We7 News

Celebrate St Patrick's Day with We7!

To celebrate St Patrick's Day, we thought we would take the opportunity to take a look at some our favourite Irish music from the site and give you an exclusive selection of some of the best songs to get you in the party mood.

Irish music is popular all over the world, not just in Irish communities. Traditional Irish Folk tells tales of heroic Irish struggle and resistance, passed down from generation to generation through song. Emigration spread Irish music throughout the world, kept alive by Irish communities in North America, Australia and Britain.

From the 1960s onwards, bands such as The Dubliners started to gain popularity in Britain, as folk music started to gain a wider appeal. However, Ireland has produced their own fair share of Rock and Rollers - Most notably U2, The Undertones (a favourite of John Peel) and The Pogues, who still tour today under the command of Shane McGowan.

So whats your favourite irish song of all time? Who do you like to listen to as you sup on your pint of Guiness?

Sony-BMG signs with We7!

We are delighted to announce that Sony BMG, one of the UK's largest and most successful record companies, has signed with We7 to provide free streaming of its music to We7 users in the UK.

From the end of April, We7's users will be able to stream music, on demand and for free with a short audio advert before each track, from the extensive Sony BMG catalogue. The label will also make available to stream on demand new releases from its current roster of artists. Initially the streaming service will only be available to existing registered users of We7, before it is rolled out to new subscribers.

We7 will now feature music from internationally successful artists including Bruce Springsteen, Westlife and Foo Fighters and top selling British talent such as Mark Ronson, Kasabian and Leona Lewis. Sony BMG's reputation for discovering and developing exciting new talent such as The Hoosiers and Ting Tings will also compliment We7's commitment to unearthing new and exciting artists.

Today's announcement marks a significant step forward for We7. Having launched in May 2007 with 30 tracks available to its users, We7 has steadily made progress in signing a number of leading independent's catalogues to the service. We7 now has licensed nearly 1 million tracks from record labels of all sizes and unsigned artists.

It is We7's fresh approach to finding new ways of delivering music to fans that has proved so successful in attracting record labels, distributors and unsigned artists to the service.

Commenting on the announcement, Ged Doherty, Chairman of Sony BMG in the UK and Ireland, said "We are in the business of embracing a multitude of new ways our music can reach audiences. Our deal with We7 is an important step forward in offering fans greater flexibility in how they consume music."

The announcement further signifies the achievements of We7 in a short space of time. Having passed the 2 million downloads mark in record time, last month, We7 was nominated in the category of Digital Achievement of the Year at the Music Week Awards.

Steve Purdham, CEO of We7, commented "Today marks a significant leap forward for We7 and the industry as a whole, as Sony BMG lead the way in embracing the on demand streaming model for the benefit of music fans, artists and advertisers alike."

Peter Gabriel, the musician and founder of We7 added, "The digital revolution has provided exciting and extraordinary opportunities in the music business, even though it has been largely written off by many. We7 is a model that will supply free music to the consumer and still provide a stream of revenue to musicians and content owners. We are delighted that Sony BMG are exploring this new world, and are the first forward thinking major to come on board with us."

Keep checking back with We7 for further exciting additions to our musical offerings in the coming weeks!