• Ever striving to further the endeavors of musical Britons from Lands End to John O Groats, UK Music has cut the ribbon on the first of 10 government-funded rehearsal spaces across the UK.

• Sweden tackles piracy

On the day of introducing a new law to tackle online piracy Sweden’s internet traffic dropped by a dramatic 33%, reports suggest.

The new policy coined the IPRED law works in a similar vein to that which was suggested for Britain’s internet service providers, where the ISPs have to reveal the details of those who are sharing copyrighted material.

While the dip (from 120Gbps to 80Gbps) suggests a dramatic impact for the new law many experts believe this is only an intermediary process before numbers climb back up. Christian Engstrom, vice-chairman of the Swedish Pirate Party, noted that “it takes people a few weeks to figure out how to change their security settings so that they can share files anonymously,”.

• Keane impress with 3D show

Melodic pop band Keane have breached new boundaries by streaming a gig from the iconic Abbey Road recording studios on Thursday night. While the concept of streaming a gig may not be all that new the twist was that the whole show was done in 3D.

Claims from the band that they’re the new Pink Floyd may be a little over zealous, but they’ve certainly produced a novel idea sure to crop up again in the future.

…amazingtunes

New figures printed this week in the IFPI Digital Music Report 2009 reveal the massive extent to which music piracy is still plaguing the music industry.

Legitimate digital-music distribution organisations like amazingtunes.com or iTunes, are growing, with digital platforms accounting for 20% of all recorded music sales (up from 15% in 2007).

But the IFPI believe this figure represents just 5% of all music downloads. The other 95% are illegally-transferred tracks.

On amazingtunes we support artists and oppose theft – whether by illegal downloads or unfair record label contracts. When you download from amazingtunes, it

It’s 50 years ago on this day, January 12th 1959, that Berry Gordy, a Detroit businessman and songwriter, ventured to set up the now famous Motown Records.

Starting out with an $800 loan and a studio in his house, Gordy originally named his business Tamla, though the label name soon changed to the iconic Motown, reflecting the booming motor trade that its home town Detroit thrived upon.

It’s a name that few are unfamiliar with today, and Motown’s first US Number 1 came in 1961 with the Marvelettes and “Please Mr. Postman”. What came next is something of a musical explosion; from 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 Top Ten hits, and artists such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Jackson 5, were all signed to Motown labels. Their influence on the industry is huge and those artists mentioned that are linked will take you to just a handful of artists from amazingtunes who draw inspiration from these Motown acts.

50 years on and the label is still running strong, the reigns now held by Universal Music, with them having achieved over 200 Number 1 songs around the world and introduced a monumental list of household names.

You can check out some more of our Motown influenced acts here. Never mind the grapevine, you heard it here!

…amazingtunes

As we move towards the back end 2008 – a year that some have hailed as the new 2007 – we’ve been met with the rather pleasant news that Britain can claim responsibility for 4 of the 5 biggest selling albums of the year to date. Is this the reemergence of a Brit invasion, or just a slow 6 months for state-side pop?

Here’s the low down:

1> Amy Winehouse – Back to Black—3.67m (9.78m total)

2> Coldplay – Viva la Vida—2.6m

3> Leona Lewis – Spirit—2.4m

4> Jack Johnson – Sleep through the Static—2.4m

5> Duffy – Rockferry—2.25m

• Independents Day – Tomorrow, the 4th July, will mark the first of what will hopefully become a well held tradition in raising a glass to the independent labels worldwide. The occasion, aimed at celebrating the big job undertaken by the little guys working in the thousands of independent labels, is a chance for the industry to recognise the industrious folk whose work keeps the music coming.

• Shakira joins Live Nation – The Daily Star has reported that Shakira has signed a deal worth around