Mixtape

In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists more creative freedom and less commercial pressure.^[2] The term has significantly increased in popularity over the years due to high-profile artists marketing their projects as such.^[3][4] Prior to the decline of physical media, mixtapes were defined as homemade compilations of music played through a cassette tape, CD, or digital playlist and became significant in hip-hop culture. The songs were typically beatmatched and consisted of seamless transitions at their beginnings and endings with fades or abrupt edits.^[5] It was then defined as relatively any musical project by an up-and-coming artist. Now, mixtapes have become a label of promotion and marketing for album-like projects.^[6] Dictionary.com writes that "the line between an album and a mixtape can be blurry," and that streaming-services rely on the artist to make that determination. ^[7]