7digital reveals the top selling U.S. tracks and albums of 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 18, 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announced that 21 by Adele was the top selling album of 2012 in the United States and Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen was the top selling track. The full list of top 20 best sellers is listed below.

New partnerships in the mobile and connected device space have seen 7digitial’s mobile reach increase by 277% in 2012. Mobile now accounts for 67% of sales, up from 50% in December 2011. 7digital’s Android app attracted an additional 1 million users in Q4 of 2012, bringing the total to 4.3 million.

7digital’s track to album sales ratio was 3:8, meaning the company is selling far more albums vs. tracks compared to the industry average of 6:7.   The company attributes this to its practice of merchandising albums as opposed to tracks, and pricing albums aggressively so that consumers see the value of buying the entire release, not just a single.  

During 2012 7digital continued to expand its network of partnerships in both downloads and streaming, bringing music applications to new devices and services. Major partnerships with Microsoft, Acer, Sonos and Pioneer brought 7digital apps to Windows 8 PCs, connected TVs and in-car entertainment systems, while the launch of a Windows Phone 8 app and new partnerships with Samsung, RIM and HTC increased the company’s mobile footprint.

“Streaming is an increasingly important part of our business in the US.  Radio continues to be the number one music discovery mechanism, and coupled with downloads, it gives music fans new music and ownership of their favourite songs and albums.  The launch of on-demand streaming and acquiring publishing rights was a huge feat and major upgrade,” said Vickie Nauman, president of 7digital North America. “The abundance of start-ups that are building innovative applications around music contributes to a creative marketplace and new legally licensed uses for digital music.  The demand from start ups was a major catalyst for us creating the prototype package, which allows developers  access to our API to create a live, working prototype while they seek funding or simply hone the user experience.  This creates much-needed ramp time..”

In response to the growing business, North American operations were also expanded with key hires and offices in New York, LA, and San Francisco.   

Expansion will continue in 2013, with the roll-out of more on-demand and radio streaming from the 7digital platform. Connected devices will be the largest platform for music in 2013, and 7digital will continue to offer an open platform that is compatible with the widest range of mobile devices. This will be increasingly important in the coming year; as music fans have the choice of download, streaming and radio services, music collections and libraries will need to be accessible on the different platforms consumers are using.

“The increasing availability of 4G and high speed mobile connections, coupled with the increasing number of devices and services, means connected devices will continue to be a growth area in 2013” comments Ben Drury, CEO at 7digital. “Music fans have a much bigger choice in how they purchase digital music today. As well as download, radio and streaming there is also the options of access; free, rental through subscriptions, and purchase. The increase in mobile and variety of access options is a big opportunity for us, especially with the launch of our new streaming services in the coming year and presence on a wide range of connected device platforms.”

“We’ll also likely see more high levels of investment in the digital music sector in 2013, coupled with more high market valuations of digital music companies. While these may not all pan out as investors hope, it’s encouraging to see so much enthusiasm for the digital music space going into 2013.”   

7digital’s Top US 20 Albums 2012*
 
    1. Adele – 21
    2. LMFAO – Sorry For Party Rocking (Explicit Version)
    3. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV (Explicit Deluxe Version)
    4. Drake – Take Care (Explicit Deluxe)
    5. Beyoncé – 4
    6. fun. – Some Nights
    7. P!nk – The Truth About Love
    8. Gotye – Making Mirrors
    9. Rihanna – Talk That Talk (Explicit Version)
    10. Justin Bieber – Believe
    11. JAY Z / Kanye West – Watch The Throne (Explicit Version)
    12. Maroon 5 – Hands All Over
    13. Nelly Furtado – The Spirit Indestructible
    14. 2 Chainz – Based On A T.R.U. Story (Explicit Version)
    15. Flo Rida – Wild Ones
    16. Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard – Original Soundtrack Album
    17. Eminem – Recovery (Explicit Version)
    18. Young Jeezy – TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition (Explicit Version)
    19. Whitney Houston – Whitney The Greatest Hits

7digital’s Top US 20 Singles 2012
    1. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
    2. LMFAO – Sexy And I Know It
    3. Gotye / Kimbra – Somebody That I Used To Know
    4. fun. – We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
    5. Adele – Someone Like You
    6. Adele – Rolling In The Deep(Album Version)
    7. LMFAO / GoonRock / Lauren Bennett – Party Rock Anthem
    8. Luke Bryan – Suntan City
    9. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
    10. Luke Bryan – Spring Break-Up
    11. Kanye West / 2 Chainz / Big Sean / Pusha T – Mercy
    12. Maroon 5 / Wiz Khalifa – Payphone
    13. Luke Bryan – Shake The Sand
    14. Luke Bryan – Little Bit Later On
    15. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa – Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars)
    16. Flo Rida – Whistle
    17. Justin Bieber – Boyfriend
    18. One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
    19. T-Pain Featuring Lily Allen & Wiz Khalifa – 5 O’Clock(Explicit Version)
    20. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)

 * Note: the list provided reflect sales from across 7digital’s US consumer store.

7digital reveals top 20 UK selling tracks and albums of 2012

London, UK, 18 December 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announces Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye was the top selling track of 2012 and 21 by Adele the top album. 2012 was the second year in a row Adele’s 21 was the top selling album on 7digital. The full rundown of top 20 tracks and albums is listed below.

New partnerships in the mobile and connected device space have seen 7digitial’s mobile reach increase by 277% in 2012. Mobile now accounts for 67% of sales, up from 50% in December 2011. 7digital’s Android app attracted an additional 1 million users in Q4 of 2012, bringing the total to 4.3 million.

7digital’s track to album sales ratio was 3:8, meaning the company is selling far more albums vs. tracks compared to the industry average of 6:7.

