After years sitting on the sidelines, search giant Google yesterday unveiled their much anticipated music service - Google Music. Armed with their own social networking service Google + and the Android marketplace (where they will offer millions of tracks for purchase) Google Music aims to go head to head with major music services currently on the market.

One exciting aspect of Google Music is the Artist Hub - which (similar to iTunes Ping) will give artist and bands the possibility to create their own artist page  though with one major difference - here artists will be able to and sell their music directly to fans via the Android Marketplace.

With the service being launched just yesterday it is early days but rest assured we have plans to be to distribute your music to Google Music in the near future.

Apple recently announced and the are offering iTunes in 12 additional European countries - putting the total number of territories which have access to iTunes at 35. Here are the new territories which have been added:

• Bulgaria
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Malta
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia

If you chose to distribute your music to iTunes worldwide via Record Union (i.e. chose all territories when you published your release) then your music will automatically become available to listeners in these countries. If you did not choose to distribute worldwide but would like your music to become available on any or all of the above please get in touch with our content team and we will sort this out for you.

Quick fact: did you know that iTunes has to date sold over 15 billion songs?

A little while back we rolled out a new little feature on the Record Union site which enables you to add “buy links” to the music you have published. We have been getting quite a few emails from people asking about how to set these up so we thought we would do a post on what these do and how you can use them. So, here we go!

The purpose of these links

It can sometimes be tricky to seamlessly display your music, track previews and links your albums locations on a range of different music services directly on your website or other online locations. If you have experienced this then linking to your Record Union profile with the “find music here” info filled it could be a good solution for you.

How to add them

Firstly, log in and head over to your “manage content” page - when you click on one of your releases you will see some information displayed. At the bottom you will see some logos and fields where you can paste the URL location of your music on these services.

Obtaining the URL links is pretty straightforward.

For a browser based services like Amazon MP3 you would just search and locate your music on the service - once on your album you can then copy the URL in your browser and paste it into the field next to the Amazon logo on the Manage Content page.

For client based services like Spotify and iTunes you would do pretty much the same thing - however, as the URL is not displayed in these services like in a browser window you would instead right-click on your album and then “Copy HTTP Link” (Spotify) or “Copy Link” (iTunes) and like before paste this into the relevant field on the manage content page.

In conclusion

So, we hope this will be a good reference for those who have not used these buy links yet. This is the first of a range of features we plan to add. We always welcome any suggestions you may have for new functionality so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have some to propose.

You all know about Nomy right? He is the guy who without a record label, management company or advanced studio has delivered digital hits to all corners of the globe. His most popular song “Cocaine” has been on the Spotify global toplist for over two years – at its peak achieving over 3 millions plays a month.  He is one of the Record Union success stories and proof of what indie artists can achieve in the brave new digital era.

So, it is with not just a little excitement that we announce Nomy´s return with a brand new song which already has the makings of a new Nomy hit. “A dream for the weaker” has only been out a few hours and his fans are are going nuts - the “shout box” on his website overflowing with praise.

Also featuring on the release are some new versions of Cocaine – one of these a pumped up U.S. Edit which he will be using to cajole his expanding US fanbase.

“A dream for the weaker” is released today on digital music services around the world.

Click here to find it on Spotify.

We often get questions about how the “Related artists” feature on Spotify actually works. A post on the Spotify blog gives a clear explanation if this feature - we will summarize it here.

Whereas Spotify first used tagging and genre matching from the All Music Guide they a while ago moved over to a more dynamic solution to power the related artists feature.  The current solution incorporates user listening data to power the feature. In practice, if there is data showing that people listening to your music are also listening to “Foster The People” then this band will be one of those in the list of the related artists.

For you as indie artist, knowing what other artists your fans are listening can be valuable information. One example would be when trying to introduce your music to new listeners - if you know your fans are listening to “Foster The People” then there is a high chance that other fans of “Foster The People” will also like your music.

You can then direct marketing efforts towards these fans - such as via music forums/blogs they frequent and other online hangouts. Now, this is pretty grass routes promotion but it is just one illustration how how this knowledge can be used to your advantage. Remember, one new fan who shares music with friends can mean many more.

