14 DAY TRIAL // On-demand music streaming is a great way to listen to the music you like anywhere you like, anywhere you have an Internet connection, at least. For some, it has replaced the places where people would usually discover new music, the radio. But there is a trade off, sometimes you want more than just music. At least, that’s what UK-based we7 hopes as it has partnered with GMG Radio, part of The Guardian Media Group, to offer news bulletins to its users, while they listen to their music.
We7 users will now have the choice to get real-time breaking news throughout the day. They will be able to add the news ‘tracks’ to their playlists so they can access them at their disposal, but these won’t be actual audio files that you’ll have to add manually each time, rather they will be placeholders for the latest news stories from GMG Radio.
GMG Radio already owns several radio stations and will be releasing the news segments under the Real Radio brand for we7. The idea is that the move will appeal to existing we7 customers but may also serve as an attraction to new users, potentially some that haven’t even considered on-demand music services as a real alternative.
We7 has been traditionally more conservative, as far as online streaming services go, and has put more emphasis on the bottom line than its main competitor Spotify. The latter has focused on growth rather than revenue. Still, we7 boasts some three million users in the UK and also claims to be the first service of its kind to generate enough revenue to make it a viable business.
“This partnership marries high quality news production and delivery with the new paradigm of On-demand music. Radio and Cloud based music can learn a great deal from each other, so we are really excited about working with GMG Radio” Steve Purdham, CEO and co-founder of we7, said.