PRESS RELEASES05.12.06 Christmas Comes Early With Free Download Giveaway From 7digital
29.11.06 indiestore.com launches flash player widget for social networking sites
02.10.06 7digital Power Peter Kay’s First-Ever Podcast (or ‘Kay-Cast’)
28.09.06 7digital Partners With TLA to Create ProXtunes Download Store for Memory Corp
19.09.06 Fopp Goes Digital With 7digital Download Store
12.09.06 Ben Drury appointed To ERA Council
07.09.06 British Film Institute Digital Store
31.08.06 indiestore.com Upgraded With New Features
17.07.06 7digital Begins European Roll-out With New German Office
30.06.06 Save Our School! Schoolchildren target download chart with protest song
21.06.06 V2 Album Sale
14.06.06 7digital Brings A Taste Of Japan To The UK With donburitunes.com Download Store
08.06.06 7digital.com Make World Cup Anthems From The Past And Present Available For Download
24.05.06 7digital Launches indiestore.com
16.05.06 Boys Will Be Girls Band, The Honeytraps, Launch Chart Assault With “Wishing”
12.05.06 Liverpool FC Ring Of Fire On Course To Secure Top 10 Position In Official Download Chart
28.04.06 7digital Appoints Stephen Somerville As Commercial Director to Build Video Content Channel
07.04.06 Pinnacle Entertainment chooses 7digital download platform for label and artist stores
10.03.06 The Rakes Reach International Audience With Official Download Site
14.02.06 Official BRITs download store
5th December 2006 Christmas Comes Early With Free Download Giveaway From 7digital
7digital is giving away a free download to anyone who buys from www.7digital.com using its new payment option, Click&Buy. The offer is open to new and existing customers and is available from today.
7digital.com offers a popular and eclectic mix of music, audiobook, music video and film downloads. With a vast catalogue to choose from and thousands of non-music titles, 7digital.com is one of the UK's leading download destinations.
How To Claim The Free Download?
Simply search www.7digital.com, choose the tracks that you would like to buy, go to the checkout and choose the Click&Buy payment option, register with Click&Buy and download your tracks. The first track to go through the checkout will be your free track.
Once registered with Click&Buy, you will be able to one-click purchase, making future transactions even simpler.
29th November 2006 MySpace Users Can Now Sell Music To Their Fan Base With indiestore.com’s Plug-In
Not just MySpace - indiestore’s plug-in enables artists to sell their music through any social networking site, reaching new audiences
indiestore.com, the global online service from 7digital that helps independent and unsigned artists sell their music direct on the web, earn up to 80% of the sale proceeds and secure positions in the official download charts, today announces a plug-in that lets users sell through their MySpace profile, as well as through other social networking sites.
The plug-in adds an indiestore Flash Player to the users home page or profile, which lists all the tracks that the artist has on their indiestore. Visitors can listen to the tracks using the Player and if they are interested in purchasing a track, simply click ‘buy’ and be taken to the bands checkout.
MySpace is due to launch a tool for bands to sell tracks via their profile in the UK next year, however, the indiestore Flash Player means that there is no need to wait - you can start making money from your music straight away.
Pimp My Page
The Flash Player is easy to add – users simply log in to their indiestore manager, copy the html code and paste it into their profile page. When the html code is added, the Player appears as a 10 by 10cm box.
For indiestore artists, the plug-in means that they can easily add extra points of sale to any website where they have built up a fan base. Temposhark has been trialling the new service and has already seen an upturn in sales:
Rob Diament, lead singer in Temposhark explains, “We are delighted with the indiestore Flash Player on our MySpace page as it has helped increase interest in our music, both in the number of plays of our songs as well as helping increase the number of downloads sold. It really makes it easy for our fans.
2nd October 2006 7digital Power Peter Kay’s First-Ever Podcast (or ‘Kay-Cast’)
7digital is powering comedian Peter Kay’s first-ever podcast, which will be available from Peter Kay’s website, www.peterkay.co.uk, from Monday 2 October 06. The podcast is made up of extracts from Peter Kay’s autobiography, The Sound of Laughter, which will be officially released on 5 October.
This sees 7digital branching out from TV, film and music to offer download stores to comedians on a par with those of Coldplay, White Stripes and the British Film Institute.
