Dear friends. Record Union has been asked to be one of those to partake in the first industry wide survey of digital distribution services. Its being conducted by Moses Avalon - an industry veteran and author of many books about the music industry - and being run from his website Moses Supposes.

All who have used digital distribution services previously are welcomed to take part in the survey, which will give them chance to rate and give feedback about their experiences using them. The results will be used to put together a larger comparison between the different services which will serve as a guide for artists and labels seeking digital distribution.

Those who do participate in the survey will also be entered for a chance to win a Free Music Business Consultation, be emailed Moses Avalon´s “Secrets of 360 Deals” Podcast and have free access to a more detailed results page.

The survey is only 10 questions and is anonymous - click here if you would like to take part.

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.

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.