Press room [PIAS] Digital seals new agreement with We7 for ad-funded streaming and MP3 downloads
Sep 10, 2008
[PIAS] Digital, a Division of [PIAS] Entertainment Group, has reached an agreement with We7, the ad-funded music destination site and digital store co-founded by Peter Gabriel that allows people to stream music for free and buy what they love.
The agreement will see [PIAS] Digital repertoire being made available on the We7 service in a variety of ways, including a la carte downloads and ad-funded streaming. [PIAS] Digital has also committed to utilize and manage audio advertising inventory on behalf of the 250+ labels it represents, giving them the opportunity to advertise their repertoire on the We7 service.
We7 offers music fans the opportunity to listen to tracks and albums for free, and then to buy what they love as DRM-free mp3 downloads from We7's digital store. We7 generates advertising revenues from delivering dynamically-targeted audio adverts according to information known about the We7 user - two users streaming the same song might hear different audio ads. These last only a few seconds and precede each streamed track. We7 splits advertising revenues from audio and display ads with labels and rights holders.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, [PIAS] Entertainment Group is a major repertoire owner in its own right and supplies a broad range of services internationally to hundreds of leading labels including marketing, sales, distribution and licensing solutions.
Adrian Pope, Director of Digital & Business Development at [PIAS] Entertainment Group said, "The We7 ad-funded model is very appealing to many of the labels and rights holders we represent, and with the additional benefit of having access to advertising inventory, [PIAS] will help them maintain control of the type of advertising attached to their repertoire and also assist with maximizing the promotional and revenue opportunities available to them via the We7 service."
Clive Gardiner, VP of Digital Music at We7 said, "PIAS is at the forefront of the vibrant independent music sector, and is committed to investigating new business models. We7 is delighted to welcome [PIAS] not only as a licensor of top-quality repertoire, but also as an advertiser. Together we plan to build some exciting promotions which can help expand the digital download market as well as build some incremental new revenues from advertising."
For further information:
For [PIAS] Digital
Andy Saunders at Velocity Communications
Tel:+ 44 (207) 430 0200
Email: andy@velocitypr.co.uk
For We7
Jaz Cummins
Tel:020 7520 9533
Email: jaz.cummins@shinyred.co.uk
About PIAS Entertainment Group
The [PIAS] Entertainment Group is the definitive marketing, sales, distribution and licensing solution offering a highly professional and flexible service for music, film, comedy and sport repertoire on an international basis.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, [PIAS] Entertainment Group supplies a broad range of highly professional services for leading repertoire owners across both physical and digital routes to market. The group also has significant operations in the UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Ireland. In addition to its local operations [PIAS] Entertainment Group has an international network of partners that enables it to offer its services on a truly global basis.
[PIAS] Entertainment Group owns premium repertoire via its [PIAS] Recordings, [PIAS] Visuals, [PIAS] Comedy and publishing operations. It also has significant interests in the record label Wall of Sound, the film company Twin Pics and mobile specialist company Indie Mobile.
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. Users can make and share playlists and widgets, and buy drm-free mp3s from the We7 store at any stage. We7 showcases exciting music of all genres from labels big and small 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 - visit www.we7.com.