Expansion will continue in 2013, with the roll-out of on-demand and radio streaming from the 7digital platform. Connected devices will be the largest platform for music in 2013, and 7digital will continue to offer an open platform that is compatible with the widest range of mobile devices. This will be increasingly important in the coming year; as music fans have the choice of download, streaming and radio services, music collections and libraries will need to be accessible on the different platforms consumers are using.

“The increasing availability of 4G and high speed mobile connections, coupled with the increasing number of devices and services, means connected devices will continue to be a growth area in 2013” comments Ben Drury, CEO at 7digital. “Music fans have a much bigger choice in how they purchase digital music today. As well as download, radio and streaming there is also the options of access; free, rental through subscriptions, and purchase. The increase in mobile and variety of access options is a big opportunity for us, especially with the launch of our new streaming services in the coming year and presence on a wide range of connected device platforms.”

“We’ll also likely see more high levels of investment in the digital music sector in 2013, coupled with more high market valuations of digital music companies. While these may not all pan out as investors hope, it’s encouraging to see so much enthusiasm for the digital music space going into 2013.”   

During 2012 7digital expanded its partner network, bringing music applications to new devices and services. Partnerships with Microsoft, Toshiba, Acer, Sonos and Pioneer brought 7digital apps to Windows 8 PCs, connected TVs and radios, and in-car entertainment systems. The launch of a Windows Phone 8 app and new global partnerships with Samsung, RIM and HTC increased the company’s mobile footprint.

2012 also saw 7digital staff up in Europe and the US bringing the company to over 100 employees globally.

Top 20 Albums 2012*
1.    Adele, 21
2.    Emeli Sandé, Our Version of Events
3.    Lana Del Rey, Born To Die
4.    Ed Sheeran, +
5.    Mumford & Sons, Babel
6.    The Maccabees, Given To The Wild
7.     Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
8.     David Guetta, Nothing But The Beat
9.     The xx, Coexist
10.     Muse, The 2nd Law
11.     alt-J, An Awesome Wave
12.     Jack White, Blunderbuss
13.     Calvin Harris, 18 Months
14.     Bob Marley & The Wailers, Legend The Definitive Remasters
15.     Gotye, Making Mirrors
16.     Of Monsters And Men, My Head Is An AnimalBooklet Version
17.     The Killers, Battle Born
18.     Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
19.     Jake Bugg, Jake Bugg
20.     Plan B, ill Manors

Top 20 Tracks 2012*
1.    Gotye / Kimbra, Somebody That I Used To Know
2.    Carly Rae Jepsen, Call Me Maybe
3.    Fun., We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
4.    Flo Rida, Whistle
5.    David Guetta -  Sia, Titanium (feat. Sia)
6.    Flo Rida, Wild Ones (feat. Sia)
7.    Jessie J, Domino
8.    Anoushka Shankar, Prayer in Passing
9.    Labrinth feat. Emeli Sande, Beneath Your Beautiful
10.    Emeli Sandé, Next to Me
11.    Rudimental, Feel the Love (feat. John Newman)
12.    Adele, Skyfall
13.    Train, Drive By
14.    Nicki Minaj, Starships
15.    The Script feat. will.i.am, Hall of Fame
16.    Psy, Gangnam Style
17.    Rizzle Kicks, Mama Do The Hump
18.    Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch, Sweet Nothing
19.    Maroon 5 / Wiz Khalifa, Payphone
20.    StooShe, Black Heart

* Note: the list provided reflect sales from across 7digital’s UK consumer store.

Acer integrates 7digital music on Windows 8 devices

London, UK, 10 December 2012 – 7digital, one of the leading digital music technology platforms, today announced the 7digital music app will be preinstalled on Acer devices shipping with Windows 8, including laptops, desktops and tablets. The 7digital app will be accessible on all Acer devices running Windows 8.

The preinstalled 7digital music store app is available to users in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, and will be accessible on all new Windows 8 devices shipping from Acer in November.

The app provides users with access to 7digital’s catalogue of 22 million high quality digital music tracks. Users can search 7digital’s catalogue for favourite artists and tracks, or discover new music based on 7digital’s recommendation technology. Thirty second previews of all tracks are available before purchase, and purchased music is automatically added to a user’s cloud-based 7digital Locker for access on other connected devices or through a web browser.

Existing 7digital users, including those who trialled the 7digital app as part of Windows 8 Release Preview, can automatically sync and download all tracks and albums in their 7digital Locker to an Acer device running Windows 8, once the app has been installed. Users can pin favourite artists and albums to their Start screen and easily share with friends using the Share charm.   

John Richards, senior director of Windows App Marketing for Microsoft Corp., comments “7digital is known for providing high quality music apps, and has a long history of developing services with Windows hardware partners and OEMs. They have created an app that embraces the Windows 8 design principles resulting in an experience that users will love.”

Ben Drury, CEO at 7digital comments, “Our position as an open music technology platform and working closely Acer means we’re well placed to provide open access to digital music for their users. Our music platform and technology can be tailored to a range of devices of various form factors, whether it’s a PC form factor or one of the many new tablet devices coming to market.

It’s important for music fans to have access to their existing music collection on any device. Our mutual customers can automatically download and sync their 7digital music collection as soon as they buy or upgrade to a Windows 8 device.”

The 7digital Music Store application is available worldwide, and works on all x86, x64 and ARM based, Windows 8-powered devices.

7digital Brings High Quality Music into the Dashboard Through the Pioneer AppRadio Platform

London, UK, 4 December 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announced the integration of its popular music app for Android with Pioneer’s advanced AppRadio™ SPH-DA100 multimedia smartphone receiver.

