After Napster (NSDQ: NAPS) was scaled back on these shores last year, former UK general manager Leanne Sharman has joined Warner Music International as business development VP. She’ll focus on developing digital and other new-business strategies for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Billboard says. Sharman was Napster’s first European hire when she was brought on by parent Roxio in January 2004 after a stint as MP3.coms European sales and marketing VP. Warner Music Group’s (NYSE: WMG) digital leadership is all-change, promoting Michael Nash last month to replace departing Alex Zubillaga as head of digital. But Sharman will report in to WMI’s digital VP Eric Daugan.
Meanwhile, WMG is offering its tracks as DRM-free MP3s to online music seller 7digital. The deal gives the Hackney-based store unlocked tunes from the likes of R.E.M., Rilo Kiley and Madonna, adding to the DRM-free tunes it already has from EMI and indies. Warner will also give digital album bundles with extra content and 7digital will give its artists their own pages to edit. The deal covers the UK, Ireland, Spain, France and Germany. Warner will soon have DRM-free songs on Amazon.com’s (NSDQ: AMZN) MP3 store in the US. 7digital also powers music stores for the likes of Last.fm, Sun Online and The Independent.