An extended-play record, for whatever that meant. Usually it meant more than one cut on at least one side. Some EP's were issued in 7-inch size but played at 33 RPM.

Also refers to the extended-play speed for VHS, allowing six hours of video recording on a standard-sized videocassette, at the cost of lower resolution than SP speed and faster degradation of quality over time.

Also known as SLP.

Even in the current age, a CD may be referred to as EP (extended play) if it has a few too many tracks to be a single, but not enough tracks to be an LP. EP's are typically released by independent bands because they don't have enough money to record a whole album's worth of material. An EP might have 5 or 6 tracks on it, and a total of 20 minutes of music on it. Appearance-wise, it looks like a normal CD.

Some people refer to CD singles as EPs as well. It's really a question of taste. Personally, I prefer to call those shorter, "single-length" recordings EPs only if they lack a defining track.

For instance, the Chemical Brothers' "Loops of Fury EP" is the only release to contain the letters EP in its title. The case is also made of white plastic instead of the usual black. This qualifies as an EP because all 4 tracks are different (read, not remixes of each other). Indeed, this release does not identify with any one album. You see, two of the tracks, Loops of Fury and These Beats Were Made For Breakin', appear on no album. Differing mixes of the other two tracks, "Chemical Beats (Dave Clarke Remix)" and the full version of "Get Up On It Like This", appear on two different albums, respectively Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole.