Don’t steal it. We7 it!

That’s not our headline; that’s the new slogan for We7, a new, free music service that just launched. InformationWeek is reporting that the service, backed by Peter Gabriel, is intended to give listeners a way to get music free of download fees or DRM restrictions, by listening to short ads that are “grafted” onto the beginnings of tracks.

We7 will offer a “TasteMaker” community that judges new music from independent artists. If enough people support a tune, it gets offered for download, and musicians earn money from a portion of the ad revenue.

In other words, it’s a new take on the late and lamented mp3.com of the late 1990′s, where independent artists uploaded tracks and earned money based on the number of downloads. That business wasn’t sustainable for various reasons; it remains to be seen how this one will fare.

Peter Gabriel Helps Launch ‘We7′ Free Music Service [InformationWeek]

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