The Pioneer AppRadio 2 enables users to fully access and control the app directly on its large 7-inch capacitive touchscreen. With the 7digital Android™ app installed on a compatible Android smartphone, and connected to the Pioneer AppRadio 2 via CD-AH200C Android kit, users can access 7digital’s music store and their cloud locker directly from the vehicle’s dashboard.

From the AppRadio 2 screen, users can browse, preview and purchase new music from 7digital’s 22 million track catalogue. Purchased music is automatically synced from the user’s cloud locker onto the smartphone device for instant playback in the car through the AppRadio receiver.

The 7digital Android app has been customised specifically for use on Pioneer’s AppRadio to take advantage of its large 7-inch capacitive touchscreen and multi-touch interface. The app was built using 7digital’s API (application programming interface) and expands on the company’s existing presence in the automotive and in-car entertainment sector.

“Our Android app has been integrated into all kinds of devices, including smartphones, tablets and connected TVs, and this version of the app for AppRadio provides a way to safely expand its use in the car environment”, comments Ben Drury, CEO at 7digital. “Working with a well known audio brand like Pioneer increases our reach to music fans, and brings more exposure to our music service in the automotive space.”    

“With 7digital, consumers can easily discover, buy, download and listen to music anywhere and, with the AppRadio 2, enjoy it on their car audio system while driving to their favourite destinations,” said Ronan McDonagh, General Manager Car Multimedia Technology Planning, Pioneer Europe.

The 7digital app is now available for users to download for free in the U.K. (www.pioneer.eu/advancedappmode) and U.S. (www.pioneerelectronics.com/appradio).

NOTE:  Do not use your Pioneer system if doing so will divert your attention in any way from the safe operation of your vehicle. Always observe safe driving rules. In some states certain operations of devices while driving may be illegal. Where such regulations apply, they must be obeyed.

7digital Appoints Senior Vice President of Music

London, UK, 26 November 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announced the strengthening of its senior management team with the appointment of Raoul Chatterjee as senior vice president of music.

 In the newly created role, Chatterjee will assume responsibility for driving relationships with record companies, publishers, managers and artists, and further cementing 7digital’s position as a leader in the digital music sector.

Chatterjee brings a wealth of knowledge to 7digital, with over 20 years experience in the music and commercial entertainment industry. Prior to joining 7digital Chatterjee spent over three years at Warner Music, culminating in a position as senior vice president in the commercial division. During this time he developed and oversaw the label’s commercial relationships with digital, online and retail partners in the UK. A key focus was transitioning the business’ commercial strategy from a physical retail to digital focused one.

Before joining Warner Chatterjee held the position of managing director at Trinity Street Direct, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business, and spent over five years at Ministry of Sound as director of sales and digital.    

Commenting on his appointment, Chatterjee said, “7digital is a well established name in the digital music space, it’s great to be joining a team with such ambitious and exciting growth plans. Music will obviously remain at the heart of future products and international expansion, and I’m looking forward to firmly establishing 7digital’s name as the leading open digital music platform.”

“Raoul is a brilliant addition to the growing 7digital team” comments Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital comments. “He possesses the crucial combination of industry experience, commercial acumen and original-thinking that we need to drive our relationships with music labels, producers, management and artists.”

Raoul will be based in 7digital’s headquarters in London, UK.

7digital in Fast 50 list following successful 2012

7digital included in Deloitte’s Fast 50 list, following 452% growth during 2012.

London, UK, 9th November 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announced the company has been listed in Deloitte’s Fast 50 rankings as a result of significant growth over 2012. Over the past 12 months, 7digital’s business has grown by 452%.

The Deloitte’s Fast 50 recognises the fastest growing UK technology companies. 7digital’s growth has been driven by partnerships with consumer electronics manufacturers, including Toshiba, Samsung, RIM and HTC, meaning the company’s technology is preinstalled on over 60 million smartphones, tablets, connected audio devices and smart TVs.

The 7digital API (application programming interface) has seen a 400% increase in use by developers since 2011, and is now powering over 250 services. The 7digital API provides partners with access to 7digital’s licensed music catalogue of over 22 million high quality tracks, allowing partners to build their own digital music services.

Ben Drury, CEO 7digital comments, “2012 has been a phenomenal year for 7digital, and the listing in Deloitte’s Fast 50 is an example of our success. We have grown significantly over the last 12 months, our music services are now in millions of devices; smartphones, tablets, connected Hi-Fi’s and even in cars.
“We’ll be further expanding and bringing new services to our offering in 2013. This will help cement our position as a truly global, open music platform.”

7digital extends partnership with HMV to power new digital music store

London, UK, 23 October 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announced an expansion of the company’s existing partnership with HMV Group

From today, 7digital will host the specialist retailer’s digital music store. Customers will be able to access HMV’s digital music service through its www.hmvdigital.com URL or by simply clicking the relevant tab within its hmv.com online store, but now they will be redirected automatically to a new co-branded 7digital/HMV web store at 7digital.com/hmv.

All earlier benefits will remain, so any previously purchased music will continue to be available for download from a user’s personal cloud locker, powered by 7digital. The site will also offer the same catalogue of over 22m high quality tracks, and the ability to browse, preview and purchase new music, including HMV exclusives. However, users will now gain access to 7digital’s editorial content and promotional offers through the site.

The updated site is a natural evolution of the partnership between 7digital and HMV, which began in September 2009 when HMV took a 50% stake in 7digital’s business. 7digital’s technology platform was also used to power the previous HMV Digital site.

7digital announces expansion plans following huge growth in 2012

London, UK, 18 October 2012 – 7digital, the leading open digital music platform, today announces the company’s plans for expansion in the coming year, following a period of significant growth.

