Press room Orchard signs up to We7 for on-demand ad-funded streaming, downloading and paid-for mp3 downloads
Sep 30, 2008
We7’s drive to deliver legal ad supported music reaches full throttle. We7 and The Orchard, a global leader in digital music and entertainment, today announced more than 1.3 million tracks from The Orchard's repertoire of artists will be available on We7 through ad-funded, on-demand streaming, downloads and paid-for mp3 downloads.
The deal allows customers on the ad-funded music website access to The Orchard’s significant and diverse music offering, spanning international multi-platinum acts, cutting-edge breaking bands, and iconic and historically significant regional music.
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 and safe, but rights owners get paid and valued.
Greg Scholl, president and chief executive officer for The Orchard, said: "Innovation and experimentation are critical to the growth of digital music, and it's not surprising that We7, Peter Gabriel's latest venture, embodies both. We are supportive of We7's ad-based model, and of ensuring that fans of the artists we represent can listen to and discover music in new ways that compensate our artist and labels fairly."
We7 Co-founder and CEO Steve Purdham added: 'We're very excited to have The Orchard on board at a time when we're gaining real momentum ahead of our full launch in the coming months. It's an exciting time as the ad-funded model becomes accepted as a legal alternative to piracy, and we look forward to a fruitful relationship with The Orchard as our catalogue continues to grow'.
For We7
Jaz Cummins
t. + 44 20 7520 9532
e. jaz.cummins@shinyred.co.uk
For The Orchard
Europe
Simon Lait
t. + 44 (0)1832 720 292
m. + 44 (0)7785 596 593
e. simon@theorchard.com
USA
Deana Graffeo
t. +1 (646) 237-3780
m. +1 (917) 374-3857
e. dgraffeo@theorchard.com
About The Orchard(R)
The Orchard (NASDAQ: ORCD) controls and globally distributes more than 1.3 million songs and over 5,000 video titles through hundreds of digital stores (e.g. iTunes, eMusic, Google, Netflix, V CAST) and mobile carriers (e.g. Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Bell Canada, 3). With operations in 27 countries, The Orchard drives sales for its label, retailer, brand, and agency clients through innovative marketing and promotional campaigns; brand entertainment programs; and film, advertising, gaming and television licensing. A pioneer in digital music and media services, The Orchard fosters creativity and independence.
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 - We7
