Peter Gabriel Helps Launch 'We7' Free Music Service

I am not sure what the number 7 has to do with it but this new music service is apparently completely ad supported, with ads being "grafted" onto the beginning of the songs.

The real secret of We7 is our Web 2.0 based, 'pat.pending' MediaGraft engine

As its name suggests, MediaGraft uses intelligent recognition of user's choices and demographics to select, then 'graft' a highly pertinent audio or video advert onto each digital entertainment track selected.

The result is powerful 'Off-Web' promotional messages for advertisers, 'paid for' free music and video downloads for downloaders, and payments for music rights owners.

In its simplest form, MediaGraft provides a Web 2.0 "shopping cart" platform for music. The difference is, when the user checks out, there's nothing to pay! The user interacts with the system via an AJAX-based web interface to create a personal media schedule.

Ah well, at least it is something different even if an ad in front of my songs would not be acceptable for this pirate.

An interesting twist is this part:

We7 is creating a "TasteMaker community" of artists, band members, and fans who will review new bands and artists to determine whether they are good enough to be published. Support from numerous listeners will earn bands and artists the right to be downloaded from the site.

The TasteMaker function will launch in June and will allow visitors to choose to review songs. Reviewers can go to a page that will present five anonymous tracks. They will be able to give a numerical rating and write comments for We7 and the artist or band.

I wonder if you will just be able to delete the ads using something like Audacity.