The podcast, which is 22 minutes long, is full of the humour and nostalgia that you expect from Peter. Beginning with Kay’s first ever driving lesson, taking him back through his Bolton childhood, the numerous jobs he held after school and leading up to the time he finally found fame, it is certain to entertain.
Speaking about the podcast, Stephen Somerville, Commercial Director, 7digital says: “Kay’s autobiography has already received over a quarter of a million orders ahead of its release date, making it the fastest selling autobiography this year. It is thought that demand for the podcast will be as high, which would make it one of the biggest downloads of the year.
28th September 2006 7digital Partners With TLA to Create ProXtunes Download Store for Memory Corp
Global music and video download provider 7digital announces today that it has teamed up with digital entertainment content provider, The Licensing Agency (TLA), to deliver a new music download store for digital storage provider Memory Corp. The ProXtunes store will be open for business in Europe on 28th September 06.
This momentous deal for 7digital marks the first time it has ever been engaged to provide digital media services for a commercial brand outside the media and entertainment industry. Memory Corp, which provides a range of memory and digital storage hardware products for both businesses and consumers, hopes to raise its brand profile and stimulate demand for its digital storage products by launching the new download store.
Memory Corp chose 7digital for its excellence in technology innovation, which has enabled ProXtunes to offer downloads at 192Kbps, which are much closer to CD-quality sound than the other major commercial download sites.
TLA put together the deal on behalf of Memory Corp who chose TLA for its 10-year track record in successful consumer promotions involving entertainment content.
According to Line Aagaard, Marketing Manager of Memory Corp, “We think ProXtunes will help make our brand appeal more broadly to consumers who might not otherwise get excited about storage. This move aligns our image with storage’s uses and benefits - being able to make music collections both portable and safe. In addition to providing a new revenue stream, we also think it will be a terrific channel for promotional activities to consumers.
Stephen Somerville, Commercial Director, 7digital commented: “This is the first deal of its kind for 7digital, and it shows how companies outside the entertainment industry and huge consumer brands can get creative and take advantage of the massive consumer interest in digital downloads to raise their brand equity and create a dialogue with their customers.
19th September 2006FOPP Goes Digital With 7digital Download Store
7digital has agreed a deal with FOPP, the UK’s best independent music retailer, to develop a FOPP branded music and video download store. The store will enable FOPP to reach a global audience, sell a wider catalogue than it can stock in its shops and generate new revenue streams.
Visitors to the new FOPP download store will benefit from the following:
The 7digital download service will provide FOPP with a high degree of editorial control, enabling it to change the look and feel of the site with ease, as well as, a real-time reporting system to track sales and support for video downloads.
Speaking about the deal, Ben Drury, Managing Director, 7digital says: “Our unique download service for independent retailers, which is supported by all the major labels, is a great way for brands such as FOPP to compete in the digital world. We’re excited to have FOPP, the most innovative and exciting of high-street retailers, on board.”
Backed by ERA (formerly BARD) and the BPI, the 7digital indie retail service was officially launched in September 2005 and has proven extremely popular with independent retailers. With a licensed catalogue of over 1 million tracks, the download service enables indie retailers to offer their customers access to a far broader catalogue than they can provide in-store.
Kim Bayley, ERA, says: “With more and more people buying their music online, we are seeing an increased number of indie retailers getting involved in the digital sector to keep apace with consumer purchasing trends. 7digital’s indie retail service is a quick and easy way for retailers to extend their reach, providing consumers with what they want, when and how they want it.”
Other independent retailers to benefit from 7digital’s indie retail service to date are Sound Clash, Crash Music and Townsend Records.
The FOPP download store goes live today and can be accessed from www.fopp.co.uk and www.7digital.com/fopp
12th September 2006 Ben Drury, 7digital, Appointed To ERA Council
First digital-only retailer to be made Council member.
Ben Drury, MD, 7digital, will be appointed to ERA’s (Entertainment Retailers Association) Council at ERA’s AGM today. Ben is the first head of a purely digital retail company to sit on the Council, and his election acknowledges the importance of music and video downloads to the UK’s entertainment industry.
Some of the most high profile entertainment retailers in the UK sit on the council, including Virgin, HMV, Woolworths and Tesco. The addition of a digital only company to these more traditional brand names is a reflection of the radically changing shape of the retail industry, which has been influenced by a sharp increase in consumer downloading over the past few years.
