For those of you that may be unaware, amazingtunes.com recently decided to bite a very large, music shaped bullet and launch a national radio station. While I can’t tell you how a bullet can be shaped like music, I can enlighten you a little further on the ins and outs of what we’ve called Amazing Radio.

Broadcasting throughout Britain on DAB digital radio (and online) we’re now providing the world’s first, and only, dedicated unsigned radio station. All content that reaches the airwaves is uploaded to amazingtunes.com by you folk at home – not a label in sight – with the artist still keeping 70% of the revenue.

We’ve well and truly wandered off the beaten track here and to a larger extent we’ve a relatively unknowing view of where the station will be a year or so from now. There’s a good reason for this though; it is our aim to place the power back in the hands of the people that actually listen, to heed suggestions of the fans and artists and provide the listener with a democratic service that evolves with the wants of those that tune in. How refreshing…

The music industry is by and large a closed shop, far too incestuous to be fair and far too quick to dismiss anything brave enough to buck the trend. It’s fair to say that we’re not really the most compassionate of people here at amazingtunes.com when it comes to our view of the current industry – an antiquated machine, rusted up cogs that churn to the same sounds, insistent on ignoring the digital era and patronising the awakened listener with their rotisserie-like flavour of the week. Even those organisations supposedly representing the artists – such as the PRS – somehow manage to tread on the toes of the listeners.

To this ends we’ve tailored Amazing Radio to provide something a little more real – to offer something that will strike a chord with genuine music fans and first time listeners alike. You may not be aware for example, but Amazing Radio stands outside the cumbersome grip of the PRS. Listening to Amazing Radio at work, or in the shops, doesn’t require a PRS license. This is certainly radio for the people by the people with no hurdles, no advertising, and most importantly, a constant flow of great new music.

Having just taken off air the last of the test transmissions we’re now airing the first scheduled shows. Have a listen and see what you think. Then tell us. What do you want to hear? Let us know what you like and even more importantly, what you don’t like and let’s ensure that as we move forwards we’re all singing from the same, innovative and ethical hymn sheet.

amazingtunes.com

You can follow the Amazing Radio blog here. Keep up to date on our progression behind the scenes and let us know what you think. Your feedback to date has been brilliant. Both inspiring and informative, so please keep it coming.

• 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

“The times they are a changin’” seems all too poignant a comment in any climate or era, but none more so than the mutation the recording industry is at present experiencing.

Reports published this week have gone to further bear the naked truth of the decline of the music shop. With Zavvi slowly edging towards that great gig in the sky it has been revealed that over a quarter of the UK’s independent music stores have sold their final record over the last year. The sector now has only around 300 outlets left – a figure that is likely to drop further as trends continue.

It is a great shame and one that will undoubtedly hit a nerve with past and present generations, as the stalwarts of our musical indulgences begin to fritter away. But as new digital models are uncovered, like Spotify and We7, we are surely just bearing witness to the new, more convenient way by which the ‘kids of today’ will find, hear and buy their music.

Further forcing the issue, Nottingham’s wonderfully acclaimed indie record store Selectadisc has announced it is to close its doors at the end of March, while Spotify on the other hand has just announced its exclusive unveiling of the new U2 album. The said album, undoubtedly the biggest release so far for 2009, is an exclusivity that would have once been the sole reserve of Woolworths or alike.

To call it a shame is to put it lightly. I’m a child born into the digital world of the CD, and as such would wonder just what the old fogies were moaning about when they protested “it’s just not as good as buying vinyl”. Looking at the direction of music sales it’ll not be long before I’m the old codger reminiscing of the golden times when we perused the shelves of our local record shop to find our next piece of soul food.

On the bright side, I can at least take heed in the fact that I’m hip enough to know my way around the unsigned gold mine that is amazingtunes. Check out our office favourites here, it’s a good starting point and a bit like browsing a record store but from the comfort of your own PC.

…amazingtunes

• Girl of the moment Lily Allen has managed to pull off a double in the UK charts as her album It’s Not Me, It’s You debuts at the top of the album listings. Her current single, The Fear, is on its third week at the top of the singles charts with Allen being the first artist to achieve this double feat since The Kings Of Leon back in October of last year.

• New Zealand is on the verge of introducing a new law that would allow legitimate disconnection of any internet users who download music illegally. Proposed for February 28th, the “Guilt Upon Application” law would mean that connections could be cut without trial if copyright infringement has occurred. The Creative Freedom Foundation however are speaking out against the law.

• Coldplay’s triumphant 2008 release Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends has been announced as the biggest selling album of the year, shifting 6.8m copies across both physical and digital platforms. Four UK acts made the top ten and you can see the top 50 here.

…amazingtunes.com

Want your music on your Facebook Wall?

Fancy an easy log in?

Welcome to Facebook Connect for amazingtunes

With the ever-growing number of websites and online communities, it can be tiresome and boring to keep track of every log-in username and password.

That’s why Facebook developed the Open ID-esque / Single Sign-Up process, ‘Facebook Connect’. Put simply, it lets you use your Facebook ID and password to sign-in to third-party sites like amazingtunes.

And we’ve just added it to amazingtunes.

Now, when you see the Facebook Connect logo it means you can log in to amazingtunes without having to go through another registration process. Better still, if you are already logged in to your Facebook profile you need only click the ‘connect’ icon on amazingtunes and you will be immediately logged in and ready to discover great new music.

Using Facebook Connect also lets you publish your amazingtunes actions on your wall – fanning other artists, announcing a Gig, liking tracks etc. So you can share amazingtunes with your Facebook friends.

We hope you like Facebook Connect for amazingtunes

…amazingtunes