[canadaspaceman]

I am noticing that links/info from metal archives have what was always referred in the past as a 7 inch singles, now being called "EP's".

I always knew a single as TWO songs (sometimes just one song if it was a promo),and EP's as more than two songs, or longer than 8 minutes, as only 7 or 8 minutes could fit a 7" at 45 rpm.
If lengthier than 8 minutes, they have to master it at 33 RPM, which how you can approximately get 12-15 minutes squeezed on a 7 inch vinyl record.
No idea who started revising the name and confusing the term, so even if wiki is not always accurate, here is what they define as the differences.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_(music)

In music, a single, record single or music single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record, an album or an EP record.

Despite being referred to as a single, singles can include up to as many as three tracks on them. The biggest digital music distributor, iTunes, accepts as many as three tracks less than ten minutes each as a single, as does popular music player Spotify.
Any more than three tracks on a musical release or thirty minutes in total running time is either an extended play (EP) or, if over six tracks long, an album.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_play

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

Beginning in the 1980s, many so-called "singles" have been sold in formats with more than two tracks.
Because of this, the definition of an EP is not determined only by the number of tracks or the playing time; an EP is typically seen[by whom?] as four (or more) tracks of equal importance, as opposed to a four-track single with an obvious A-side and three B-sides.

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America, the organization that declares releases "gold" or "platinum" based on numbers of sales, defines an EP as containing three to five songs or under 30 minutes.
On the other hand, The Recording Academy's rules for Grammy Awards state that any release with five or more different songs and a running time of over 15 minutes is considered an album, with no mention of EPs.

In the United Kingdom, any record with more than four distinct tracks or with a playing time of more than 25 minutes is classified as an album for sales-chart purposes. If priced as a single, they will not qualify for the main album chart but can appear in the separate Budget Albums chart.

An intermediate format between EPs and full-length LPs is the mini-LP, which was a common album format in the 1980s. These generally contained 20–30 minutes of music.

[nonseinormale65]

For me a single is only a 7" 45 rpm with two songs (one for each side), if a 7" has three or more songs (usually at 33 rpm or sometimes at 45 ) i call it an EP/Extended play),more controversial is the difference between an EP and a mini LP .... in my opinion a 12" vinyl (or some unusual 10") with more than two songs and less than 5 spinning at 45 rpm should be called EP too, if it has four to six songs at 33" rpm for me it's a Mini LP...

[riptorn]

For me a single is only a 7" 45 rpm with two songs (one for each side), if a 7" has three or more songs (usually at 33 rpm or sometimes at 45 ) i call it an EP/Extended play),more controversial is the difference between an EP and a mini LP .... in my opinion a 12" vinyl (or some unusual 10") with more than two songs and less than 5 spinning at 45 rpm should be called EP too, if it has four to six songs at 33" rpm for me it's a Mini LP...

Yup, this is pretty much how i view the differences too, funny that in an era where so much information is freely available that these distinctions have begun to get confused. Also strange that Canadaspaceman should start a thread about this now, as i too had just begun noticing that there was some apparent confusion out there as to what these terms meant & was thinking of posting something here about it myself.
Spooky synchronicity mate.
Another strange one i see from time to time is where vinyl private pressings are often now being identified as 'demos'.
I get what they mean, but in my mind a demo is a cassette only, and privately pressed 45s are a separate entity entirely.

[canadaspaceman]

Also strange that Canadaspaceman should start a thread about this now, as i too had just begun noticing that there was some apparent confusion out there as to what these terms meant & was thinking of posting something here about it myself.
Spooky synchronicity mate.

LEARN TO READ MINDS IN 10 MINUTES | Weekly World News

Another strange one i see from time to time is where vinyl private pressings are often now being identified as 'demos'.
I get what they mean, but in my mind a demo is a cassette only, and privately pressed 45s are a separate entity entirely.

i remember reading rock magazines, and record seller mags (like Goldmine) from the 1970s/early 1980s where they USED to refer to privately pressed 45s singles as demo's, because the bands never sold them, but gave them away to major labels, and club and tour managers, hoping to advance their careers.

[riptorn]

Lol.
I had no idea that the Weekly World News was still alive & kicking, i haven't seen a print edition since the 90's.
Batboy lives!!!

I take your point that those private pressings were usually meant for demonstration purposes, but to call them 'demos' muddies the waters somewhat. Why it's started to creep back into usage is odd to me.