7digital is expanding beyond music downloads with the introduction of new digital music products and services to the 7digital API (application programming interface), including scan and match technology and streaming functionality. The new additions will provide customers and partners with open access to the largest collection of digital music and rights, and the world’s most diverse range of digital music technology and services. Samsung and Pure have already adopted 7digital’s unlimited streaming platform for their respective devices.

7digital has seen huge growth across its entire business during 2012. Following partnerships with consumer electronics manufacturers, including Toshiba, Samsung, RIM and HTC, 7digital’s technology is now powering services preinstalled on over 60 million smartphones, tablets, connected audio devices and smart TVs. The 7digital Android app has attracted over 3 million smartphone and tablet users, and 7digital’s catalogue now contains over 22 million high quality tracks.

7digital has also seen a 400% year-on-year increase in usage for the company’s open platform API, with over 250 services now deployed using the API. The 7digital API already provides partners with access to 7digital’s licensed music catalogue and technology platform, allowing them to build and customise their own digital music applications and services. The growth in usage underlines the increasing demand from digital music services that are tightly integrated into mobile and connected devices.

7digital’s growth plans into 2013 and beyond will be assisted by a $10 million growth capital investment recently secured from strategic technology investors. The new investment will allow 7digital to extend and scale the company’s existing reach, adding new functionality and capabilities to the technology platform and 7digital API. This will include expansion on on-demand streaming, radio and scan and match products. It will also allow 7digital to continue international roll-out of products and services to new territories, and further expand 7digital’s existing business in North American and Europe.

“We’ve seen phenomenal growth over the last 12 months across the 7digital open platform with millions of users across the globe using our services and hundreds of partners actively using our technology” comments Ben Drury, CEO at 7digital. “7digital technology has been integrated into millions of devices – we’re in smartphones, tablets, connected Hi-Fi’s and even in cars.”

“The demand for high quality, integrated music applications and services will continue in the coming year. Over the next 12 months, supported by our strategic partners, we’ll be adding more streaming, scan and match and other features of our API and open technology platform – not locked to any particular hardware or OS. The new capabilities will make 7digital the truly open music platform that provides access to the world’s music.”

7digital also unveiled new branding and a refreshed look for the company. Visit 7digital.com to see the new website, and download the new press kit and images from http://about.7digital.com/press/press-kit/.

RIM selects 7digital as official music partner for BlackBerry 10 smartphones

London, UK, 18 October 2012 – 7digital, the leading digital music technology company, today announced that 7digital will be working with Research In Motion® (RIM®) as the official music download provider for the BlackBerry® 10 smartphones being released in Q1 2013.

BlackBerry 10 users will be able to browse, preview and purchase high quality digital music from BlackBerry App World, with over 22 million tracks from the 7digital catalogue.

The music section of the BlackBerry App World, powered by 7digital, will feature new releases, regional selections, a full back catalogue and independent artists.

7digital and RIM work closely together to integrate both 7digital’s open music platform technology and BlackBerry platform abilities, such as the social integration and recommendation engines. 7digital’s platform allows BlackBerry App World to build digital music services into the core of the product.

BlackBerry 10 smartphones are expected to become available in Q1 of 2013. 7digital is an official technology partner for BlackBerry 10, and the 7digital powered music service will be available for users in the UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore.

7digital currently powers the music stores on BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook.

7digital Offers Prototype Package to Support Innovation and Development of New Music Services

New York NY, September 20, 2012 – 7digital, a leading digital music and media platform, today announce a new program specifically designed for developers and start-ups called the “Prototype Package,” an affordable API license and account management service that enables third parties to build and test a live proof-of-concept of their new music experience.

The music Prototype Package addresses the need for proof of concept, product iteration, and new initiatives, projects, ideas and concepts that need to go beyond high level designs before signing long-term licensing contracts. The Prototype Package is designed to support innovation within a live environment for real-world development, testing and debugging. It provides the tools, catalog and infrastructure to quickly and cost-effectively build a functional model of a new music service before commercial licensing.  This can be a critical first step for a new company securing funding prior to going to market, or a major enterprise corporation fleshing out an application in early stages.

Vickie Nauman, President of 7digital in North America, adds, “We want to encourage broad innovation with music, as this is critical to the future of the digital music marketplace.  The 7digital platform and this Prototype Package give developers the tools to help foster new music applications, to acquire funding for bright ideas, and to new provide services for music fans. 7digital can reduce the complexity in this process and help more of these great ideas become a reality.”

7digital already supports a wide range of digital music products, including DMCA Radio services, á la carte download stores, integrated purchasing inside music discovery apps, mobile products on all operating systems, on-demand streaming, free music voucher campaigns and promotional products. Third parties can deploy their application as a 7digital co-branded service or under a white label agreement.  As a partner-driven platform business, 7digital has the expertise to understand how to implement its partners’ music-driven concepts and guide them through the right model for success.

7digital will be available to discuss the API Prototype Package at digitalmusic.org’s fall season Music Start Up Academy events in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles and London, as well as through sales@7digital.com.   

Headquartered in London’s Silicon Roundabout and with U.S. offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, 7digital has always supported the innovation of technology and the creation of new applications for digital music. 7digital’s robust API offers third parties a “one stop shop” for leveraging digital music by alleviating the burden of complicated licenses and content management.

For more information on the Prototype Package, interested parties are urged to connect with 7digital at one of the upcoming digitalmusic.org Music Start Up Academy sessions or call the local office line found at:
 http://about.7digital.com/about/contact-us/ 

7digital Android app update adds improved music discovery and player enhancements

London, UK, 18 September, 2012 – 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announces the latest version of its Android application, making it easier for music fans to discover and share new artists and albums.

