We7

We7 was a British digital music service that began operations in 2007 and later became known as Blinkbox Music. It was founded by musician and former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel and technology entrepreneur Steve Purdham, who had previously co-founded SurfControl. The service initially combined music discovery with digital downloads, but its principal identity became that of an advertising-supported streaming platform serving listeners in the United Kingdom and Ireland. At launch, We7 offered approximately three million tracks for streaming. In 2008, it shifted more decisively toward streaming and introduced a persistent in-page player that allowed users to continue listening while navigating the site. The service obtained recordings from major-label and independent-label sources and developed an editorial layer, including artist interviews, competitions, promotional features and partnerships with music media. A notable part of its business model was the use of short audio advertisements, sometimes called blipverts, played before songs and paired with display advertising on the website. This approach was intended to monetize free listening while directing attention toward the associated advertisement. We7 expanded rapidly during the late 2000s and early 2010s. It reported 500,000 users and 3.5 million tracks in March 2009, followed by three million users and 6.8 million tracks in January 2011. It also introduced paid options, including an advert-free subscription in 2010, and released mobile applications for iPhone and Android. These products gave premium users access to features such as mobile listening and, in some versions, cached playback. The company changed its commercial and product strategy several times. In late 2011, it moved away from fully on-demand listening toward a DJ- and radio-style experience built around recommendations. Free users received a limited number of requests for adding songs to the radio queue, while paid tiers offered additional functionality. The transition was followed by a decline in users and advertising revenue, and the company made redundancies in 2012. The difficulties reflected the competitive pressure in digital music, the cost of licensing recordings and the challenge of making an advertising-supported service profitable. Tesco acquired We7 in June 2012 for a reported £10.8 million and incorporated it into the retailer's wider Blinkbox digital-entertainment strategy. In May 2013, We7 was rebranded Blinkbox Music. Its subscription service was discontinued in November 2013, leaving the service more closely aligned with a free or radio-oriented streaming proposition. Tesco sold Blinkbox Music to Australian music-streaming company Guvera in January 2015. Blinkbox Music entered administration in June 2015, effectively ending the service. Former employees subsequently brought a reported £10 million class-action lawsuit against Guvera in October 2015. The brand is therefore best understood as a defunct early UK streaming service whose development traces the industry's movement from downloads and unrestricted on-demand listening toward advertising-supported, subscription and curated-radio models.

We7 was established in 2007 by Peter Gabriel and Steve Purdham. Gabriel brought experience from the music industry, while Purdham was a technology entrepreneur associated with SurfControl. The business entered the market during an early phase of mainstream digital music, when services were experimenting with combinations of downloads, streaming, advertising and subscriptions. The original We7 proposition was introduced as a digital music service with around three million tracks available from launch. In October 2008, the company repositioned the website around streaming, initially highlighting catalogue supplied by Sony BMG and other rights holders. Its redesigned interface included a persistent music player, enabling listening to continue while a user moved between pages. We7 also built an editorial and promotional environment around the player. Its Magazine section published interviews and competitions, while partnerships with outlets such as NME provided embedded streaming widgets and promotional discovery features. A distinctive element of the early service was free, registration-light access to complete tracks supported by advertising. Before a song played, users could hear a short audio advertisement, generally accompanied by a display-advertising change on the page. The company referred to these audio spots as blipverts. The model sought to make advertising cover both operating costs and payments to music rights holders. By March 2009, We7 reported 500,000 users and 3.5 million tracks. It continued adding catalogue and promotional activity, including an exclusive preview and album promotion for Alain Clark in 2009. We7 added paid functionality as competition intensified. In February 2010, it introduced an advert-free monthly subscription. It also launched an iPhone application in February 2010 and an Android application in September 2010. Mobile access was initially tied to the Premium Plus tier, although later versions expanded access and included radio-oriented functionality for free users. These developments reflected the broader transition from desktop web players to mobile listening and cached or offline-style experiences. The service's economics remained difficult. In October 2010, We7 reported losses of £3.6 million, citing market conditions, weakness in the banking sector and continuing uncertainty in the music business. Although contemporaneous reporting suggested that advertising had at points covered running costs and label payments, the company still faced the structural costs of licensing a large catalogue while competing with better-funded international platforms. At the end of September 2011, We7 made a major product change. It moved from an on-demand model, in which users could choose individual tracks, to a DJ-style service centered on recommended music and related artists. Free users were given a limited number of requests for adding tracks to a radio queue, and the company introduced a revised premium offer, logo and site design. The change reduced the flexibility of the free product and was followed by lower user numbers and advertising income. We7 responded with redundancies in March 2012. Tesco acquired We7 in June 2012 for a reported £10.8 million. The retailer placed the service within its Blinkbox digital-entertainment strategy, which also covered other forms of online media. In May 2013, We7 was renamed Blinkbox Music. The subscription service was shut down at the end of November that year, leaving a more limited service built around streaming and curated listening. Tesco sold Blinkbox Music to Guvera in January 2015. The transaction did not restore the service's long-term viability. Blinkbox Music entered administration in June 2015. In October 2015, former employees filed a reported £10 million class-action lawsuit against Guvera. The business consequently ceased to operate as a consumer music brand. Its history illustrates the volatility of the early streaming market, particularly the difficulty of balancing free access, advertising monetization, subscription conversion, catalogue licensing and mobile product investment.

