Bruce Springsteen, Mark Ronson and Leona Lewis are among a number of artists whose back catalogs will be made available for free online after record label Sony BMG signed a deal with music website We7.

In a groundbreaking move, the music giant is the first major label to sign up to the site - which offers music streaming free of charge - and will start making the back catalogs of its best-selling artists available by the end of April.

Fans of Sony BMG's biggest artists will no longer have to pay to listen to their favorite tracks online, with adverts being placed at the beginning of streams to generate revenue for the artists instead. The ads will be removed from the download automatically after 30 days online.

Prior to the deal, the site only streamed free music from independent record labels and unsigned artists.

Sony BMG is reportedly making over 250,000 tracks from its archives available on the site, which was founded by ex-Genesis rocker Peter Gabriel.

However, music fans will not be able to download the available songs to their personal computers; they will only be allowed to stream the music while online.

Ged Doherty, chairman of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, says, "We are in the business of embracing a multitude of new ways our music can reach audiences.

Our deal with We7 is an important step forward in offering fans greater flexibility in how they consume music."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)