The 7digital Music for Android app allows users to access 7digital’s entire catalogue of 20 million high quality digital music tracks. The app acts as an all-in-one music player and store, syncing new and previously purchased tracks stored in a user’s 7digital Locker.
The new features are designed to improve music discovery and the listening experience across the app:

• Artist pages now include biographies, artist images, genre tags and links to similar artists to improve music discovery

• The full screen player improvements allows users to create playlists, view more details about an album or artist, and share track links through email, Facebook, Twitter or other apps direct from the player

• A new player bar has been added to the app, making it easier to listen to music, browse and preview new tracks and albums at the same time

• More featured albums recommended by the 7digital team.

Ben Drury, 7digital CEO, comments: “Our customers are increasingly discovering and purchasing music on mobile, over 44% of our sales last year were through mobile devices. This update allows music fans to easily share tracks and albums from their mobile device, and discover new or similar artists based on their existing music collection.”
The application is available worldwide to Android smartphone and tablet users. It’s free and can be downloaded directly from the Android Market, GetJar and the Amazon Appstore. Further information on 7digital’s mobile applications is available at 7digital.com/mobile.    

7digital selected as European music partner for Toshiba’s Connected TVs

London, UK, 30 August, 2012 - 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announces the company has been selected as a key digital music partner on all Toshiba TVs equipped with the Toshiba Places platform.

The 7digital Toshiba Edition web store allows users to browse 7digital’s catalogue of over 20 million high quality tracks, create playlists and stream music directly though their television. The store has been integrated within the Toshiba Places platform, and existing customers with connected Toshiba TVs can access the service through their Toshiba Places account.

The store represents 7digital’s first entry into the Connected TV market. The service will initially be available in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, and will go live in September 2012.

Using a hotkey on their Toshiba TV remote, customers can access the Music Place and 7digital Toshiba Edition store and purchase tracks for streaming.

All stores will be optimised for the local territories with local language, catalogue, pricing and currency.

The service will be available on all TVs equipped with Toshiba Places since May 2011.

The addition of 7digital’s service on Toshiba TVs further expands the possibilities for Toshiba customers. 7digital music is already available through Toshiba Places on a range of other Toshiba and third-party devices, such as laptops, AndroidTM powered tablets and smartphones, where in each case purchased music can also be downloaded for offline listening. No matter which device the music was purchased on, it can be accessed on all other devices through a single Toshiba sign-on. Music is also available through 7digital’s native applications on a variety of device types and operating systems including RIM devices.

“This partnership is our first move into the Connected TVs space and supports our platform agnostic strategy, allowing consumers to access their music on the platform of their choice” comments Ben Drury, CEO at 7digital. “The co-branded store offers a familiar browsing and purchasing experience so users can integrate their music collections across all devices, choosing to listen to the music they own in the way that suits them.

“Connected TVs offer exciting opportunities for us, and we will be looking at how we can further support these, and other connected devices, in future.”

Thomas Teckentrup, General Manager of Cloud Services Division at Toshiba Europe, said: “We’re delighted with the deep integration of 7digital’s service on our Smart TV devices – it not only enriches the experience for our TV customers, but adds further value to the existing integration on our other devices.”

The integration uses 7digital’s API (application programming interface), which allows consumer electronics companies and developers to build bespoke digital music download applications. The 7digital API is already used by numerous consumer electronics brands to create integrated digital music services for mobile devices, including Samsung, HTC, Acer and RIM.

7digital Founder and CEO Ben Drury Named in Billboard 40 Under 40 List

London, UK, 6 August, 2012 - Ben Drury, Founder and CEO of leading digital media company 7digital, has been named in Billboard’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list, a report in the publication’s Power Players series. The award honours rising young executives who are pushing the music industry forward.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be included in Billboard’s 40 Under 40 list and excited to share the recognition with so many great young businessmen and women,” said Drury. “We are making great strides to grow 7digital’s platform so partners and consumers have ubiquitous access to the world’s rich digital music offerings. This honour shows me we are succeeding in our mission and gives us the validation we need to continue pressing on.

The full 40 Under 40 list can be seen in this week’s Billboard Magazine, now available on newsstands. It is also available online at http://bit.ly/ROlXv4

Since founding 7digital with James Kane in 2004, Drury has grown the company from a bootstrapped startup to the world’s leading open music platform. In its early years, 7digital served as a digital back end provider to the UK major labels. This grew into a direct-to-consumer music offering, and 7digital was the first company in Europe to secure a 100% DRM-free music catalogue.

Drury led all label relations and licensing, and expanded the company’s geographic footprint with licenses from all major and independent labels across Europe, North America, and Asia. With a catalogue of over 20 million tracks, 7digital now has one of the broadest sets of rights in the world. Drury also led a partnership, business and development team that grew the company’s strategic relationships and developed the 7digital API (Application Programming Interface). The API is now used in global partnerships with leading brands and consumer electronics companies, such as T-Mobile USA, RIM, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, HP, Shazam, Last.fm, and more.

Drury’s vision of a secure and open API has allowed numerous third parties to create scalable and innovative music applications based on 7digital’s catalogue and music rights for downloading and streaming. Due in large part to his vision, 7digital now powers more than 300 companies’ music services, as well as its own branded digital music stores, and managed to grow while many others in the digital music sector are experiencing decline. Mobile sales via 7digital also tripled in the U.S. last year, demonstrating the success of Drury’s vision and the growing 7digital team of 100 staff globally.

7digital recently completed a major deal with Samsung to become the global download and streaming partner for the company’s new Music Hub service on Samsung devices, and launched the first music application for the Windows 8 operating system ahead of its full release in October

7digital Offers Free Album and Music Streaming Service for Samsung Galaxy SIII Users in Europe and US

London, UK, 1 August, 2012 - 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announced all new European and US users of Samsung’s Music Hub application will be entitled to a free album of the consumer’s choice, as well as a free trial of the streaming service.

