Right to reply: Limewire’s demise a victory for music streaming

Following the closure of file-sharing site Limewire, what does this mean for the music industry? Steve Purdham we7’s CEO, argues that now is a prime time to educate consumers and stamp out piracy.


The closure of Limewire, one of the world’s largest illegal file-sharing websites is without doubt a triumph for music lovers, artists and the wider industry. It just goes to show that music piracy is not an insurmountable stalemate and with the right approach, can be destroyed.
But now that Limewire’s 50 million users will be looking for an alternative destination to find new music as well as listen to their favourite tunes, there has never been a better time to promote the benefits of free and legal music steaming services such as we7.
It’s a huge positive for the music industry that Limewire has been shut down, but what we don’t want is for the site’s users to simply move on to the next illegal p2p sharing site that grabs their attention.
Consumers need to be more aware of the viable and legal options available and with piracy still rife, there is clearly still a level of education to be had. we7 has a library of over 6.5 million songs which are available to stream without any charge and without the user being subjected to an array of viruses and malware, as is often the case on illegal file sharing-websites.
Funded by unobtrusive adverts interspersed throughout the site and music tracks, we7 offers consumers the option to listen to their favourite music as well as exploring new songs and genres.
The site also offers exclusive ‘first-listen’ opportunities of new songs, albums and emerging artists, meaning users can stay ahead of the crowd without emptying their pockets. And because we7 offers artists and labels a fair payment for the tracks it streams, it just goes to show that you can knock down the barriers and destroy piracy while also supporting the music industry.
At we7, we believe that sustainable ad-funded music is a first step in migrating the pirate to legitimate consumption. In order to keep generating the music we love, artists need to be paid. People want to support the music they care about.
The vast majority of consumers want to buy products from reputable retailers and not on the black market, most would rather support artists and their livelihood by consuming licensed music. Creating a variety of reasonable and sustainable models for providing music to consumers is key to ending rampant piracy”.
By Steve Purdham
CEO
we7
www.we7.com