We are pleased to inform you that we have just added some new features to the Record Union website. These are a few of many features that we have in mind to improve the Record Union experience which we will be adding in the near future. So, what is contained in this update?

Add links to your releases! - You can now add links which direct visitors to where your music is currently available for purchase/streaming online. These then show up on a brand new “Find music on…” menu under each release. These links can be added on “Manage content” page. Here´s one we made earlier.

Link to Twitter and YouTube - You can now add links to Twitter and YouTube on your profile.

Manage content -As requested it is now possible to see exactly what information you added to published tracks. This info will be displayed when you click on a published track on the “Submit Content” page.

These new links are another step towards making Record Union a useful place to direct fans and those interested in your music. Not satisfied with song previews, they can now select to find your music on their favourite stores and services, head over to YouTube to check your videos and Twitter to keep updated.

We always like to hear input from people using Record Union, so if you would like to suggest new features and functionality for us to look at, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

The Next Big Thing has been a roller-coaster of a competition so far, with 2200 artists and jurors pitting their musical prowess and expertise to earn their place in the finals. The battle has been fought online, with point hungry bands mobilising the force of their fans and musical appeal to win precious points, and offline, with live on stage clashes which have left audiences in cities around Sweden in a state of shock and awe.

10 bands and 10 jurors will reach the finals held in Stockholm (at Kungsträdgården) on the 10th and 11th of September, but with the last day of point gathering on Wednesday who will be there is still an open question. You can contribute to the hype by heading over to Snowfish and exploring the great music which is on offer, and if you are in Stockholm in the coming weeks, be sure to attend the finals!

Spotisfaction
[spot-is-fak-shuhn]
–noun

1. An act of musical satiation; fulfillment; gratification.

Since the birth of Spotify all manner of community based web environments have been set up to gratify that undying urge to please other people with music you have generously sculpted into something called a playlist. We love them all, of course. However, there is one we love a little bit more than others (can we say that? - we just did) and its called Spotisfaction.

Spotisfaction is not so much a Spotify social networking site as a community driven spotify-music-wiki. A community of slightly eccentric but very knowledgeable music connoisseurs, we might add. Free of playlists created by corporate brands, it brings together in true web 3.0 style the collective wisdom of the people in a lovely kaleidoscope of news, reviews, articles and of course Spotisfaction playlists. All this combined with that slightly militant “we wont sell your stuff” attitude that we love from bloggers.

Anyways, do check it out - and why not submit your own news and reviews of your favourite independent bands while your at it?

We have recently added new functionality which enables users on Record Union to set their own release date for their upcoming release. A release date is simply the date that you would would like your release to become available to fans, and means that your upcoming release should become available simultaneously on all of our partners. Release dates are a useful marketing tool as they enable you to better coordinate promotion activities and generate hype for your upcoming release.

You can set your release date on the “create a release” page, but please note that in order to make sure that our partners can list your release on time, a release date must be set at least 7 weeks in advance of publication on Record Union. If you would like our partners to list your music as soon as possible, then you still have the option of choosing “immediate delivery”.  If you have any questions about setting a release date, feel free to contact content(at)recordunion.com.

Manon Dave is an artist (producer/composer) on Record Union as well as a member of our A&R network. With the success of his releases so far he is currently in the process of producing an EP and album which will consists of his own instrumentals and feature vocals from various artists.

Some major names have already contributed to the album, including Pras (The Fugees), PJ Morton (India Arie, Musiq, Soulchild), A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) with more big names to follow. Manon sees a great opportunity to include one or more Record Union artists in this release as a way to demonstrate how the Internet can bring together established names and upcoming independent artists to appear on one great album.

If any of you would like to be involved in this project please to respond to this post with links to music, otherwise drop Manon an email here: manondave(at)gmail.com).

You may recognize Manon Dave from his acclaimed remixes of hit songs such as Carry Out, Say it Right and Break the Ice. Now Manon has taken an altogether different direction with the release of “Streets were raining”, a brand new single which incorporates some classic Manonesque beats into the somber sound of US alternative outfit Pyramid.

This beautifull song made an impression even before it was out, topping the pre order charts on Play.com and recieving positive responses from fans and media alike. The reviewers over at Limewire call this single an “instant summertime classic” and with the single being scheduled to air on BBC Radio 1 in the coming weeks this is one to keep an eye on. The single is produced and released by Manon on his own label Parapsych Records. Check out the video below, or give it a whirl on Spotify.

Björn Rosenström has been entertaining Swedes with his witty folk ballads since his first album “Låtar som är sådär” took Sweden by storm back in 1996. Since then he has become something of a folk legend, bringing his entertaining folk-pop to venues and festivals all over the country.

We are pleased to announce that Björn is now back with a brand new album called “Swingersklubb in the radhuslänga” which features 10 previously unheard tracks. The new album was released by his own Record Union via Record union first on Spotify Premium, but is now racking up plays on Spotify free and available on stores and services all over the world.

The Next Big Thing competition is now in full swing! With lots of new artists and jury members joining each day, things are starting to heat up.

Recently announced was more info about the much anticipated Spotify Award. This award is given to artists/bands when they reach 3000 points in the competition. One part of this prize involves a chance to get your music up on Spotify via Record Union for free, but the Next Big Thing are also working closely with Spotify and other partners to provide some unique promotional opportunities for those who receive the award. The details of these will be announced soon.

As everyone knows, Spotify is a powerfull promotion channel and it will be exciting to see the exposure which can be generated for independent artists partaking in The Next Big Thing. However, you got to be in it to win it! Find out more about The Next Big Thing and how to enter here.

Summer has arrived and it soon time to head to a grassy field somewhere, jump around and listen to loud live music. That’s right, the festival season has arrived. This years lineups are looking as good as ever with many many big names are hitting the stage at festivals around the world - but also some rising ones.

One of these is the band Last View, who have recently been receiving serious hype from media in and around Sweden. Recruited to Record Union by A&R Hans Selander last year, they have been named “Almost Famous”in Sweden Rock Magazine, dubbed “Best in Sweden” in issue 113 of Close-Up magazine while also having a demo of the month at P3 Rockster radio.

This year they will be taking their adrenaline filled slap-in-the-face metalcore to Hulstredsfestivalen and are sure to tear the stage apart (hopefully, not literally). If you are going to Hulstfred this year this is a must see. Otherwise keep your eye on this band at other festivals/venues as in this case the hype is deserved. Check em on Spotify here.

Dear friends. 1 year ago the first track was published on Recordunion.com. Since then, tens of thousands of tracks and many thousands of releases have been published. We have sent artists to play at the Peace and Love festival; we have distributed albums which have reach the top 10 in the Spotify world toplist; we haveseen artists migrate to major labels and our A&R network, now many hundred strong; continue to bring in talent from all corners of the world. We are overjoyed that Record Union is now often spoken about in high regard as an alternative to the more established services out there - especially as there is so much more to come from us.

This rollercoaster foray into the realm digital distribution has not been without it´s challenges. On more than one occasion we have tested the patience of users, but these instances have mostly been met with an understanding of the challenges faced by new start up companies such as ours. We would like to thank all of you, all the artists, the A&Rs, our partners and all those who buy and listen to music on the internet. We have big plans for the coming year and hope you will all join us as we take Record Union to the next level. Liberate the music.