The Music Hub application debuted earlier this year on the flagship Galaxy SIII smartphone in Europe. The application provides users with a complete digital music download and streaming service built using 7digital’s API. Music Hub is available in free and Premium versions:

• Music Hub Store (free): The Music Hub Store offers over 20 million high quality MP3 tracks from all four major labels and independent catalog. Tracks and albums can be purchased direct from the store and all tracks come with 30 second preview clips. Purchased music is stored in the cloud and automatically appears on all of a user’s devices, while music can also be stored locally on devices for offline listening
• Music Hub Premium (£9.99 per month): For a monthly subscription, users can listen to millions of tracks with unlimited streaming of the Music Hub catalog including all four major labels and independent aggregators. Users can discover new songs with radio stations based on favourite artists.

7digital releases first digital music store on Windows 8

London, UK, 24 July, 2012 – 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announced the availability of a music application for the Windows 8 operating system, ahead of the full launch in October.

The 7digital Music Store application, available from the Windows Store Preview, is an early preview that will be further refined ahead of the Windows 8 release. 7digital is the first digital music store to be made available worldwide on the Windows 8 platform.

The application has been developed as part of 7digital’s platform agnostic mobile strategy, providing consumers with access to their music collection across all devices. The application has been designed to work on both the desktop and tablet (Metro) versions of Windows 8, and provides users with a single, unified interface for music discovery and purchase across all their Windows 8 devices.

Users will have access to 7digital’s entire catalogue of 20 million high quality digital music tracks, can search through 7digital’s catalogue for favourite artists and tracks, or discover new music based on 7digital’s recommendation technology. 30 second previews of all tracks are available before purchase, and purchased music is automatically added to a user’s cloud-based 7digital Locker for access on other devices or through a web browser.

Existing 7digital users will be able to automatically sync and download all tracks and albums in their 7digital Locker to a Windows 8 device, once the application has been installed. Favourite artists and albums can also be ‘pinned’ to the Windows 8 UI and shared with friends.

Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital comments “The potential of Windows 8 is huge. Microsoft’s renewed commitment to the tablet space, and development of the Surface hardware, means there could be millions of devices in the market by the end of next year. We believe this offers us a significant market opportunity as a digital music provider.

“The heart of our digital strategy is providing a platform agnostic music store that does not tie users to a single device or operating system; we have apps for Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and iOS already available. Developing the Windows 8 application early means we’re ideally placed to become the default digital music store for newly purchased desktops and tablets, and compatible across all other platforms. We’re also ensuring our existing customers can access their tracks and albums, and purchase new music, as soon as they buy or upgrade to Windows 8.”

The 7digital Music Store application is available globally from the Windows Store Preview for users testing the current Windows 8 build. The application is available worldwide, and is compatible with x86, x64 and ARM based devices

7digital to ship on over 20 million HTC devices this year

London, UK, 11 July, 2012 - 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announced the company’s integrated music download application will ship on 20 million HTC Android devices in EMEA by the end of 2012.

7digital is the only pre-installed digital music download store to be shipped with all HTC ICS Sense 4.0 Android devices in EMEA, including the Hero devices from the One Series. The 7digital application has been integrated with the native HTC player, for a superior device optimisation and user experience.

With the 7digital application, users can browse, preview and purchase music anytime, anywhere, accessing 7digital’s 19 million high quality digital track catalogue from all 4 major labels and independent aggregators. Users will discover new music through 7digital’s recommendation technology and previously purchased music can be synched from the user’s 7digital Locker in the cloud to any compatible HTC device.

Ben Drury, CEO 7digital comments, “Our mobile applications provide customers with the choice to access their music however, whenever and through whatever platform they choose. The integration allows HTC users access to the 7digital music download store on their new device, and they can also access their music through any connected devices using a 7digital app or the web-based 7digital.com store.”

The integration uses 7digital’s API (application programming interface), which allows consumer electronics companies and developers to build bespoke digital music download applications. The 7digital API is already used by numerous consumer electronics brands, including Samsung, Toshiba, Acer and RIM.

Millions of HTC devices have already been shipped with the 7digtial application installed, and by the end of the year the number of devices in the market is likely to hit 20 million

The 7digital application has been shipped with HTC devices in 22 territories including UK, Ireland, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Nordics, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, EEU, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Thailand. Tracks and albums purchased through the app are priced in the user’s local currency and the prices on 7digital.com

7digital Appoints New VP of Global Marketing

London, UK, 27 June, 2012 – 7digital, the leading high quality digital music and media company, today announced the strengthening of its senior management team with the appointment of Kelaine Blades as vice president of global marketing.

In the new role Kelaine will assume responsibly for expanding the international marketing team, developing a strong partner marketing programme and positioning 7digital as a leader in the digital music and content markets. The appointment comes ahead of plans to expand 7digital’s existing music and device strategy beyond the traditional a la carte download model.

Commenting on her new role, Kelaine said “7digital is a well established name in the digital music world, and now is a great time to join the team. The company has ambitious growth plans for both its product portfolio and international footprint, and I’m looking forward to establishing 7digital as a leading digital music company at the global level.”

Kelaine brings a wealth of knowledge to 7digital, with over 18 years experience in various mobile marketing roles. Prior to 7digital she headed the marketing team at AeroMobile, which provides technology that allows airline passengers to use mobile phones in-flight. In this role she spearheaded campaigns with three major airlines, resulting in a 25 percent passenger take-up of AeroMobile services. Kelaine has also previously worked for Velti as Director of Marketing for Europe and Novarra as Director of Product Management.

Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital comments “Kelaine is an ideal addition to the 7digital team. Our mobile offering has grown significantly over the past few years, and her experience will ensure this continues. We’re about to expand our product offering too, so she is joining us at just the right time.”