1. 2015Sale, administration and legal action

   Tesco sells the service to Guvera; Blinkbox Music enters administration later in the year, followed by legal action from former employees.

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2. 2013Rebrand to Blinkbox Music

   We7 adopts the Blinkbox Music name and subsequently ends its subscription service.

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3. 2012Tesco acquisition

   Tesco acquires We7 and later integrates it into the Blinkbox brand portfolio.

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4. 2011Transition to DJ-style radio

   We7 changes from unrestricted on-demand listening to recommendation-led radio and DJ programming.

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5. 2010Freemium and mobile expansion

   The company adds advert-free subscriptions and launches iPhone and Android applications.

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6. 2009User and catalogue growth

   We7 reaches 500,000 users and reports a catalogue of 3.5 million tracks.

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7. 2008Streaming becomes the central proposition

   We7 redesigns its site around a persistent streaming player and expands its focus beyond downloads.

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8. 2007We7 launches

   The service launches as a digital music platform with approximately three million tracks available for streaming.

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A UK-focused digital music service positioned around accessible streaming, music discovery and a freemium model combining free advertising-supported listening with paid upgrades.

• We7 web streaming serviceMusic streaming2007

  The core web product offered access to a large catalogue of recorded music, initially allowing users to stream complete tracks with limited registration requirements. The service was supported by short audio advertisements before songs and related display advertising. Later versions required free registration for full-track listening and added account features such as playlists, music purchasing and personalized recommendations.

• Premium PlusMusic subscription2010

  Premium Plus was We7's paid tier, introduced as part of its freemium strategy. Its principal benefit was advert-free listening, while mobile applications initially restricted some functionality to subscribers. The tier represented an attempt to supplement advertising revenue with recurring payments and to provide a more complete experience for users willing to pay.

• We7 RadioCurated music radio2011

  After the 2011 product change, We7 Radio became the main free-listening format. Instead of allowing unlimited direct song selection, it generated recommendation-led sequences based on artists and related music. Free listeners could make a limited number of requests for tracks to enter the radio queue, while paid users received broader access.

• We7 mobile applicationsMobile music application2010

  We7 released applications for Apple's iPhone and Google's Android platform. The initial mobile experience was associated with Premium Plus, and later Android versions offered free access to radio features and station caching. Following the corporate rebrand, the applications were presented under the Blinkbox Music name.

• We7 MagazineMusic editorial

  The Magazine was the service's editorial layer, featuring artist interviews, promotional material and competitions. It supported discovery and helped We7 connect streaming activity with music journalism and campaign content rather than operating only as a functional audio player.

• 2009NME streaming widgets

  United Kingdom

  We7 partnered with NME to place streaming music widgets on article pages, linking editorial coverage with direct listening and helping the service acquire users through music-media discovery.

  Outcome. The partnership supported We7's editorial-discovery strategy; a separately reported long-term commercial outcome is unavailable.

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• 2009Alain Clark listening party and album promotion

  United Kingdom

  We7 hosted an exclusive listening-party preview for Alain Clark's debut UK single, "Father & Friend," followed by an exclusive version of his album the next week.

  Outcome. The promotion provided exclusive artist content and listening access; no independently documented performance result is available.

