Promoting your own music through playlists can be very effective - it is also quite fun. The trick is to create a top notch playlist featuring other (perhaps more established) artists/bands and then to whack a few of your own tunes in there. The other artists/bands featured in the playlist may be the primary draw, but your own songs will also be introduced to listeners. You don’t of course need to limit your playlist to music of a similar genre, you can be creative with the theme and name of your playlist.
There are many platforms to then share and spread them. If we are talking Spotify playlists then there is Sharemyplaylist.com, Spotify Playlists, Spotylist.com, Spotifyfriends.com to name just a few. Deezer, Lala and other on demand streaming services have their own communities built up around this. Beyond specific websites, playlist can be readily transferred over social networking mediums. Share the link with your friends and if it cuts the cream, your playlist should be passed around the social media bubble. To be honest, you can post the link to your playlist on pretty much any online medium, such as blogs, forums etc.
For extra exposure, why not enter your playlist in a competition? This, as artist/DJ Dr.Sounds (a.k.a Bodysurf) will no doubt tell you can be very effective. Dr Sounds entered his playlist in the Spread the joy competition and came second place, not only generating exposure for his own music but also winning a rather cool new smart phone. Nice work.
We are happy to feature playlists here on the blog, so if you have one you are particularly fond of, shoot it over to us and we will post it.
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.
The “Next Big Thing” is gearing up to to be one of the biggest music competitions to hit Sweden in modern times. A music competition…with a twist. See, the Next Big Thing will not have a panel of “expert” music judges from the established music industry deciding who are the winners and losers. No no. In the Next Big Thing it is the fans and music fanatics who become the jury, and both fans and artists will have the chance to win some sweet sweet prizes. Even better is that this massive competition is targeted at unsigned artists.
Record Union have been selected as the official digital distributor of the competition and are firmly behind the concept. Not only does it offer aspiring artists and bands in Sweden a superb platform to increase their fanbase and promote their music to a new audience, but by putting the listeners at the forefront, it empowers fans and artists to a new level. Empowering artists and fans is what we are all about, too.
There are a crazy amounts of prizes on offer, festivals to play and cities to tour. If you are an independent and unsigned band in Sweden the Next Big Thing is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. Head over their website for more info on how to enter.
Did you know that quite a few of our partners offer widgets to help you sell and share your music? Well, they do! Today we though we would mention one of these widgets, created by 7Digital.
Summary:7Digital offer an easy to use widget with 1 minute preview and buy functionality. Great if you want to give potential buyers a taster of your music while putting them within easy reach of that magic buy button.
Using it: To use this widget, just locate your single/album/EP on the 7Digital store and navigate to the very bottom of the page. You will then see a section named “Free Music Player” - click here and you will be taken to a page which provides you with an HTML code to embed on your MySpace/Blog/website.
You all know about those peeps over at Storm The Charts right? Let us refresh your memory: Christmas 2009, massive internet campaign to get Rage Against the Machine as the Christmas Number 1 in the UK - still nothing? Ok, “Killing in the Name” successfully replacing the ever customary X-Factor winner to the welcome dismay of UK pop pundit Simon Cowell? Well anyway, the people behind that Internet movement are called Storm the Charts, and they are very good at what they do.
This year they will be launching another massive campaign with the aim at getting fresh independent music in the UK charts and to challenge what some see as the sterile pop monopoly which exists. What is more is that our friends and fellow Union members Morton Valance are among the bands hand picked by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens to head the assault. This is great news, and we are very much looking forward to seeing how they all fare. You can check out the video for Chandelier below.
Want to get involved and support the Storms The Charts? Please do! You will find them on facebook, myspace, twitter and of course their website.
Nomy is a great example of the awesome possibilities that digital distribution and new innovative online services create for independent artists. Recording from his home studio and releasing via Record Union, Nomy has taken the world, and Spotify, by storm. His album “Song or Suicide” was earlier this year the 10 most played albums on Spotify. In this interview, we talk to Nomy about himself, his music and his recent success.
Today Spotify prepare to roll out the next generation of their platform to users around the world. Some call it the most important Spotify update since their launch in 2008, many just call it plain awesome. In this new version Spotify have gone all out and added a range of features which will further revolutionize how their users can share and experience music. Of particular note here is a range of social networking features which many have been yearning for, culminating in the dynamic new fully editable Spotify profile. Spotify will now also evolve into a music management platform, enabling you to import and manage files from your computer to create that penultimate playlist. We wont go into too many details as the information is all there on their blog, but lets just say there is something for everyone. We are particularly excited about the increased promotional potential this Spotify update will give artists and bands who have their music on the platform, and will follow with an analysis of these soon.
The Record Union A&R network is now over 300 members strong, bringing together music enthusiasts, artists, fans, producers, music collectives, beatmakers, promoters, managers, radio stations, labels and other organisations under the Record Union banner. Located in over 20 countries around the world, A&Rs are responsible for bringing thousands of artists to Record Union and continues to play an integral role in helping us reach out to artists who would benefit from the digital distribution that Record Union offers.
The A&R network is the first of its kind. Never have individuals across the whole spectrum of the music industry have had such a direct influence on what music becomes available on the global marketplace. This has meant bands and artists who may never have had the chance to get their music out on a global scale have had this chance, and has played its role in the increased diversity of music which we see available today. This, combined with the promotional efforts of some A&Rs has created an interesting and novel dynamic which we hope will continue to bear fruit.
We are extremely proud of what A&Rs have accomplished thus far and look forward to seeing it grow into an even more potent force. From all of us here at Record Union, keep up the great work!
Record Union are giving away two pairs of VIP tickets for the much hyped Peoples Music Awards ceremony this Saturday in London. The event is taking place at Mass in Brixton, and along with the great lineup of live acts to perform, will be hosted by renowned UK comedian Stephen K Amos. This is gearing up to be a fantastic night, and a must go if you are in the neighbourhood.
If you are in London this weekend and would like to win 2 VIP tickets to the event, answer the following question:
What breed is Hefner, the Record Union dog?
The first two people to send the answer to: dogblog(at)recordunion.com will win the VIP tickets! Competition ends Friday.