Speaking about his appointment, Ben Drury comments: “As the first digital retailer to sit on the Council, I will act as a voice for the digital media industry. One of the first issues to discuss will be how to work towards more flexible chart rules for digital sales, reflecting the huge impact of downloads on the singles market.”
ERA (formerly BARD) is a UK trade organisation formed specifically to act as a forum for the retail and wholesale sectors of the music, video, DVD and Multimedia products industry. ERA initiates dialogue between dealers, record companies and their trade body, the BPI. ERA’s business is conducted via the Council of 18 elected representatives from the association’s members.
Kim Bayley, ERA comments: “ERA members and all entertainment retailers and record companies recognise that downloading can provide an additional revenue stream, and the ERA Council is proud to elect Ben Drury - a pioneer and expert in this field - to participate in debates that will shape the future of the entertainment retail industry.”
7th September 20067digital And The BFI Keep Film Alive
7digital and the BFI today announce the launch of the BFI Film Download Space, which will provide avid film watchers with access to a range of fiction and non-fiction films and shorts from The BFI National Archive of over 600,000. 7digital is enabling the BFI – which has one of the largest and most diverse archives in the world – to deliver its content in formats to suit every viewer.
With new material being added every month, the BFI Film Download Space will provide users with access to a wide range of films including:
Speaking about the deal, Stephen Somerville, Commercial Director, 7digital says: “We are pleased to be enabling the delivery of content from the BFI’s National Archive, as well as adding such interesting content to 7digital’s ever expanding offering. The BFI delivering the National Archive is an example of how the Internet is making it possible for content owners to promote its own content and retain a direct relationship with the consumer - providing everyone in the UK with access to unique material.”
“The BFI film download store provides a new distribution channel for short film, features and other material, which is unlikely to meet a wide DVD audience. We are pleased to be partnering with 7digital to provide the widest possible range of cultural and specialist film to a growing audience,” says Catharine Pusey, Director, BFI Trading.
Content will be available to buy and download from the BFI’s site, www.bfi.org.uk/filmdownloadspace as well as www.7digital.com/bfi
31st August 2006 indiestore.com Upgraded With New Features for Independent and Unsigned Artists
indiestore.com, the global online service from 7digital that helps independent and unsigned artists sell their music direct on the web, earn up to 80% of the sale proceeds and secure positions in the official download charts, today launches new premium services as it nears the end of its beta phase. indiestore.com launched as a beta service in May 06 and will fully launch this October. The new services include:
Bundles
New track bundling allows indiestore.com Pro customers to sell albums or EPs in addition to being able to sell tracks individually. For those customers who want to buy a whole album or EP, this option offers better value and more convenient downloading. Bundled tracks are available in multi format to give users maximum choice. indiestore.com regular chart toppers like The Delilahs, Input and Mike Cerny are all offering bundles through this service.
Tags
Bands can now create tags that define and promote their own distinctive musical genres and attract like-minded fans. This makes browsing the site easier, more satisfying and more fun. Over 4,000 tags have been logged with popular tags including acoustic, alternative, electronica, folk and progressive.
Real time preview and download statistics
For bands that want to keep a real time watch on how each of their tracks are performing, indiestore.com has added a new feature that keeps a running tally of how many tracks visitors have previewed and downloaded.
indiestore.com chart
The weekly indiestore.com chart has been fine-tuned to take into account both download sales and preview ‘listens’ to more accurately represent band and track popularity, rather than compiling the chart based on download sales alone.
Commenting on the new features, Ben Drury, MD, 7digital says: “These new features were added to help independent and unsigned bands to better manage and market their stores, increasing the money they can make from their sites.
indiestore.com uses the same technology that powers the download sites of over 450 major label artists including Coldplay, Oasis and Muse. Any band, artist or independent label that is looking to make money from social networking should sign up for an indiestore. You can be up and trading in 15 minutes.”
17th July 2006 7digital Begins European Roll-out With New German Office
Leading digital music executive recruited from Deutsche Telekom’s Musicload to run operations
7digital, a leading UK music and video download provider, has opened an office in Cologne, Germany to tap into the second largest music download market in Europe and is poised for future rapid growth.
