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When such international acts as Nickelback, Tom Waits, Keith Jarrett and Katie Melua--among many others--release albums in Scandinavia, they rely on the distribution power of the Bonnier Amigo Music Group, [...]

STOCKHOLM -- Trends in music change and players come and go, but Sweden remains one of the top markets in the world in exporting musical creativity. How? It delivers songs--in […]

'Everyday' Surprise Victor Of Int'l Contest COPENHAGEN--When Estonia won an unexpected victory at the 46th annual Eurovision Song Contest, record companies and music publishers were caught off-guard. The winning song--'Everybody,' [...]

STOCKHOLM--After a decade of perfectly produced pop and a few bolder experiments, the Swedish music business is under pressure to create some fresh material for the global jukebox, as the [...]

The latest batch of repertoire made available to mobile music operators has a familiar ring to it. Although current hits remain the most in-demand repertoire, European labels are increasingly exploiting [...]

STOCKHOLM -- For the first time, Billboard is co-hosting the annual Swedish Music Day seminar and showcase in New York, set for Oct. 28. The event, now in its fourth […]

STOCKHOLM -- The city's best-known recording facility, Polar Studios, is set to close its doors May 1 after 26 years in operation. 'For us, and many in the music world, […]

STOCKHOLM -- Entertainment firm the Music Co. Nordic (TMCN) has opened offices in Norway, Denmark and Finland during the past few weeks, with ambitious plans for a Baltic expansion under […]

SWEDE INSPIRATION: After two false starts, Miami-born LaGaylia Frazier is hoping to relaunch her recording career from her adopted Sweden. The jazz-influenced soul/funk singer first emerged in U.S. pop/dance act [...]

When Stockholm-born mezzosoprano Anne Sofie von Otter made her 2001 album 'For the Stars' (Deutsche Grammophon) with Elvis Costello, the two discovered a shared passion for ABBA and recorded the [...]

After four years of decline, Sweden's recorded-music market is showing signs of flattening out. For the first six months of 2006, the recorded-music market dropped 1.4% in value at 383.9 [...]

FRESH VENEER: For a singer/songwriter who spends so much time on the road, it's somehow ironic that Sweden's Jose Gonzalez owes so much to TV exposure of a cover version. [...]

BAYWATCHING SWEDES: The unlikely combination of a massively successful U.S. TV show and a pair of Swedish DJs has delivered Europe's biggest crossover dance hit so far this year. 'I'll [...]

Swedish authors body STIH collected record income from international sources in 2005. Preliminary figures show STIM collected 282 million kronor ($35.6 million) from overseas sources last year, a 16% increase [...]

Roxette guitarist Per Gessle has remained busy since the Swedish duo took an enforced break in 2002 after vocalist Marie Fredriksson fell ill: He has released five album projects. The [...]

STOCKHOLM -- Swedish voters in September's general election may have the option of choosing to dump the country's intellectual property laws. A group of Swedish file sharers announced Jan. 1 [...]

The younger son of ABBA member Benny Andersson may submerge his identity within six-piece rock act Ella Rouge, but Ludvig Andersson remains proud of his association with the 1970s hitmaker's [...]

LONG LIFETIME: After two false starts, Swedish pop vocalist Emilia de Poret is reaping the rewards of persistence with debut album 'A Lifetime in a Moment.' De Poret signed to [...]

ORGAN-IZED: Swedish trio Bodies Without Organs wants to be perceived as 'the European version of Scissor Sisters,' according to band member Alexander Bard. The electronic-pop act's debut album, 'Prototype,' was [...]

DIAMOND LIFE: At the age of 13, Amy Diamond could become the third female vocalist from Jonkoping, Sweden, to achieve international acclaim, following ABBA's Agnetha Faltskog and the Cardigans' Nina [...]

Following the domestic success of her self-titled fourth album, Swedish pop/R&B singer/ songwriter Robyn is seeking to license it internationally. 'Robyn,' on the singer's Konichiwa Records imprint, entered the Swedish [...]

STOCKHOLM -- An out-of-court settlement has ended copyright-infringement proceedings initiated by Swedish entertainment-industry trade groups against one of the country's leading Internet service providers. The Swedish affiliate of the International [...]

HAPPY 20TH: Swedish pop singer Nanne Gronvall is celebrating her 20th anniversary as a recording artist in style. Her career-spanning compilation '20 Ar Med Nanne' (Lionheart International), released April 13, [...]

Sweden's recorded-music market shrank in first-quarter 2005, according to labels body GLF. For the three months to March 31, the market declined 16.9% in value from the same period last [...]

MONEY MAN: Darin Zanyar on March 3 celebrated his fifth week at No. I on Sweden's GLF chart with his debut single 'Money for Nothing' (RCA). The pop singer emerged [...]

