The Echo Nest and 7digital Partner to Give Developers a DIY Online Music Store Platform

SOMERVILLE, Mass. and LONDON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Echo Nest and 7digital announced a partnership that brings together The Echo Nest's intelligent music application development platform with 7digital's open API, extensive MP3 catalogue and comprehensive international rights.  The combined offering will give developers instant access to The Echo Nest's one-of-a-kind music intelligence APIs based on 7digital's catalog and the ability to sell over 10,000,000 songs across 32 territories in Europe and North America.

Developers will be able to create innovative new music retail websites and music applications with the full suite of music data APIs at developer.echonest.com including artist and song similarity, song attributes (tempo, key, etc) and news feeds along with access to 7digital's album art, preview clips and sales fulfillment for over 10 million songs.  Developers will earn affiliate revenue from every MP3 sold through their applications.  The companies will unveil the new developer offering at the London Music Hack Day, to be held September 4 and 5 at the Guardian offices in London.  

Ben Drury, 7digital CEO, said, "We are very excited to be partnering with one of the most innovative development platforms in the world.  The driving ethos behind the 7digital API is to provide developers with an open platform that allows experimentation and the creation of exciting new music and entertainment services. We hope our partnership with The Echo Nest will help facilitate the emergence of fresh and innovative ideas that will help shape the future of how fans interact with music."

Jim Lucchese, CEO of The Echo Nest, said, "Application developers are the future of the music business.  Both 7digital and The Echo Nest are committed to helping developers create amazing new music experiences and commercialize them.  This partnership makes it much easier for a talented developer to go from a great idea to a fully-licensed commercial music application."

About The Echo Nest

The Echo Nest is a music intelligence company that brings together the greatest application developers with great data and music, enabling the next generation of online music experiences. Powered by the world's only music machine learning system that actively reads about music and listens to music everywhere on the web, the Echo Nest platform opens up a huge repository of dynamic music data for any application developer. To date, over 90 music applications have been built on The Echo Nest platform.

The company is co-founded by two MIT Media Lab PhDs, Brian Whitman and Tristan Jehan. The Echo Nest's is a three-time National Science Foundation SBIR grant winner and is funded by Commonwealth Capital Ventures, Argos Management and angel investors, including co-founders of the MIT Media Lab.  For more information, please visit www.echonest.com.  

About 7digital

Established in 2004, 7digital.com is a leading digital media delivery company based in London and operating globally. Through 7digital's download store (www.7digital.com) consumers can access over 10,000,000 legal high quality MP3 music tracks as well as audiobooks and videos at competitive prices across Europe and North America.

Combining 7digital's secure and robust technology platform with the broadest agreements in the digital media industry, the company provides comprehensive digital download services to a wide range of partners around the world. 7digital has worked with record companies, artists, FMCG brands, retailers, consumer electronics companies, fashion brands, advertising agencies and many other organisations to harness the power of digital entertainment - music, video, audiobooks and ebooks, to engage customers. For more information visit www.7digital.com/business.  

7digital has provided digital media services to hundreds of international partners including, RIM, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Ubuntu, Spotify, Shazam, Last.fm, Winamp, Songbird, HMV, Waterstone's, Pernod Ricard, Nestle, Arcadia Group, Adidas, Procter and Gamble, Universal Music, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music and have delivered millions of digital products in over 25 countries.

In September 2009 HMV Group acquired a 50% equity stake in 7digital. HMV are the largest entertainment retailer in the UK and 7digital will be the single supplier for all existing digital operations.

SOURCE The Echo Nest