We7 teams up with EMI music to offer on-demand ad-funded streaming and paid-for MP3 downloads
London, 2nd September 2008: EMI Music and We7, the pioneering ad-funded music service, today announced that around 400,000 tracks from EMI Music's repertoire of artists, including We7 founder investor Peter Gabriel, will be available on We7.com through both on-demand, ad-funded audio streaming and paid-for MP3 downloads.
The partnership means We7 users will be able to listen to full tracks and albums on an unlimited basis at no cost, create personal playlists, and share their favourites with their friends. We7's advertising technology plays short, targeted audio adverts before each streamed track and ensures that music offered through the site is legal but rights owners get paid and valued.
We7 plans to start delivering EMI Music's content later this year, and is delighted to welcome We7 founder investor Peter Gabriel to its growing roster of available artists. Peter Gabriel, commented: "I am very happy my catalogue is finally available on We7".
Douglas Merrill, President, Digital Business, EMI Music, said: "We7 represents the new and innovative digital experiments underway in the market today, giving fans another way to experience their favourite music and providing artists with an avenue to reach new audiences. We are pleased to be a part of emerging digital initiatives, including We7."
Steve Purdham, Founder Investor and CEO, We7, said: "We7 is making phenomenal progress ahead of our full launch later in the year, there's real momentum in the industry right now and ad-funded streaming is becoming more widely accepted as a legal alternative to piracy. We're really excited to be offering great music from EMI Music's world-class repertoire of artists on We7.com, enabling fans to listen to tracks for free when they want and then buy the music they love."
We7
Jaz Cummins
Tel: 020 7520 9533
Email: jaz.cummins@shinyred.co.uk
EMI Music
Amanda Conroy
Tel: 020 7795 7529
Email: conroya@emimusic.com
Notes To Editors:
About We7
We7 is the first free and legal service of its kind in Europe delivering music in the way consumers want it. We7 users can listen to music for free whenever they want, and buy whatever they love. The service works by 'grafting' short, relevant ads which precede the free music tracks based upon information known about the user, such as location, age and gender. This advertising ensures that artists and labels receive royalties for making their songs available, whilst consumers receive streamed legal music free of charge. We7 showcases exciting music of all genres from labels big and small (including three majors) as well as directly from unsigned artists. Co-founded by Peter Gabriel, We7 is expanding the digital download market and pioneering incremental music revenues from advertising - www.we7.com
About EMI Music
EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the world's leading music companies. Its EMI Music division represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin.
EMI has been at the cutting edge of the rapidly growing digital music marketplace since it released David Bowie's 'Hours' as the world's first ever album to be offered as a digital download in 1999. EMI has signed agreements with hundreds of digital partners to distribute its music across the globe, including its premium DRM-free, higher-quality offering sold through partners including Apple iTunes, Amazon.com and more. It continues to facilitate the development of a growing range of new digital business models to enable fans to experience and purchase its artists' output through a number of different platforms including, legal peer-to-peer agreements with Mashboxx and GNAB, and a deal to offer advertising-supported videos on mobile phones in the US through Rhythm NewMedia. For further information on EMI, please visit: www.emigroup.com