Kelaine will be based in 7digital’s headquarters in London, UK. The announcement follows a recent expansion of 7digital’s international team, with senior appointments in the United States earlier this month.

7digital and Fuhu, Inc. Partner to Provide Comprehensive Music Solution for World’s Fastest Most Powerful Seven-inch Tablet Made Just For Kids: nabi™ 2

New York, NY – June 20, 2012 – 7digital, the leading digital music and media company and Fuhu, Inc., the creators of nabi™ tablet, the first full-featured Android tablet and platform made just for kids, today announced their partnership for a comprehensive music solution on the July 2012 launch of their nabi™ 2 Android 4.0 tablet.

The tablet will be the world’s fastest and most powerful seven-inch tablet for kids and for the first time will feature a comprehensive music solution built on the 7digital platform.

The co-branded Spinlet Plus Music store taps into 7digital’s 19 million track catalog through an integration of the 7digital feature-rich API. In Mommy/Daddy mode, the store offers high-quality mp3 downloads of the full catalog, preview clips, and a one-tap credit card purchase. In the device’s nabi™ Mode, children can search and listen to preview clips of their favorite music in a selection of more than 9,000 kid-friendly albums; purchase is password protected.

President of 7digital North America, Vickie Nauman comments, “We are excited to be partnered with consumer devices that target specific user groups and think that there is a great opportunity for music experiences geared towards families. The 7digital API allows the flexibility for such a specified user experience because it offers a number of customizable options.”

“There is nothing on the market right now that comes close to the quality and offerings of the nabi 2, and for us to ensure that we only provide the best, we partner with the best, including 7digital,” said Jim Mitchell, Fuhu, Inc.’s CEO. “Together, we are launching an unmatched tablet that will provide an amazing experience for both the child and parent.”

The nabi™ 2 tablet will be available online and in retail nationwide in July for $199.99.

7digital Expands North American Operations with Key Hires

June 6, 2012 –7digital, the leading digital music and media company, is expanding its North American operations with several key hires in business development and marketing, in response to the growing and diverse business demand for its innovative platform.

Jon DeMond-Axelrod, formerly of eMusic, is taking the role of Business Development Director focusing on lifestyle brands and music media; Matt Jwayad, formerly of Apple, Pandora and Sprint, has been named Business Development Director focusing on consumer electronics and carriers; and Kyle Pierce, formerly of IODA Distribution, is joining as Project / Account Manager. Anna Siegel, has relocated from London to establish the company’s New York presence and lead the team’s partner driven marketing initiatives. Lisa Tiver, an expert in the global music publishing sector and formerly of RightsFlow has come on board as a consultant.

The company’s London headquarters has blossomed into a global operation with over 80 full time people in the UK, an additional team in Luxembourg and a product manager in New Zealand. All new US-based staff report to President of North America, Vickie Nauman who started with 7digital leading up to their entry into the US in late 2009, and had joined 7digital from Sonos.

“In our complex business, we need people with a mix of technical, music, business and product skills. Jon, Matt, and Kyle all come from complementary rich digital-music backgrounds, and I’m confident that each is going to contribute significantly to building 7digital-North America,” said Vickie Nauman. “We are highly partner-centric and in order to grow our operations here in the U.S. and Canada, we need to leverage the global rights and platform that will continue to be based in London by building our partner relationships on the ground.”

7digital-North America will have offices on both coasts in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. “Our business is everywhere, and I felt it was critical to have a great team that can work independently and collaboratively regardless of location,” noted Nauman.

BIOS:

Jon DeMond-Axelrod began at Pearson Prentice Hall in 1999 and entered the music industry in 2008 with eMusic. Prior to coming to 7digital, Jon was eMusic’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development, where he developed partnerships with Converse, NPR, Diesel, Heineken, Pizza Hut and others. Jon will work on strategy and business partnerships for 7digital with a focus on brands and music media.

Matt Jwayad has a background in mobile and cloud media that began at Sprint in 1999, followed by MobiTV. His foray into the music business was as Partner Marketing Manager for Mobile and In Home Devices at Pandora before joining Apple as Product Marketing Manager, Cloud Services in 2009. Matt will help to lead 7digital’s North American growth with carriers and consumer electronics companies with an emphasis on product and partner development in the content/device world.

Kyle Pierce started as a recording artist and producer, moved to MYX Music Label in 2009 and to IODA Distribution as Account Manager at in 2011, where he worked with major digital retailers and mobile carriers. Kyle manages the flow of interested partners from their early stages of product planning through to business discussions.

Anna Siegel comes from a label and retail marketing background with a role as Marketing Manager for Putumayo World Music before moving to the UK for her Msc in 2008. She started with 7digital in 2009, responsible for label relations and promotions in the North American 7digital stores. Now based in New York with an office in Dumbo, BK, Anna works on 7digital’s partner driven marketing initiatives, PR and internal communications.

Lisa Tiver has extensive related experience with positions at Formula One Racing, Mushroom Records, ESPN Star Sports, Ecast and most recently as SVP Business Development at RightsFlow Inc. Lisa is consulting on 7digital’s publishing relationships and strategy.

Samsung Selects 7digital as Music Download and Streaming Partner for Galaxy S3 Music Hub

London, UK, 29 May, 2012 – 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announced the company is acting as the official music download and streaming partner for the new Samsung Music Hub, which debuted on the flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone today.

The Music Hub provides users with a complete digital music download and streaming service, which has been built using 7digital’s API. Music Hub is available in free and Premium versions:

• Music Hub Store (free): The Music Hub Store offers a catalogue of over 19 million high quality MP3 tracks. Tracks and albums can be purchased direct from the store, and users can also listen to 30 second previews of all tracks before purchase. Purchased music is stored in the cloud and automatically appears on all of a user’s devices, while music can also be stored locally on devices for offline listening
• Music Hub Premium (€/£9.99 per month): For a monthly subscription, users can upload and access their entire music collection anywhere, listen to millions of tracks with unlimited streaming of the Music Hub catalogue, and discover new songs with radio stations based on favourite artists.

