There is no doubt that 2009 it has been an exciting year for Record Union. In May Record Union set out with the bold ambition: to democratize the access to digital distribution. By putting comprehensive digital distribution within the reach of all artists, our aim was to set out to strengthen independent music all around the world. The overwhelming enthusiasm and support we have received is making this ambition a reality, and we look towards 2010 with the same eagerness and ambition with which we set out.

The launch of a music service is never without its challenges, but thanks to the feedback, constructive criticism, and above all, the patience of our users we were able to overcome many of these. We promise that we will work even harder in 2010 to build and improve our service.We have some great new partnerships lined up, and will be adding new functionality to the website which we are certain you will all appreciate.

We would like to thank all those who support our vision and are part of Record Union; all the artists, the A&Rs, our trusted partners and of course all of those who love music as much as we do. Without you, we would not have made it this far.

We wish you a great end of 2009, and the best of luck in the year to come.

Liberate the music.

Just a quick note to inform you that our first payments will be paid out in September, so expect some activity on your Record Union account! This will be the first time Record Union pays out to artists, and it will be an exciting time for all of us. We ask that you all double check that you have cited the correct PayPal address in your settings, and that your PayPal is fully functional! Also please note that only artists that have generated sales of more than 5USD will get recieve money into their Record Union account. From now on we will pay you every month (in some cases quarterly), with approximately a three month delay, i.e. sales generated in August will be paid out in late October/ early November for all deals with monthly payments and for quarterly contracts July-September sales will be paid out in December. Have a great day!

Hello everyone! You may have seen a slight lapse in the amount of entries on the Dog Blog recently. This is not because we are fed up and want to stop communicating with our lovely readers. Not at all! the reason is that we have been really busy! But with what? you may ask.

Our main focus over the past weeks has been testing the new website (to launch soon) which will feature our distribution service. We have have been going through every aspect of the new website on a collection of different operating systems and web browsers searching for bugs which may effect its user friendliness and general functioning. This, for those who have been involved with BETA testing before will appreciate, is quite a job! Beyond this, since we circulated the news about our collaboration with Peace and Love this year, we have received a sea emails from bands and artists wishing to perform at the festival, which is great! We have been eagerly listening to all the music we have received, reading press releases, band biographies and sending out replies to all the artists who have contacted us.

When we launch the distribution function you will see the Dog Blog take on a new life. In correspondence with our A&R network, we will update the Dog Blog daily with the best new music being released by artists on Record Union. We have some superb artists lined up and look forward to giving listeners the lowdown on great new independent music from all over the world!

Yes, it can! If your goal as an artist or band is to sign with a Record Label, then having a good online sales record will definitely increase your chances of securing a deal. Many Record Labels, especially the majors, are prone to calculating the risk involved with investing their resources into making an artist or band successful, which makes sense. Most labels aren’t going to throw money at a band which they don´t think has a chance of succeeding (i.e. making money). With this in mind, showing potential labels that you have been able to achieve a good amount of online sales will make you a more attractive prospect. In addition, having a good online following and a large mailing list will earn you brownie points too, as it shows that you have an existing fan base to build on.

The possibilities which have beeen ushered in by the digital music revolution has led many to believe that it is now possible to enjoy a successful career in music without signing to a Record Label, and this may well be true. But the online environment can just as well help artists looking to sign to a Record Label by giving them a platform from which they can develop their music.

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We are excited to announce that one of the Sweden´s foremost media news sites has written about Record Union!  Dagens Media (translated Todays Media) is well respected for providing the low down on innovative new internet media enterprises and marketing ideas. For you who speak Swedish, you can view the article here. We are very pleased for the exposure, and hope this will prompt others to write about our service, which will be up and running shortly!

Interestingly, the article draws a parallel between Record Union´s goal to democratize the distribution music, and Spotify, a streaming service which is democratizing the consumption of music. Spotify allows unlimited streaming of music from a vast and ever expanding library, all for a fixed and very affordable monthly cost which guarantees every artist a cut. Record Union and Spotify are going to work with each other in the future to make sure lots of indie and niche music has the chance to make its way into the Spotify library.