7digital GmbH has already hired two leading executives, Chris Bornefeld-Ettmann and Ralf Plaschke to run the new operation.
Bornefeld-Ettmann, a core member of T-Online's managing team running the leading German download portal Musicload since its inception in 2003, brings more than 16 years of music industry and digital business experience to his new role at 7digital. With nearly 20 years of music experience including digital media, Ralf Plaschke will head up the German office. Ralf is the former director of the Popkomm music convention, International, and co-owner of Internet agency PopData GmbH.
Germany is the fourth largest market for recorded music in the world, and its music download market is on the rise. Revenue grew from €11million in 2004 to €26million in 2005 – not including full track downloads, realtones and ring-back-tones, which accounted for an additional €24million.
Impressive as this may be, Internet downloads only accounted for 2% of total market value . This is due in part to a slow take up of home broadband over the past few years. However, this trend is changing as broadband begins to penetrate the mass market.
7digital has certainly hit the ground running in Germany, with deals agreed with EMI, Sony BMG, Zebralution, Kontor New Media, Finetunes, MediaControl and others.
Ben Drury, Managing Director, 7digital says: “7digital has grown from strength to strength over the past couple of years and I am delighted to be opening a 7digital office in Germany. It’s an essential next step for the company due to Germany’s rapidly increasing download market. I am sure we will make as big an impact in Germany as we have in the UK.”
30th June 2006 Schoolchildren target download chart with protest song
School children at Selsted COE Primary School in Kent are the latest group to put out their own single on indiestore.com. The track, Save our School, is a plea to keep open the school, which has been threatened with immediate closure, and was the idea of Jessica, aged 10.
Selsted School heard of the proposed closure in May and immediately set up The Save Selsted School Action Group. The group has vowed to fight tooth and nail to keep the school open and in less than six weeks has written, recorded, and through indiestore, released a song to publicise their plight.
Save Our School’s lyrics were written by one of the parents, Marysia Bird and was put to music by professional songwriter Steve Howard. To record the song, five year 6 soloists from the school visited Steve’s professional studio and recorded the verse. The chorus, sung by the entire school, was then recorded at school and mixed in.
The song is currently at number 1 in the indiestore chart, as parents and friends rally round in support. All tracks sold through indiestore are eligible for the UK download chart and the children hope to earn a place in the charts next week.
Selsted is an idyllic rural primary school with 72 pupils. The school has been recommended to parents of children with Special Educational Needs as well as children whose behavioural problems have meant they have not been happy or successful in other local schools, due to its caring and calming environment. If no action is taken the school will be closed in July 07. Kent County Council has not been able to provide alternative places for all the pupils at Selsted.
Save Our School is available to download for 99p from www.indiestore.com/stevehoward. (Any profits made will go to the school)
Ben Drury, indiestore.com, says, “The whole point of indiestore is to let anyone release their music, quickly, easily and with the free version – without cost. It’s fantastic that a store has been set up for the very worthy purpose of keeping a school open. We hope they are the first indiestore act to make it into the Official Download charts.”
Costas Sotiriou, Chairman, Save Selsted School Action Group, says “None of the children were asked how they felt about their schools possible closure. ‘Save our School’ is a chance for the children’s voices to be heard. Not a single pupil wants the school to close and it’s for the benefit of their welfare and education that it should stay open.”
21st June 2006 V2 Album Sale
V2 has just launched an album sale via download site www.7digital.com. Albums are available for download for just £4.99 or £0.77 per track. Albums in the sale include favourites from Stereophonics, Madness, Paul Weller and Liberty X.
In addition, music fans can search the 'discover new music' section for albums and tracks from acts such as the Dave Matthews Band and Josh Ritter.
You had better be quick though – the sale ends on 31st July 2006.
http://www.7digital.com - The cheapest destination for legal single downloads!
14th June 2006 7digital Brings A Taste Of Japan To The UK With donburitunes.com Download Store
donburitunes.com gives international music fans instant access to the best of Japanese music.
7digital today announces the launch of www.donburitunes.com, a digital download store dedicated to promoting Japanese music. The store will promote popular Japanese acts such as TsuShiMaMiRe and Bonnie Pink and will make Japanese music widely and immediately available in the English-speaking world for the first time.
