A split album (or split) is a music album which includes tracks by two or more seperate artists. This is similar in nature to the way some singles that are released. A split was initially done on vinyl records, with music from one artist on one side of the record and music from a second artist on the opposite side. As vinyl records have declined in popularity, this format has been done on CDs. Although there is not multiple sides to a CD, the idea is stil the same. From the early 1980s through the present, the format has been used widely by independent record labels, and artists in punk rock, hardcore, and indie rock circles have often released music in this way.