What Record Union does

Record Union is a Stockholm-based digital music distribution platform, founded in 2008 and operated by Record Union AB (a Swedish private limited company within the DFP Group AB structure), that enables independent artists, bands, and small labels to release recordings on 20+ global streaming and download services through a single self-serve dashboard. The company's core function is to displace major-label intermediation by giving indie artists direct, affordable access to Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, YouTube Music, Beatport, Deezer, Tidal, Shazam, and other major and niche services. The platform holds Spotify Preferred Partner status, providing native access to Spotify for Artists for profile management and daily streaming data.

The product surface has expanded beyond core distribution into a multi-tool ecosystem: a free Electronic Press Kit (EPK) builder for artist portfolios, Royalty Splits for automated collaborator payouts with recoup handling, Smart Links powered by a Linkfire partnership for cross-platform fan routing, YouTube Content ID for monetization in third-party videos, Spotify Pre-Save, Rapid Delivery for faster release, and Pitch Priority for playlist pitching. The A&R Network adds a community-led growth layer where music-scene professionals (studios, labels, promoters, influencers) recruit artists and earn up to 7.5% commission on streaming royalties. The platform is GDPR-compliant, integrates with Stripe, PayPal, Spotify for Artists, and Linkfire, and supports both English and EU operations.

Record Union monetizes via low-priced annual subscriptions (Top Dog from $14/yr covering 7 services; World Domination from $19/yr covering 20+ services, tiered by track count) and a 7.5–15% retention on gross streaming royalties paid to artists (with a Royalty Upgrade add-on boosting artist take to 92.5%). The customer base is intentionally a long-tail of independent solo artists, singer-songwriters, bands, beatmakers, and small labels — acquired via product-led growth (free signup, pay-when-ready conversion) augmented by the community-led A&R referral channel. Optional paid add-ons (Pitch Priority, Rapid Delivery, Spotify Pre-Save) provide per-unit upgrade revenue. The company is privately held, has 11–50 employees, and was co-founded by Fabian Zwedberg (CEO) and Daniel Nilsson.

Name

Record Union

Legal name

Record Union AB

Website

https://recordunion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Record Union is a Stockholm-based self-serve digital music distribution platform that enables independent artists and small labels to release music on 20+ global streaming and download services (Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, YouTube Music, Beatport, Deezer, and others) from a single dashboard, with bundled promotional tools (EPK, Smart Links, Royalty Splits).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Distribution Platform

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (512250)

akta.pro primary industry

Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Music distribution platform
• Digital music distribution
• Independent artist distribution
• Music streaming services
• Artist music promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Music Distribution Subscription: Annual subscription plans for music distribution. Artists choose between 'Top Dog' (7 popular streaming platforms) or 'World Domination' (all 20+ services). Pricing scales by number of tracks. Professional upgrades (Pitch Priority, YouTube Content ID, Royalty Upgrade to 92.5%) are available as add-ons.
2. Royalty Sharing: Record Union collects gross receipts from retail partners and pays artists a royalty rate of 85% to 92.5% of gross receipts. Payments are credited approximately 45 days after Record Union receives payment from retail partners.
3. Renewal Fees: When a plan expires, artists pay a renewal fee to keep releases live on music stores. If not paid, releases enter 'Sleep Mode' (available but no royalties earned). A UPC code add-on is available for a one-time fee of $10.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Record Union runs a self-serve digital music distribution platform that lets independent artists upload recordings once and distribute them to more than 20 global streaming and download services (Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, Beatport, etc.). Around this core, it offers a free Electronic Press Kit builder, an A&R Network ambassador program, automated royalty splitting, and Linkfire-powered smart links, sold primarily through tiered annual subscriptions.