Japan is the second biggest music market in the world, creating some of the worlds most experimental and groundbreaking music. That said, few Japanese artists have been able to break into the market in the West due to the high costs associated with physically distributing music.
The rise in digital music has provided an easy way to introduce consumers to Japanese music, as it is cheaper and easier to distribute than music in physical formats. Previously fans of Japanese music would have had to pay a premium to order CDs and wait for weeks as they are shipped over - donburitunes.com will allow anyone to preview and buy music instantly from www.donburitunes.com at 77p per track.
Ben Drury, MD, 7digital comments: “Donburi literally means a rice bowl topped with food. We wanted to offer an easy way to consume a mix of tunes and encourage music lovers outside of Japan to try out Japanese music.”
“donburitunes.com is a great example of the potential of the web and digital music to transcend the restrictions of selling music in physical format – allowing music to easily reach a global audience.”
Peter Anshin, 7digital’s Asia representative who brokered the deal comments: “There are a great many exceptionally talented Japanese musicians whose music never reaches outside of Japan. donburitunes.com gives these great musicians a chance to easily and profitably promote and sell their music abroad, and a chance for music lovers abroad to hear them all at a single shop, within a click’s reach.”
Featured Artists Include:
Bonnie Pink
Currently one of Japan's strongest female rock singer/songwriters, Bonnie has attracted worldwide acclaim and worked with high profile producers including Tore Johhansen (The Cardigans) and Mitchell Froom (Suzanne Vega).
TsuShiMaMiRe
Japanese all girl trio, TsuShiMaMiRe’s music is a mix of punk, avant garde, free jazz, ska, surf and funk. The band has just finished headlining the Japan Nite US tour 2006 including an appearance at SXSW.
Change UP
Popular Japanese ska punk band Change UP have released two albums in Japan and toured successfully in the US. Change UP has supported many high profile bands in Japan, including No Doubt, Offspring, Less Than Jake and SUM 41.
Music for Donburi Tunes is provided in conjunction with RightsScale, a Japanese digital distributor. RightsScale’s primary objective is to distribute and promote digital media in Japan through Digital Retailer Services and Mobile content provider sites, boosting the country’s music retail presence throughout the world.
Mamoru Fukumitsu, RightsScale comments: “We promote Japanese music throughout the world and chose 7digital as our partner in the UK because of the fantastic support it offers to independent labels and artists.
“Digital downloads offer immediate, easy and affordable access to music from anywhere in the world - putting into action the promise offered by the web of a ‘global village’.”
8th June 2006 7digital.com Make World Cup Anthems From The Past And Present Available For Download
To coincide with the launch of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, 7digital.com has launched a music download site from which England supporters can download World Cup anthems from past and present!
Amongst the downloads available is the official World Cup song by Embrace, ‘World At Your Feet’, MC Neat v Soccer AM’s ‘Larve It’ and Fat Les, ‘Vindaloo.’ All of these songs and many more can be accessed from www.7digital.com/worldcup.
A full list of tracks available to download is listed below:
Present - 2006 Anthems
Past
Trophy Boyz and Lucky To Be Alive are two indie bands that have been able to make their World Cup anthems available for download by developing their own download stores using www.indiestore.com, a service that 7digital.com launched in May 06. indiestore.com enables unsigned bands and independent artists to sell their music online and be in with a chance of securing a chart position in official charts in the UK, US and 20 other countries.
24th May 2006 7digital Launches indiestore.com – Revolutionary Service Enables Unsigned Artists To Build Do It Yourself Download Stores & Get Into The Charts
7digital today launches indiestore.com, a revolutionary service that puts unsigned artists and independent labels in charge of their own destiny. indiestore enables artists to build their own download store, earn cash from the sales of their tracks and secure a chart position in official charts in the UK, US and 20 other countries. In addition, artists can promote their gigs and stay in touch with their fans on their indiestore.
Benefits of indiestore.com
The UK's download market is now the fastest growing in Europe. The success of Arctic Monkeys and Gnarls Barkley demonstrates just how important digital sales are to the charts – they can break a new band virtually overnight. For any band, new or old, signed or unsigned, in today’s market getting your music online is essential.
