EP Release Advertising Cost: Budgets for Extended Plays

EP release advertising cost typically falls between single and album budgets, ranging from $300 for basic promotion to $5,000 or more for comprehensive campaigns. EPs offer more content than singles while requiring less investment than full albums.

What EP Advertising Costs Include

EP advertising budgets cover:

• Lead single promotion (if releasing advance track)
• EP announcement and pre-save campaigns
• Release week comprehensive push
• Post-release sustaining
• Multiple track promotion options
• Video content support if applicable

EPs typically contain 4-7 tracks, providing multiple promotion angles without the extended timeline commitment of album campaigns.

How to Budget for EP Releases

Budget tiers for EP releases:

Minimal budget ($300-500):

• Single platform focus
• Release week concentration
• Limited pre-release promotion
• Basic awareness goals

Standard budget ($750-1,500):

• Multi-platform presence
• Full campaign lifecycle
• Lead single support
• Meaningful audience building

Professional budget ($1,500-3,500):

• Comprehensive platform coverage
• Extended pre-release building
• Testing and optimization
• Significant scale potential

Premium budget ($3,500-5,000+):

• Major release treatment
• Video integration
• Influencer consideration
• Multi-week comprehensive campaign

Key Considerations

• EP budgets typically 1.5-3x single budgets
• Shorter timeline than album campaigns
• Lead single strategy affects budget distribution
• Creative assets should cover multiple tracks
• Track individual song performance
• EP provides testing ground for album investment levels

Common Questions

How does EP budget allocation differ from albums?

EP campaigns run shorter timelines with adjusted allocation:

Pre-release (2-4 weeks):

• 15-20% of budget
• Lead single support
• EP announcement

Release week:

• 45-50% of budget (higher concentration than albums)
• Maximum push
• Multi-platform presence

Post-release (2-4 weeks):

• 30-40% of budget
• Momentum sustaining
• Secondary track promotion

Comparison to album allocation:

• EP concentrates more in release week
• EP has shorter pre-release building
• EP has shorter post-release sustaining
• Overall timeline: 6-10 weeks versus 12-20 weeks for albums

Should lead single get separate budget?

Lead single budget approaches:

Separate budget approach:

• Lead single: $150-300 (released 2-4 weeks before EP)
• EP campaign: $500-1,500
• Total: $650-1,800

Integrated budget approach:

• All budget in EP campaign
• Lead single promoted within pre-release phase
• No separate single campaign
• Total: $500-1,500

Separate approach advantages:

• Maximum impact on single
• Clear performance data
• Builds audience for EP

Integrated approach advantages:

• Simpler planning
• Unified messaging
• Better budget efficiency

For budgets under $750, integrated approach typically works better. Above $1,000, separate lead single campaign becomes viable.

What results should EP advertising produce?

Expected results by budget tier:

$300-500 budget:

• 25,000-50,000 impressions
• 200-500 clicks
• 50-150 new followers
• 500-2,000 streams

$750-1,500 budget:

• 75,000-200,000 impressions
• 600-1,500 clicks
• 200-600 new followers
• 2,000-8,000 streams

$1,500-3,500 budget:

• 200,000-500,000 impressions
• 1,500-4,000 clicks
• 600-1,500 new followers
• 8,000-30,000 streams

These figures represent total campaign results across all tracks. Individual track performance varies based on listener preference.

Display advertising through networks like LG Media at $2.50 CPM provides efficient awareness building during EP campaigns, particularly for the discovery-focused portions of pre-release and post-release phases.

Summary

EP release advertising costs range from $300 for basic campaigns to $5,000 for professional promotion. Allocate 45-50% to release week with shorter pre and post-release phases than album campaigns. Consider separate lead single budgets for campaigns above $1,000. EP budgets typically run 1.5-3x single release levels.