Warner signs 7digital MP3 deal in Europe

Warner Music has signed a deal with digital media site 7digital.com to provide its catalogue in the MP3 format, which can be played on nearly all music devices. Its catalogue -- with hits from James Blunt and the Red Hot Chili Peppers -- would be available to 7digital.com customers in the UK, Ireland, Spain, France and Germany. The site is the first major European download store to offer Warner's tracks in the DRM-free MP3 format. (Reuters)

Brit digital music firms 7digital and We7 get funding

UK digital music store 7digital has announced that it's raised £4.25 million from VC firms, as part of its efforts to continue developing its service and expand to new countries, such as the US. A few days ago, fellow UK digital music firm We7, which focuses on ad-funded downloads, raised £3 million of its own VC funding to help it grow beyond its current 500,000-track catalogue and 90,000 users. (Tech Digest, The Guardian)

7digital Posts Sales Surge

U.K. download retailer 7digital has credited a 188% year-on-year growth in sales during 2007 to the removal of digital rights management (DRM) from tracks and the availability of high-quality MP3s. The London-based company also benefited from an exclusive deal to supply bundled downloads of Radiohead's catalog. As a result, the band's "OK Computer" and "The Bends" albums made 7digital's top 10 sellers of the year, while Radiohead had a total of six albums in the top 20. "2008 is set to be the year DRM is gone for good," said Ben Drury, managing director of 7digital. (Billboard)