Ben Drury, MD, 7digital comments: “The digital download market in the UK has grown at an unprecedented place, with over a million tracks downloaded per week. indiestore is a great way for unsigned artists to get in on the action – today’s technology is democratizing the music industry and you no longer need a record deal to get your song widely distributed.
“Bands are already embracing sites such as MySpace to market themselves, and now indiestore provides the added bonus of actually being able to make money online. We are looking forward to the first number one being sold through an indiestore!”
indiestore.com is set to become a worldwide community of independent bands spanning all genres, with users uploading their own music and downloading the work of others - creating a vibrant online scene.
One up and coming band, Paris Motel, has already built its own indiestore (www.indiestore.com/parismotel) and started to make money from selling its tracks already.
Speaking about indiestore, Amy May, lead singer of Paris Motel says: “indiestore has the potential to put unsigned artists in the driver seat. We’re hoping indiestore will help create publicity, generate revenue and give us the opportunity to see our music go into the charts. indiestore is what every unsigned artist has been waiting for!”
16th May 2006 Boys Will Be Girls Band, The Honeytraps, Launch Chart Assault With “Wishing”
Viewers of Boys Will Be Girls, E4’s smash hit show that sees a bunch of former boy band stars reinvent themselves as a hot new girl band, will be able to access the band’s first single and video today from www.7digital.com/boys. The spoof transvestite band is aiming for number 1 with this single. Currently it only takes around 6,000 sales to get into the top 20, making it possible for The Honeytraps to secure the number one slot in the Official Download Charts.
The show, which was devised by former 80s boy band star Nathan Moore and music industry guru Olivier Bezardi, saw three former boy band members being selected to be in the band. The boys had just four weeks to record a single, make a pop video and play live to an audience of thousands. To make matters worse, the boys certainly aren’t dainty beauties: 6' 2'' Russ Spencer is built like a prop forward and nineteen-year old Austin Drage is a gym-freak with Popeye biceps. Only slim, leggy Martin Ryecroft seems to have the potential to make it as a girl.
Tonight’s Episode
In tonight’s episode (Tuesday 16th May), the ‘girls’ must use everything they've learnt to try to fool a live audience of thousands that they're women. Two new stylists are brought in to give Russ a major makeover, as he looks so unlike a woman. The bands vocal and music coach teaches the guys to play their instruments like girls. With less than 24 hours before their gig, inability to focus threatens to blow the boys' cover on stage. Come the day of the gig, the boys travel to the venue with their 10-strong team of mentors, make up, hair and styling experts. The new-look Russ is revealed to everyone and now he, Austin and Martin have just three minutes (one song) to convince the thousands of audience members they're a girl band. Will they succeed? Or will their cover be blown?
Following the show, viewers will be directed to www.channel4.com/music where the single can be downloaded for 99p. In addition, the music video will be available to download for just £1.99p.
12th May 2006 Liverpool FC Ring Of Fire On Course To Secure Top 10 Position In Official Download Chart
Ring of Fire, the official Liverpool Football Club FA Cup final single, is set to make it into the top 10 download chart this week! 7digital, a leading music and video download provider, has logged over 7,000 downloads of the track to date. To secure a Number 1 position in the Official Download Chart, you generally need between 10,000 and 20,000 downloads, so Ring Of Fire is well on it’s way to securing the top spot!
7digital powers Liverpool FC’s download site, and as such, is able to keep its finger firmly on the download pulse. The surge in sales is due to the FA Cup Final match that is taking place tomorrow afternoon between Liverpool FC and West Ham FC.
Otherwise known as 'The Boot Room All-Stars', the Liverpool FC version of the track is by Tim Speed and Apollo 440 - and features the distinctive vocals of Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch. Ring Of Fire will also be Liverpool FC’s official FA Cup song.
Links:
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/ringoffire/
About Ring Of Fire
Originally written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore, Ring of Fire is a country music song that was popularized by Johnny Cash, reaching number 1 in 1963. The song documents June Carter's feelings of conflict arising from her relationship with Cash, and his drug addiction, with the refrain:
I fell into a burning ring of fire,I went down, down, down,
And the flames went higher,
And it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire,
The ring of fire.
28th April 2006 7digital Appoints Stephen Somerville As Commercial Director to Build Video Content Channel
7digital, the UK’s leading music and video digital media company, has appointed Stephen Somerville as Commercial Director. A successful media dealmaker and strategist, Stephen’s role at 7digital is to manage video content distribution. Stephen will work with content owners to help them reach new audiences and generate new revenue streams.
