CD Single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The format was introduced in the mid to late 1980s, but didn't gain its place in the market until the early 1990s. CD singles soon eclipsed sales of other single formats like vinyl and the cassette single, but starting in the late 1990s, record companies began to issue fewer CD singles, to the point where Billboard Magazine changed their rules to allow singles without commercial releases to chart. As a result of this rule, the production and sales of CD singles greatly dropped in the United States. The release of CD singles in America continued into the 2000s, but 2001 saw the last major surge of CD single releases. Some record companies like Arista/BMG and the imprints of Sony Music Entertainment even tried re-releasing old singles to reboost the market, but to no avail. CD maxi singles, however, continue to exist in greater quantity for the dance music market. Just as the CD single replaced the 7" vinyl single (which co-existed with the cassette single), CD singles are being replaced by the digital download. Outside of the US, CD Singles still exist, but in form of (mostly) two-track EP's that don't feature any additional remixes, just the radio versions. Still these releases remain the number one source for determining chart positions for music charts, combined with the sale of digital downloads.

Album
An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites. The tracks on an album may be related by subject, mood or sound, and may even be designed to express a unified message or tell a story (as in the case of a concept album), or the tracks may simply represent a convenient grouping of recordings made at one time or place, or recordings whose commercial rights are controlled by a single record label. A group of audio tracks is considered to be an album if it has a generally consistent track list (often with minor differences or bonus tracks in different territories, or if the album is "reissued" at different times). An album may be released in a single format, such as on compact disc, or in multiple media formats, ranging from physical ones such as CDs, DVD audio, cassettes and vinyl records, to digital ones such as MP3 and AAC files or streaming audio. Early record "albums" were in book form, resembing photograph albumsThe term "record album" originated from the fact that 78 RPM Phonograph disc records were kept together in a book resembling a photo album. The first collection of records to be called an "album" was Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, released in April 1909 as a four-disc set by Odeon Records.[1][2] It retailed for 16 shillings — about Ј56 (US$101) in 2005 currency. In 1948, Columbia produced the first 12", 33? RPM microgroove record made of vinylite.[1] With a running time of 23 minutes per side, these new records contained as much music as the old-style album of records and, thus, took on the name "album". For many years, the standard industry format for popular music was an album of twelve songs, originally the number related to payment of composer royalties. Traditionally, an album ranged in duration from half an hour to an hour, depending on the genre and record label. American pop albums tended to be around a half hour; British pop albums were somewhat longer, often containing 14 songs instead of 11 or 12; jazz albums were longer still; and classical albums were the longest of all. From the dawn of the "album era" (in jazz, about 1954; in rock, about 1962) until about the mid-1960s, albums were often recorded as quickly as possible, sometimes in single sessions. (Prestige Records and Blue Note Records were famous for this; as well, the Beatles' first album and the Byrds first four albums were all largely recorded in single sessions.) Vinyl LP records had two sides, each comprising one half of the album. If a pop or rock album contained tracks released separately as commercial singles, these were often traditionally placed in particular positions on the album. A common configuration was to have the album led off by the second and third singles, followed by a ballad. The first single would lead off side 2. In the past, many singles (such as the Beatles' "Hey Jude") did not appear on albums, but others (such as the Beatles' "Come Together" and "Something") were also part of an album released concurrently. Today many commercial albums of music tracks feature one or more singles, which are released separately to radio, TV or the Internet as a way of promoting the album. Albums have also been issued that are compilations of older tracks not originally released together, such as singles not originally found on albums, b-sides of singles, or unfinished "demo" recordings. Today, with the vinyl record no longer being used as the primary form of distribution, the term "album" can still be applied to any sound recording collection, such as those on compact disc, MiniDisc, Compact audio cassette, and digital or MP3 albums. Cover art is also considered an integral part of the album. Many albums also come with liner notes and inserts giving background information or analysis of the recording, reprinted lyrics, images of the performers, or additional artwork and text. These are now often found in the form of CD booklets. Due to the large capacity of new media (compact discs originally ran to 74 minutes, later extended to 80 minutes) and the lack of any formal "side" divisions, the matter of how long an album should be is open to debate. According to the rules of the UK Charts, a recording counts as an "album" if either it has at least four tracks or lasts more than 20 minutes.[citation needed] Sometimes shorter albums are referred to as EPs, an abbreviation of extended play, "extended" meaning longer than a single. The term "mini-album" may also be used. If an album becomes too long to fit this format, a recording artist may make the decision to release a double album where two vinyl LPs or compact discs are packaged together in a single case, or even a triple album, with recordings stretching over three separate media. Recording artists who have an extensive back catalogue will often re-release several CDs in one single box with a unified design, often containing one or more albums, or a compilation of previously unreleased recordings. These are known as box sets. Some musical artists have also released more than three compact discs or LP records of new recordings at once, in the form of boxed sets, although in that case the work is still usually considered to be an album.