The Hives were the big winners at the 23rd annual Swedish Grammis Awards, presented Feb. 7 in Stockholm. The Polydor U.K.-signed band won artist and rock group of the year, [...]

VACUUM PACKED: 'Negotiate With Love,' the lead single from U.K. pop vocalist Rachel Stevens' forthcoming second album, is the latest collaboration between Swedish songwriter/producers Anders Wollbeck and Mattias Lindblom, aka [...]

STOCKHOLM -- A strong performance by domestic repertoire failed to halt the slide in record sales in Sweden during 2004. Sweden has long been acknowledged as the A&R powerhouse of [...]

The Polar Music Prize for 2005 will be presented to German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Brazilian composer/musician/singer Gilberto Gil. The ceremony will take place May 23 in Stockholm. The winners […]

CRYING FAME: Elin Lanto became an overnight success in her native Sweden when her debut single, 'I Won't Cry,' topped the Oct. 22 GLF chart. The pop vocalist from Enkoping […]

A SWEDISH SOUNDTRACK: 'Origin Vol. 1' is the fourth album from Swedish power-rock combo the Soundtrack of Our Lives. The album entered the Billboard European Top 100 Albums chart last […]

YES, SHE CAN: Sweden's Ana Johnsson first came to attention in 2001 as a member of short-lived group Excellence, winner of Sweden's first 'Pop Stars' TV show. Bonnier Music released […]

FAME AT LAST: Finnish songwriter Johan Becker moved to Stockholm in the mid-'90s and signed with MCA Music Publishing. But he always coveted a record deal. In 2000, he and […]

Blues legend B.B. King and avant-garde Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti received the 13th annual Polar Music Prize May 24 in Stockholm. The Royal Swedish Academy of Music gives out the […]

Stockholm-based Bonnier Music Publishing (BMP) has agreed to regionally represent local publisher Gazell Music's catalog through a new division called Bonnier Gazell Music (BGM). BGM now handles some 60 international […]

Stockholm-based label Anderson Records has inked a Scandinavian sales and distribution deal with Universal Music Sweden. Anderson founder and managing director Marie Ledin says the deal will run for at […]

HOWLING LOUD: The music of Stockholm rockers the Shout Out Louds begs for an international release. With tracks like 'Very Loud' and 'Hurry Up, Let's Go,' the band has chosen […]

The trade value of music shipments in Sweden fell 14.7% to 1.33 billion kronor ($181.5 million) in 2003, according to labels body GLF. Volume dropped 12% to 24.6 million units. […]

LANGUAGE BARRIER: The Billboard Hot 100 has rarely been kind to records performed in foreign languages. Rarer still would be an entry sung in two, but legendary Swedish vocalist Siw […]

STOCKHOLM -- The management of Stockholm Records insists the imprint will retain its own identity, despite Universal Music Sweden's (UMS) plains to fully absorb the label Dec. 1. Stockholm Records […]

Authors body Svenska Musikforlaggareforeningen (SMFF) has launched the inaugural Swedish Music Publishers Awards. The awards honor Swedish composers and form part of SMFF's 75th anniversary celebration. SMFF managing director Carl [...]

Third-quarter music shipments fell in Sweden, according to Stockholm-based labels body GLF. Volume dropped 10.9% to 16.4 million units, while trade value fell 13.8% from third-quarter 2002 to 851.2 million […]

Former ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog is set to release her first album since 1987. The record will reportedly feature English-language material and may include new recordings of songs by such […]

Veteran blues guitarist/singer B.B. King is one of two honorees who will receive the 2004 Polar Music Prize May 24 in Stockholm. Avant-garde Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti is the other […]

STOCKHOLM--Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAM) is taking over Scandinavian distribution for the roster of troubled Swedish independent label group Music Network Records (MNW). Stockholm-based MNW Records Group is dramatically downsizing […]

Fireside is a seminal band in the current Swedish rock revival. Guitarist Pelle Gunnerfeldt produced both albums by the Hives, and bass player Frans Johansson has appeared live with the […]

STOCKHOLM -- Pianist/composer Keith Jarrett was awarded the prestigious 2003 Polar Music Prize May 12 in Stockholm by the Stig Anderson Music Award Foundation of the Royal Swedish Academy of […]

Fame, a duo consisting of Magnus Backland and Jessica Andersson, will represent Sweden with 'Give Me Your Love' May 24 at the annual Eurovision Song Contest in Riga, Latvia. The […]

Swedish first-quarter 2003 prerecorded music sales--including music-related DVD and VHS titles--declined 8.5% in volume to 6.2 million units, a value drop of 12.3% to 309.6 million Swedish kronor ($36.9 million) […]

STOCKHOLM--A major restructuring of Universal Music International's (UMI) affiliate in Sweden is intended to ensure the company remains 'a dominant force' on the domestic scene. The changes, effective immediately, see […]