Product overview

Record Union is a music distribution platform for independent artists offering a unified ecosystem centered on its core music distribution service. The platform provides distribution to over 20 global music services including Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, YouTube Music, and Beatport. Additional products include EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for professional artist portfolios, the A&R Network for artist recruitment and commission earning, Royalty Splits for collaborator payment automation, and Smart Links powered by Linkfire for cross-platform promotion. Professional upgrades available include Rapid Delivery, Pitch Priority, Spotify Pre-Save, YouTube Content ID, and Royalty Upgrade (up to 92.5%). Distribution plans are offered in two tiers: Top Dog (7 services from $14/yr) and World Domination (20+ services from $19/yr).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Distribution Core self-serve digital music distribution service that lets independent artists upload recordings and distribute them to more than 20 global music streaming and download services (Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, Beatport and more) via a single dashboard, on tiered annual subscriptions.
• EPK (Electronic Press Kit) Free electronic press kit tool that provides independent artists with a professional online portfolio including biography, press-quality photos, featured tracks, contact info, reviews and social media links, aimed at journalists, booking agents and managers.
• A&R Network Ambassador program that lets music-scene connectors (studios, labels, bloggers, promoters, booking agents, managers, YouTubers, music shops) recruit independent artists to Record Union and earn commission — up to 7.5% — on the recruited artists' streaming royalties.
• Royalty Splits Tool that lets artists automatically split streaming and download royalties with collaborators — bandmates, producers, beatmakers, featured artists and labels — with customisable percentages per album or per track, recoup handling, and template saves.
• Smart Links Free, automatically generated Linkfire-powered smart links for every release distributed through Record Union, allowing fans to listen on their preferred music service via a single shareable URL.
• Beatport Distribution Specialised distribution module that places releases on Beatport, the streaming and download service focused on dance and electronic music genres for DJs, with a custom label name on the platform.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LinkfirecoreTechnology or IntegrationLinkfire is a leading provider of smart links in the music industry, trusted by over 50,000 labels and independent artists. Through this partnership, Record Union automatically generates free Linkfire smart links for every release, allowing fans to listen on their preferred streaming service via a single shareable link.
• SpotifycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecord Union is a Spotify Preferred Partner, enabling independent artists to distribute to Spotify and access Spotify for Artists for profile editing, image/bio updates, and daily streaming statistics. Spotify is the flagship distribution channel for Record Union artists.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AWAL: Premium independent music distribution and label services company providing global streaming distribution with marketing and analytics support. Direct peer serving independent artists with comparable distribution and rights administration features.
• CD Baby: Pioneer indie music distributor offering global digital distribution to streaming platforms, with additional services including sync licensing and physical distribution. Direct competitor targeting independent artists with similar feature set and pricing approach.
• RouteNote: Independent music distribution platform offering free and premium distribution tiers to global streaming services. Competes directly with Record Union on price-sensitive indie artist segment, particularly via its free distribution option.
• Amuse: Swedish-based music distribution and label services company offering free and paid tiers to distribute independent artists to major streaming platforms. Same home market as Record Union with overlapping target customers and platform integrations.
• SoundOn: TikTok's parent-company-owned music distribution platform offering indie artists distribution to TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music, and other major streaming services. Direct peer leveraging platform ownership to compete with independent distributors like Record Union.
• LANDR: Music production and distribution platform combining AI-powered mastering, distribution to streaming services, and promotional tools. Comparable to Record Union's bundling of distribution with complementary creator services for indie artists.
• UnitedMasters: Independent music distribution platform offering distribution to major streaming services combined with brand partnership opportunities and label services. Competes directly for independent artists with a similar distribution-plus-tools bundle approach.
• DistroKid: One of the largest independent music distributors globally, offering low-cost annual subscriptions to distribute to major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok. Direct competitor to Record Union in the indie distribution segment with a comparable self-serve, subscription-based model.
• TuneCore: Major independent music distribution platform owned by Believe, distributing artists' music to hundreds of digital stores and streaming services worldwide. Competes directly with Record Union for indie artists with similar subscription and revenue-share pricing.
• Ditto Music: Global independent music distributor offering distribution to major streaming platforms with subscription and revenue-share pricing. Direct competitor in the indie distribution segment with similar feature set including label services and royalty tools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/recordunion
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKn3mjfz7R4I-UXsZVzlHAQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/recordunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/record-union
• Instagraminstagram.com/recordunionofficial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Record Union