Listen to music tracks online using We7 free

First go to www.we7.com. When the We7 website appears, type an artist name or song title into the Search box at the top-right of the window.

A results box will pop up and update dynamically as you type (ie, the more you type, more accurate the results will become). Here, we have typed in ‘Johnny Cash’ and the results box displays a mass of matching content. There are individual songs, albums and collaborations with other artists. Everything in this results box is a clickable link, so click something. We are going to click on the Man In Black compilation album.

The We7 website now displays the album page. To listen to an individual track click the blue play icon alongside its entry in the track listing and select the Play full song option from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, play the full album by clicking the larger play icon on the picture of the album cover and choose Play full album. As mentioned in our introduction, every track is preceded by a short commercial but that is the only curb ­ you can listen to as many tracks or albums as you please.

When a track (or album) is playing, a small bar containing playback controls will appear at the top of the We7 website. The artist name and track title are also displayed here, with links to a couple of handy features below. Because we are playing an album, we have a queue of tracks. Click the Your queue tab to see the tracks We7 has queued in its playlist. Skip through tracks using the Previous and Next buttons on the transport controls bar, or hit Pause to stop play. A shuffle option and volume control are also available here.

Tracks can be easily added to the queue. Search for a new artist or song, as per Steps 1 and 2. Now, as before, click one of the blue play icons but this time select either Queue next or Queue last. Queue next will see the track (or album) lined up for play right after the current track or album finishes; while Queue last will put the selection at the very bottom of the pile.

This queuing facility is handy for occasional use but serious music fans will want to create and save playlists. For this, We7 requires registration. Registering has other benefits, including the option to buy and download MP3s of favourite tracks and the ability to ‘earn’ advert-free days. If this appeals, then click the Register now link at the top-right of the We7 website. Fill in the registration form, taking care to read and tick or untick the various checkboxes at the bottom, then click the Sign Up button. We7 will send an activation link by email. When the email arrives, click this link to complete the registration process.

Click on the activation link to be automatically logged in to your new We7 account. In future, log in by clicking the Sign in link at the top-right of the website. Once logged in, playlists can be created and saved, rather than having to rely on throwaway queues. To create a new playlist just click the black plus (‘+’) symbol that appears alongside every track and album. Type in a name for the playlist and, optionally, a description and then click Save. Though an album can be turned into a playlist in the first instance, only individual tracks can be added to existing playlists, meaning it’s not simple to create one playlist for all Johnny Cash’s albums, say. This annoyance is perhaps We7’s main weakness.

To organise playlists, click the Your playlists tab at the top and then click the Your playlist page link. Now use the icons alongside each playlist to delete, edit or share. Click Edit, for instance, and the play order can be rearranged; or the playlist description can be changed (or added, if you chose not to do so in Step 7). For now, click the Share button alongside any playlist entry.

A box pops up with a selection of sharing methods. The default option is a straightforward web link that can be copied and shared in any way you choose. Copy it using Windows’ standard Ctrl and C keyboard shortcut, for example, and then paste it (using Ctrl and V) into any application or window ­ an email, perhaps, or an instant-messaging tool. When the recipient clicks on this link they will be taken to the We7 website with your playlist cued and ready to play. They do not need to be members to listen, so it is a very flexible way of sharing playlists. The other options here are handy if you use social-networking services like Twitter or Bebo, or perhaps want to place a playlist on your own web page (We7 will generate some HTML code that can be copied and pasted).

You can buy and download advert-free MP3 versions of most albums and tracks hosted by We7. Just click the Buy button alongside any playlist entry and follow the prompts. A handful are available to download free of charge, though you will have to look hard to find the giveaways. However, there is one perk mentioned earlier that can be readily attained ­ advert-free days. It is a loyalty scheme that requires regular listening: to see how far you have got to go before you can listen for 24 hours without commercials, hover the mouse pointer over the small bar chart at the very top right of the We7 page.