Both Apple and Spotify use track count and duration to classify a release type, with the suffix applied automatically.
2.27.1 Apple's classification rules
- **Single:** 1–3 songs, each under 10 minutes. "- Single" applied at the end of the title automatically if not included.
- **EP:** either 1–3 songs where at least one is 10+ minutes with total runtime ≤30 minutes, OR 4–6 songs with total runtime ≤30 minutes. "- EP" applied automatically if not included.
- Videos do not count toward the song total for either classification.
2.27.2 Spotify's classification rules
Spotify's thresholds run on the same logic with a slightly different framing: a release with 3 or fewer tracks and total duration ≤30 minutes defaults to Single (unless explicitly intended as an EP). A release with 4–6 tracks and total duration ≤30 minutes defaults to EP (unless explicitly intended as a Single). The artist or label's stated intent can override the default in both directions — Spotify's own example: an 8-track, 30+ minute release can still be classified as an EP if that's the artist's stated intent.
2.27.3 Single-track releases
On a one-track release, Spotify requires the release title and the track title to match exactly.
2.27.4 Albums
Any release not meeting Single or EP criteria is classified as an Album. Apple imposes an absolute upper limit of 500 tracks per release.
Source: MadDesk article 2.27 (2-27)