Extended play
Extended Play was the original name for the television show on G4 named X-Play.
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 (5–15 minutes), and an EP four to seven (or around 15–25 minutes). Some artists, especially in the days of vinyl, have released full-length albums that could fit the definition of a modern-day EP (Yes's Close to the Edge is nearly 39 minutes long; the Norwegian band Ulver's album Bergtatt is only 34 minutes, Prince's Dirty Mind is seconds short of a full half hour.) Conversely, there are EPs that are long enough to be albums (Marilyn Manson's Smells Like Children for example, which is 54 minutes long; Estradasphere's The Silent Elk of Yesterday clocks in at 74 minutes and Opiate By Tool also has achieved mainstream success). This is particularly the case with the rare double EP, which contains two discs. There are also some EPs which are even shorter than the standard single. It has become customary in recent years for new bands to release their first release nominally as an "EP" to give it more grand connotations than a single. By giving the release a unique name (as opposed to it being named after the lead track on the CD) the band can garner more attention for the other tracks on the CD. Using the example of Arctic Monkeys, by calling their first release Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys rather than Fake Tales of San Francisco (the first track on the CD) they also put the second track "From The Ritz to the Rubble" in the limelight. Thus, Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys is more akin to a double-A side than a standard EP. Subsequently, similar releases by other new bands could be described as "triple-A sides" or even "quadruple-A sides". A remix single is not considered an EP unless it also has other songs on it (an EP/single hybrid). The name "extended play" has become something of a misnomer, for though it originally was used for singles that were extended beyond the standard length, it is now more often synonymous with an album that is shorter than usual; indeed, EPs are sometimes referred to as "mini-albums" (see below). For this reason, among others, they are referred to as "EPs", the full name being used much more rarely. EPs were released in various sizes in different eras. In the 1950s and 1960s, EPs were typically 45 RPM recordings on 7" (18cm) disks, with two songs on each side. By coincidence, the format gained wide popularity with the coming of Elvis Presley, and it is sometimes erroneously stated that the term "EP" derived from his initials. Nevertheless, he practically ruled the Billboard EP charts, hitting the top 10 sixteen different times, six of them going to number 1, the latter staying at the top for 86 weeks. Through his EPs, Presley earned 6 Gold, 10 Platinum, of which 2 were Multi-Platinum RIAA certifications, representing sales in excess of 16.5 million units, the most ever, by any recording artist, whether solo, or group. However, some classical music albums released at the beginning of the LP era were also distributed as EP albums - notably the seven operas that Arturo Toscanini conducted on radio between 1944 and 1954. These operas, originally broadcast on NBC radio, were made available both in 45 RPM and 33 1/3 RPM. In the 1990's, they began appearing on compact disc. During the 1950's, RCA Victor released several EP albums of Walt Disney films, containing both the story and the songs. These usually featured the original casts of the films. Each album contained two records, plus a fully illustrated booklet containing the complete text of the recording, so that children could follow along. Some of the titles included Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and what was then a recent release, the 1954 version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The case of 20,000 Leagues was highly unusual in that, not only did it not use the film's cast, but years later, a 12-inch 33 1/3 RPM album of the film, with nearly the identical script and yet another totally different cast, was issued by Disneyland Records in conjunction with the 1963 re-release of the film. In 1967, The Beatles released a double-EP containing all the songs from their TV film Magical Mystery Tour. In the 1970s and 1980s there was less standardization, and EPs were made on 7" (18cm), 10", or 12" (30cm) discs running either 33? or 45 RPM. Some novelty EPs used odd shapes and colours, and a few were picture discs. Alice in Chains is the first and only band to ever have an EP reach #1 on Billboard album chart. The EP, Jar of Flies was released 25 January, 1994.

Maxi single
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A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks (generally an a-side song and a b-side song).

The first maxi-singles
The term came into wide use in the 1980s, where it usually referred to 12" vinyl singles with 3 or 4 tracks. A typical practice was to release a 2-song single on 7" vinyl and cassette, and a maxi-single on 12" vinyl.

The early CD era
When CDs began to appear as a single format in the late 1980s (see CD single), songs were often released in two CD formats simultaneously, as a logical application of the vinyl record format to CD. There would be a regular single on a 3" CD with two tracks, similar to a 7" record. There would also be a full-size 5" CD, often with 3 or 4 tracks, which was considered the maxi-single despite often containing only marginally more music than its smaller counterpart.

Cassette maxi-singles
Occasionally, a cassette single would also be released in two cassette formats simultaneously: a traditional cassingle with two tracks and a cassette maxi-single with more tracks, generally remixes. This practice was experimented with in the early 1990s but was uncommon even then.