Speaking about his role, Stephen says: “I joined 7digital for its massive potential to power video downloads and digital stores on an international scale. On-demand and download are both at the top of broadcasters’ and producers’ agendas and I look forward to helping them realise the potential of their content.”
Prior to joining 7digital, Stephen was Commercial Manager at UKTV for more than three years, working across a network of 10 channels to maximise revenue from the UKTV portfolio. Before this, Stephen was head of programming for UPC TV’s four premium Sport Channels in Central Europe reaching more than 1.2 million subscribers. Prior to this, Stephen was Business Development Manager at Yahoo UK & Ireland, where he broke streaming records for Yahoo! in Sweden and Asia.
Ben Drury, Managing Director and Founder, 7digital, says: “Stephen is a great addition to the 7digital team. Video downloads are proving extremely popular and Stephen’s experience and industry connections will ensure that today’s consumers will gain access to a wide variety of exciting, high-quality content.”
7th April 2006 Pinnacle Entertainment chooses 7digital download platform for label and artist stores
7digital, the leading UK music and video download provider, has become the exclusive download store provider to Pinnacle Entertainment and its labels. 7digital has delivered over two million tracks and 50,000 videos to date, and will add Pinnacle’s labels to the 250 successful download stores currently being powered by 7digital.
Pinnacle Entertainment, the UK’s largest distributor of independent music, manages the physical distribution of over 200 labels including Sanctuary, V2, Dramatico and Visible Noise and the digital distribution of nearly 100, including Eagle/Spitfire, Visible Noise, Lucky Number and First Night.
The Eagle Records store (www.7digital.com/eagle) is the first to be created by 7digital as part of the new deal. The store offers pre-orders and SMS purchase on all content, including forthcoming albums from Therapy? and Gary Moore, which are due to be released on 24th April. In addition, Therapy? fans will be able to take advantage of the “text-to-purchase” facility pioneered by 7digital to purchase the band’s new single Rain Hits Concrete.
Stores such as 23 Records, Lucky Number, Eminence and Measured Records are set to follow and they will feature video downloads, multiple languages and international billing – all of which are benefits of 7digital’s third generation platform.
Ben Drury, MD, 7digital, comments: “The recent growth in downloads provides independent artists and labels with exciting opportunities and 7digital provides a direct route to market. We’re very pleased and proud to be the exclusive provider of stores to Pinnacle Entertainment.”
Dominic Jones, Head of New Media, Pinnacle Entertainment, comments: “7digital were the main inspiration for the digital shops that we have built over the last two years. I’m very pleased to now have the opportunity of working with them and in doing so providing an even better service to our distributed labels.”
The announcement coincides with the Association of Independent Music’s Distribution & Digital Day in London, where 7digital and Pinnacle will officially announce their partnership.
7digital is consolidating its relationships with the independent sector, as it provides services for the Beggars Group, V2, Vital:PIAS Distribution, Sanctuary, Independiente, Rough Trade, Echo, Domino, Visible Noise and Peaceville.
10th March 2006 The Rakes Reach International Audience With Official Download Site, Powered by 7digital
The Rakes, one of the most significant London bands to emerge in recent years, today launches their official download store. Powered by 7digital, the store enables fans from all over the world to download tracks and video, including 22 Grand Job, Work Work Work Pub Club Sleep and Retreat, as it supports multiple language and currency transactions. The store also allows fans to pre-order forthcoming releases by sending a text message or via credit card.
The Rakes store is the first band site to take advantage of the features of 7digital’s third generation Digital Store platform that was unveiled at MIDEM. The next generation platform offers market-leading features, including being the only platform to enable a download pre-order service.
The enhancements to the platform mean that The Rakes can now sell to international markets including Germany, France, Spain and the United States of America, as it supports multiple languages and US Dollar and Euro transactions.
All sales through The Rakes’ store and the 7digital network will be eligible for the Nielsen Soundscan chart as well as the Official UK Chart. Nielsen Soundscan is the sales source for Billboard and Pan-European download charts and is compiled from points-of-sale worldwide.
