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.

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!

-

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.

The are a number of different websites dedicated to sharing Spotify playlists - however, none are quite as  thought through as the newly launched Tunigo. Directed at Swedish listeners right now, this website offers unmatched playlist discovery.

In a nutshell, Tunigo is a platform where everybody can import, share, tag and discover new music on Spotify. It is user generated, and beyond tagging your own playlists you can also sort them by different themes and occasions.

Small details are important - and the creators of Tunigo know this. The fact that you an “drag and drop” playlists from Spotify to import them on your profile is pretty cool - but not as cool as that when you click to play a song it will play directly from the Spotify client (no little pop-up window and “play” button). The tagging feature runs rampant, and once an artist, song or playlist is clicked fresh suggestions are never far away.

Beyond this effective environment from which to share, find and connect with music, Tunigo also offers a range of engaging editorial content from writers and music people. These are often in the form of “retrospectives” and relate music to the life experiences of the writer - a charming idea. You will also be able to keep up with the latest music news and gossip.

If you run an own label or are an indie artist you should definitely add some playlists here, sneaking in a few of your own songs. With the discovery potential Tunigo offers, you may just see the plays rack up.

Today Record Union artist Nomy has taken over the Spotify client homepage. This massive takeover is to promote his latest album By the edge of God which is now out on Spotify. Those of you on Spotify Free may even hear some voice and banner ads about his new album which is set to be one of his biggest yet. If you are a premium user you can even take part in a competition Nomy is running from his homepage.

Nomy has appeared on the global Spotify toplist before with his hit album “Song or Suicide”  - we are excited to say the least to see what this homegrown DIY artist can achieve this time around! Go Nomy, go, go, go Nomy!

Its official! Homegrown Record Union star Nomy has been nominated as “Innovator of the year” in the upcoming Grammy´s which will be held in Stockholm this January. Other nominees include the likes of Johnossi, IAMAMIWHOAMI, Magnus Weideskog and Robyn.

The official motivation behind his nomination is cited as his display of unique entrepreneurship, taking his home produced compositions to a global audience via the innovative use of digital channels. Also highlighted have been his dedicated use of social media to expand and strengthen his loyal fan base, the success of which has landed him on the top lists of major music services around the world.

What is clear is that Nomy has reached a level of success which is almost unheard of for independent artists - a success forged out of a shrewd and innovative use of the digital channels available to the new generation of web savvy musicians. This nomination is a clear indication that his achievements have not gone unnoticed by the more established music industry, and is a well deserved token of this recognition.

Nomy is stunned at this honour, and when we asked how he felt he said the following:

“I guess for bussines people this nomination is just peanuts, but for me this is one of the biggest things that has happened in my life - everything after this is just a bonus. This is unreal.“

From all of us here at Record Union: Congratulations Nomy. You deserve this.

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?

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.