Right, it’s official. Manon Dave is a musical chameleon - one second he is releasing remixes of Britney Spears and Timbaland, next melancholy alternative pop, then some dirty electro-dub riddims and now a pseudo-classical composition entitle Trinity.

We have seen few who can boast such a diverse range of projects - even fewer who actually pull it off.

For the track “Stones” and indeed parts of “The Flood”, it sounds as though Manon actually kidnapped an orchestra and locked them in his studio. He assures us this is not the case - and after checking with the authorities we have no reason to doubt him.

In fact he has managed to reproduce these delicate sounds without live instruments, somehow capturing the essence of each instrument to paint an intricate and utterly pleasing canvas of string and wind. This just goes to show what is possible with modern sound production.

For a proper review of this remarkable accomplishment, check out this excellent piece by Sean Michael Yoder.

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.

As you may have heard Europe’s favorite streaming service Spotify has now opened its doors to listeners in the United States. As a resident of the US you can choose between two subscriptions models “Premium” and “Unlimited” – Spotify Free accounts are currently invite only.

This launch in the US is creates nothing but opportunity, both for those of you who already have your music on Spotify - but also also for us here at Record Union.

More people tuning in to discover and share music on Spotify mean more potential listeners within a few clicks of yours! As you know, Spotify is a great promotional tool and with more people tuning in there is even bigger potential to reach out to new listeners and boost your plays.

This is also exciting new for us here at Record Union. If the launch of in Europe was anything to go by, there will be a storm of new artists and labels wanting to get their music in the Spotify catalog. As one of the recommended routes for indie artists and labels onto Spotify we at Record Union are gearing ourselves up to receive them with open arms.

Being there from the beginning we have seen many examples of the way in which Spotify has helped independent artists reach out to new audiences in ways never thought possible – with the launch of Spotify in the United States we are looking forward to seeing this continue.

Artist Mellony is a new rising star here at Record Union. The latest Spotify stats show that his music has been played over 3,000,000 times on Spotify. Yes, that is 3 MILLION times. We are sure you will agree that this is a massive achievement - especially for a young indie artist like himself. With his monthly plays still growing steadily, and a new single being released soon, we are excited to see where this is going.

What can we say about Mellony? Well, his name is Joakim Bergström and he is a Swedish artist releasing music on Record Union via his own label Mellony Music. He first found interest in his music on Youtube - but it was a tour with 100% party combined with a greater availability of his music on other digital channels that saw things really take off.

We took this opportunity to ask Mellony some questions about his journey to where he is now. We post his answers here for your reading.

What were your expectations when you first uploaded your music at Record Union?

None. I noticed a lot of people used Spotify and wanted people to be able to find my music there! It’s a really good service for both musicians and consumers. I found Record Union and they helped me.

And now, how does it feel to get 3 millions plays on Spotify?

Trying not to be a stick in the mud, it’s actually 3 million plays in february! Being June and all, it could be a lot more plays now! Sticking to the subject, it feels super great!

You clearly have a lot of fans – how did this come about?

It all started out with me uploading my songs to youtube, got a modest sum of plays, then I went on a Sweden tour with “100% Party”. That’s what got me started, though I had no idea I would be up in that many fans just by uploading my music to Record Union.  Feels pretty awesome actually! : )

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Record Union got me in the music business, and I am forever grateful for that!

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Thanks Mellony! We wish you the very best in the future and promise to make sure your music continues to become available on all the great digital music services out there.

We are proud to announce that we have now added Rdio to our list of distribution partners. We are really excited to add another super cool streaming service to our list of partners, and hope this will create more opportunities for you to reach out to fans and listeners.

About Rdio: Rdio is an unlimited, on-demand social music service created by the founders of Skype. With Rdio, users can listen to as many songs as they want, anytime, anywhere, and discover and share new music with friends and influencers. Rdio is available on a variety of platforms including web, Mac or PC desktop client, mobile devices such as iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile 7,  and in-home devices like Sonos and Roku. Rdio launched in August 2010 and is currently available in the US & Canada.

Record Union will deliver our entire catalog to Rdio on Monday next week - if you for some reason would not like your music available on Rdio please get in touch with content(at)recordunion.com. Happy time!