masculine given name, commonly found in Arabic which can mean "helper" or "one who gives victory" (grammatically the Stem I masculine singular active participle of consonantal verb root ''n-ṣ-r''). ...

'' by

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

References

Album types Audio storage Recorded music {{album-stub