1990s CD maxi-singles
Shortly after the advent of the 1990s, CD had clearly become the music format of choice. As the 1990s progressed, nearly every single released was available on CD, and vinyl and cassette single releases gradually became less common. The UK became a thriving market for CD singles, but in 1998 the UK Chart Supervisory Committee reduced the maximum playing time of chart-eligible CD singles from 40 to 20 minutes, though 12" vinyl singles could still play for up to 40 minutes. While Maxi-CDs had been much loved among the dance community, as most if not all of the remixes that had been commissioned by the label could be released commercially, lobbying by artists in other genres who felt obliged to record extra and cover tracks to provide enough material for their single releases was to blame for the rule change. As a result, UK singles from the mid-1998 often appeared as 3 separately-sold CDs with 3 tracks each, or more commonly, 2 CDs and an extra format (such as 7", 12" or DVD single). Very often, at least 1 track was common to all formats. Single releases in the US and elsewhere still included many tracks (primarily remixes) and called themselves maxi-singles to differentiate from the 3-track UK versions.

Digital maxi singles
A digital maxi single is a series of digital downloads mostly containing remixes. Unlike a normal maxi single, tracks can be bought and sold based on preference. In terms of chart usage, even if a single had a maxi single and a digital maxi single released with the exact same content, they would still be counted differently. For instance, the maxi single would be counted as two points, while the digital maxi single (if all songs were downloaded and if the single were to contain the standard five tracks) would be counted as ten points.

The maxi-single today
With music stores in the US devoting significantly less shelf space to singles, the format's future in the US remains in doubt. In the UK, having watched sales of CDs drop since the previous rule change, and amid allegations that the consumer no longer felt that UK issued singles were good value for money, the Chart Supervisory Committee once again changed the rules governing the formats of singles released in the UK. From early 2003, a format described as a "Maxi-CD" was reintroduced, alongside a new 2-track CD single with a lower retail price. The current UK rules allow for up to 40 minutes of audio tracks on a Maxi-CD, as long as all tracks are remixes of the title track. In practice, however, many UK Maxi-CDs still contain only 3 mixes and come nowhere near the maximum allowable playing time. However, releases on dance labels (such as EMI's Positiva) are nearly always Maxi-CDs in the true sense, with more than 3 mixes

Music Industry
A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official and legal music single available for purchase through an online store. Popular examples of online music stores that sell digital singles and albums include Apple's iTunes and Napster. Digital downloads are often encoded with DRM that make it impossible to make additional copies of the music or play purchased songs on a playing device from a competing hardware manufacturer. For example, songs purchased from Apple's iTunes will only play on Apple's iPod. A way to get around DRM is to burn purchased songs to a CD, then transfer them onto the computer again from the CD in the desired unprotected format. This results in a slight loss of sound quality due to additional encoding/decoding of the music (called transcoding). Legal music downloads have existed since 2000.

United States
Legal music downloads were first compiled by Billboard in 2003, but they didn't gain mainstream acceptance in the United States until around February 2005, when digital sales for singles started to be included in the Billboard Hot 100 and other Billboard charts. In the year before, the Hot 100 chart was very similar to the Hot 100 Airplay chart, because there were only minor CD-single sales affecting the chart. The inclusion of digital singles has immensely helped many songs chart and peak higher, including Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" which became her second-highest peaking Hot 100 single thanks to digital sales. Another example is Britney Spears's "Do Somethin'" which wasn't released as a radio single, but charted in 2005 due to top-fifty (number forty-nine) digital sales.

RIAA Certification and American records
Single certifications were introduced in February 2005. Songs that sell a certain number of copies are often certified by the RIAA with the permission of the artist and the record company. In November 2005, the record for the bestselling digital single in the United States was held by Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl", which has sold over one million downloads, making it the first song to achieve diamond download status. Since then, "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter has overcome it in terms of sales to become the bestselling digital single. The highest week sales was held by "Gold Digger" by hip-hop star Kanye West. (It is now held by "Hips Don't Lie" by Latin-pop star Shakira when she sold 267,000 downloads in the first week of June, certifing her platinum in just one week, a feat that had never been achieved until then.) The single beat the previous record holder, Gwen Stefani, in the week of September 8, 2005, and has sold enough copies to be certified quadruple platinum (though it hasn't been certified yet). The song also is responsible for ending Mariah Carey's fourteen week run of her come-back single, "We Belong Together". The underground dance music scene has not been left out either with the digital download network Beatport.com hitting its one million download mark in 2005.

United Kingdom
The UK Official Download Chart was launched on September 1, 2004, and included any Permanent Digital Download track, under 10 minutes long, being sold for a minimum price of 40p (0.4 GBP). In January 2005, downloaded tracks outsold physical singles for the first time in UK music history, prompting The Official UK Charts Company to incorporate downloads for the first time into the UK Singles Chart on April 17, 2005.