The 7digital powered Music Hub launches along the Galaxy S3 today in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, with further global role out later in the year. It is also 7digital’s first international digital music streaming service.

Ben Drury, 7digital CEO comments, “Being selected as the global music partner by Samsung is a major coup for 7digital. We are now in the position to provide our partners with a global digital music download and streaming platform, with a catalogue of close to 20 million high quality tracks. The initial European launch of Music Hub is just the beginning, and we expect the service to become a global offering very quickly.

“Samsung is the world’s leading mobile phone and smartphone company, and we’ve been working closely with the headquarters in Korea for over three years, and with the major and key independent labels, to develop the Music Hub. The company is serious about competing in the digital music space.”

7digital Brings MP3 Music to Windows Phone

London, UK, 13 April, 2012 – 7digital today announced the launch of the new 7digital mobile application for Windows Phone devices. The new app brings 7digital’s download store and music player to Windows Phones handsets, giving users access to 7digital’s 18 million strong catalogue of high quality MP3 tracks.

Users can browse, preview, purchase and download music to their Windows Phone, anytime, anywhere. As with all 7digital’s apps, previously purchased music can be synced from a user’s personal 7digital cloud storage space to their Windows Phone and any other devices with a 7digital app installed.

The app takes advantage of the native Windows Phone OS, recommendations and featured content appear on a panorama style interface. Live Tiles have also been integrated to allow users to pin their favourite artists, tracks and albums to the start screen.

The Windows app joins 7digital’s existing range of mobile applications for Android, iPhone/iOS and BlackBerry platforms. 7digital now has over 2 million active users on mobile devices, allowing users to download and sync their 7digital music collection across any device they own.

Ben Drury, CEO 7digital comments, “The 7digital mobile applications allow our customers to access their music however, whenever and through whichever device platform they choose.”

“The new 7digital Windows Phone application adds to our philosophy of being a truly platform agnostic digital music service. With the addition of the Windows Phone app, we enable music fans to purchase music and access their entire music collection on all their devices, anytime, anywhere.”

The 7digital Windows Phone application is available from the Windows Marketplace in a number of territories including UK, US, Canada, Germany, France, Spain Italy and Ireland. Further information on 7digital’s mobile applications is available at 7digital.com/mobile.

Device Expansion Drives Significant Growth for 7digital in 2011

London, UK, 19 January, 2012 – 7digital, the leading digital media company, today announces significant growth in album and track sales during 2011, with Adele’s album 21 and song ‘Someone Like You’ leading the bestsellers lists.

In 2011, mobile sales accounted for 50% of 7digital downloads globally. The best selling artist of 2011 was Adele with her album 21 and track ‘Someone Like You’. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay and Snow Patrol also featured in the top 20 albums. A comprehensive list of the top 20 albums and tracks of 2011 is provided below.

Mobile growth has been driven by 7digital applications being pre-loaded on millions of devices from consumer electronics partners, including Samsung, RIM, Sony Ericsson, Philips and Toshiba. Updated 7digital apps for Android handsets and tablets, BlackBerry handsets and the launch of an HTML5 mobile site also contributed to mobile growth.

The coming months will see 7digital’s reach widen within the mobile space with the launch of a Windows phone app. A 7digital app for the iPhone, allowing users to sync purchased tracks with their device, also became available at the end of 2011.  

Ben Drury, CEO 7digital comments, “We’ve seen another year of strong growth in 2011, especially from smartphone and tablet devices. Sales from mobile devices rose significantly year-on-year for the final two weeks of 2011, rising from approximately 10% in 2010 to 50% in 2011.”

“Our approach to be an open, agnostic digital content partner to the consumer electronics industry is really paying off. We know that consumers want access to their music collection on the device of their choice, anytime, anywhere and we’re helping enable that. 7digital’s catalogue of over 17 million high quality DRM-free MP3 tracks and open API platform mean we are an attractive partner for device manufacturers.”

Top 20 Albums 2011

1. Adele – 21

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You

3. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto

4. Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires

5. Rihanna – Loud

6. Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans

7. Elbow – build a rocket boys!

8. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

9. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

10. Beyoncé – 4

11. Ed Sheeran – +

12. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials

13. Michael Bublé – Christmas

14. Lady GaGa – Born This Way

15. LMFAO – Sorry For Party Rocking

16. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV

17. Chase & Status – No More Idols

18. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

19. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See

20. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

Top 20 Tracks 2011

1. Adele – Someone Like You

2. LMFAO / GoonRock / Lauren Bennett – Party Rock Anthem

3. Adele – Rolling In The Deep

4. Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything

5. Maroon 5 / Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger

6. Rihanna / Calvin Harris – We Found Love

7. Lady GaGa – Born This Way

8. Bruno Mars – Grenade

9. Jennifer Lopez / Pitbull – On The Floor

10. LMFAO – Sexy And I Know It

11. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain

12. Christina Perri – Jar Of Hearts

13. Bruno Mars – The Lazy Song

14. Rihanna – S&M

15. Jessie J / B.o.B. – Price Tag

16. Lady GaGa – The Edge Of Glory

17. Snoop Dogg vs. David Guetta – Sweat (Snoop Dogg vs. David Guetta)

18. Ed Sheeran – The A Team

19. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

20. Katy Perry – Firework

* Note: the lists provided reflect sales from across 7digital’s mobile applications and web-based global stores in 37 territories, which include the UK, US, Canada, Europe and Singapore.