London - Peter Gabriel-backed online entertainment service The Filter on Tuesday announced its official launch, offering a catalog of 5 million songs and 330,000 movies, Billboard reports. The site offers recommendations based on a user's existing media library, as well as data from similar services like Last.fm. The Filter also aims to eventually offer cross-media picks, such as movie recommendations based on musical tastes.

London - Musician Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios has partnered with U.K.-based audio equipment maker Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) on a new digital music subscription service, Billboard reports. The B&W Music Club will offer subscribers exclusive access to albums specially commissioned by Real World, which will be available for one month only in a lossless, DRM-free format. Artists participating in the service, which will cost about $66.33 per year, include Little Axe, Gwyneth Herbert and Grindhouse.

Bath, England - The Filter, a new media recommendation and discovery service, announced on Tuesday the launch of an invite-only private beta, and the raising of $8.5 million in funding, from backers including musician Peter Gabriel's Real World Group and Eden Ventures. "We believe one of the many joys of the internet would be freedom of choice, but many of us are now drowning in an ocean of options," said Gabriel.

London - We7, a digital music service co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel that offers ad-supported free downloads, has announced a licensing deal with Sony BMG, but for its forthcoming ad-supported streaming service -- not for downloads. "(The labels) have come a long way since this time last year and feel comfortable with streaming, but still have a few more hurdles to jump before they are fully comfortable with downloads. It will get there, and probably at an accelerated pace during 2008 and early 2009," We7 CEO Steve Purdham told Music Ally.

Bath, U.K. - Exabre, the developer of a music recommendation service called The Filter, has received $5 million in new funding, led by musician Peter Gabriel and Eden Ventures, The Independent reported.

London - We7, a new free, ad-supported music download service backed by musician Peter Gabriel, announced that V2 Records is the first to sign on to its service. The deal will make songs from artists including Bloc Party, Stereophonics and Cold War Kids available for free download to anyone willing to listen to targeted ads grafted onto the tracks. The ads disappear after several listens.

London - Musician Peter Gabriel has announced the launch of a new digital music venture, We7, that will offer free, ad-supported music downloads free of digital rights management (DRM).