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• We7 Magazine competitions

  United Kingdom · Ireland

  The Magazine periodically ran competitions, including a promotion associated with Metro Station, combining editorial engagement with audience acquisition.

  Outcome. Specific campaign results are not documented in the available reference material.

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• 2015Sale to GuveraM&A

  Tesco divested the music service after the Blinkbox Music rebrand and the closure of its subscription tier.

  What changed. Tesco sold Blinkbox Music to Australian streaming company Guvera.

  Aftermath. Blinkbox Music entered administration in June 2015, and former employees later filed legal action against Guvera.

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• 2013Rebrand and close the subscription serviceStrategy

  Following the Tesco acquisition, the music service was aligned with the retailer's Blinkbox digital-media identity.

  What changed. We7 was renamed Blinkbox Music, and its subscription offering was closed at the end of November.

  Aftermath. The service continued in a narrower streaming and radio-oriented form before being sold to Guvera.

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• 2012Tesco acquisitionM&A

  Tesco was expanding its digital-entertainment activities through the Blinkbox portfolio.

  What changed. Tesco acquired We7 and subsequently moved the service into the Blinkbox brand architecture.

  Aftermath. The acquisition led to the Blinkbox Music rebrand in 2013, but did not produce a durable standalone service.

  Reported acquisition price. £10.8 million (June 2012)

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• 2011Replace on-demand listening with DJ-style radioGeneration change

  We7 sought to revise its product and premium offer in response to the economics and competitive pressures of on-demand streaming.

  What changed. The service introduced recommendation-led radio, limited free queue requests, a new logo and a redesigned site.

  Aftermath. The relaunch was followed by a downturn in users and advertising revenue, contributing to redundancies in 2012.

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• 2010Adopt a freemium modelStrategy

  Advertising-supported listening provided broad access but exposed the company to volatile ad revenue and the high cost of music licensing.

  What changed. We7 introduced a monthly advert-free subscription while retaining a free, advertising-supported service.

  Aftermath. The company gained a paid tier, although its later financial results still included substantial losses.

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• 2008Shift toward streamingStrategy

  We7 began with a mixed download and streaming proposition in a market increasingly moving toward browser-based access to licensed music.

  What changed. The company redesigned its site around a persistent music player and made streaming the primary user experience.

  Aftermath. The change established We7 primarily as a streaming service and supported later catalogue and audience growth.

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• 2015Former employees' lawsuit after Guvera acquisitionControversy

  After Blinkbox Music entered administration following its sale to Guvera, former employees filed a reported £10 million class-action lawsuit against Guvera. The action formed part of the fallout from the service's collapse.

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• 2015Tesco sells Blinkbox Music to Guvera

  Tesco transferred the music service to Australian streaming company Guvera.

  M&A
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• 2015Blinkbox Music enters administration

  The service was placed in administration several months after its sale to Guvera.

  Bankruptcy
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• 2013We7 is rebranded Blinkbox Music

  Tesco renamed the service Blinkbox Music as part of its broader digital-media branding.

  Product generation
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• 2013Blinkbox Music subscription service closes

  The paid subscription offering ended near the end of November, narrowing the service's product scope.

  Other
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• 2012We7 makes redundancies after user and advertising downturn

  We7 reduced its workforce after the DJ-service relaunch was associated with lower user numbers and advertising revenue.

  Other
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• 2012Tesco acquires We7

  Tesco bought We7 and later incorporated it into its Blinkbox digital-entertainment portfolio.

  M&A
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• 2011We7 changes from on-demand service to DJ-style listening

  The service replaced unrestricted free song choice with a recommendation-led radio model and introduced a revised logo, layout and premium proposition.

  Product generation
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• 2010We7 introduces premium advert-free listening

  We7 adopted a freemium structure by adding a paid monthly option without advertising.

  Product launch
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• 2010We7 reports substantial losses

  The company reported losses of £3.6 million and attributed the result to difficult market conditions, financial-sector disruption and uncertainty in the music industry.

  Other
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• 2008We7 shifts emphasis toward streaming

  The service redesigned its site and made streaming a central part of the product, including a persistent player that continued playing as users browsed.

  Product generation
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• 2007We7 launches as a digital music service

  We7 began operations as a music download and streaming service with approximately three million tracks available.

  Product launch
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1. Blinkbox Music