Fans of The Rakes will also be able to access video on the move by downloading videos such as 22 Grand Job and Retreat to iPod Video, Sony PSP and all Windows Media compatible devices.
Ben Drury, MD, 7digital, comments: “The Rakes site is a great example of a band responding to demand from fans, both in the UK and internationally, enabling them to access their music immediately.”
“Today, all bands need to consider their online presence. Digital sales channels are rapidly changing the way albums and singles are bought and sold, enabling bands to break online and make a massive chart impact, as well as reach a wider international audience. Artists are now reaping the benefits of having their own digital store. 7digital is currently powering over 220 successful download stores and I expect this number will increase dramatically over the next 12 months.”
Beth Appleton, Head of New Media and Business Development, V2 Music comments “We are really proud that we have enabled The Rakes store to include audio and video content internationally in formats to suit all devices. We recognize that fans want to enjoy and consume music in many different ways and we're proud to be working with 7Digital to provide this choice.”
Visit the site at www.therakes.co.uk or 7digital.com/rakes .
14th February 2006And the winner of the BRITs download site contract is… 7digital
7digital today announces that it has been chosen by UK record company trade association the BPI to power the official BRITs 06 download site. Visitors to www.brits.co.uk will be able to download tracks and videos from BRITs 06 nominated artists and previous winners.
In addition to the tracks and back catalogues from artists such as James Blunt, Kanye West and Kaiser Chiefs the site also offers video content from artists including Paul Weller and Coldplay. Visitors are able to buy tracks and video by credit/debit card or SMS.
Unusually, the site also offers a BRITs compilation bundle, featuring tracks from the official BRITs CD. This is one of the first times that permission has been granted for a compilation to be made available over a digital platform.
All of the proceeds from the show and the site are being donated to the BRIT Trust, which seeks to give young people a chance to express their musical creativity regardless of race, class, sex or ability. 7digital is therefore donating its services to the BPI for free.
Ben Drury comments: “It’s great to be aligned with the biggest music event in the UK calendar – and to be part of a new offering for viewers. This year they can download the music that they see on the show immediately from the site, from the comfort of their own homes.”
BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said, “We are delighted to be working with 7digital, one of the most innovative of the new download platforms. We urge everyone to buy their BRITs downloads from www.brits.co.uk
“Every download sold directly benefits the charitable work of the BRIT Trust.”
20th January 2006 7digital launches third-generation music and video download platform
7digital, the leading UK music and video download provider, announces the launch of its 3rd generation Digital Store platform at MIDEM. 7digital currently powers over 200 successful download stores including X Factor, Amnesty International’s “Make Some Noise” project and Coldplay, with over two million tracks and 50,000 videos downloaded to date.
Consumers buying through 7digital powered services will now be able to pre-order tracks and videos by SMS text message and credit card before their release date, so that they receive them within seconds of them becoming available. 7digital is the only platform to offer this service.
The enhancements allow 7digital’s clients to sell to international markets, supporting multiple languages and US Dollar and Euro transactions. Initial languages offered include German, French and Spanish with plans to roll out more languages later in the year.
Amnesty International’s “Make Some Noise” jumped on the multiple language capability and is the first customer to use it, offering exclusive John Lennon covers to consumers in the UK, Germany, France and Spain from February 6th. “Make Some Noise” is a worldwide project - US downloads are handled by Microsoft’s MSN – which raises revenue and awareness for the charity.
All sales through 7digital services will be eligible for the Nielsen Soundscan chart as well as the Official UK Chart. Nielsen SoundScan is the sales source for Billboard and Pan-European download charts and is compiled from points-of-sale worldwide.
In response to growing demand for video on the move, 7digital now allow sites to sell video downloads to iPod Video, Sony PSP and all Windows Media compatible devices.
7digital also adds TVT Records, Positiva, Rough Trade, Gut, Red Ink and Vital to its Digital Store client base alongside all the major labels and leading independents.
Ben Drury, Managing Director, 7digital, comments: “The third generation of our Digital Store platform is a huge step forward in music and video download retail, bringing downloads into line with the way consumers want to buy and vendors want to sell.
We have been innovating in downloads in the UK market for some time and are delighted to be able to offer clients our new technology. At the heart of music industry developments, MIDEM is the perfect place to announce our ground-breaking platform.”