The biggest legal collection of music available to play online for free?
Users in the US, UK and Germany can today visit the Last.fm website and listen to complete tracks for free.
Speaking on the official Last.fm blog, co-founder Richard Jones states:
"Something we’ve wanted for years - for people who visit Last.fm to be able to play any track for free - is now possible. With the support of the folks behind EMI, Sony BMG, Universal and Warner - and the artists they work with - plus thousands of independent artists and labels, we’ve made the biggest legal collection of music available to play online for free, the way we believe it should be."
So, how does it all work? Quite simply really, Last.fm promises to pay artists and labels with a share of advertising revenue generated from the website.
Unsigned artists in particular look set to benefit as anybody can upload music to Last.fm (yes, even you can take a stab at making songs) and be paid directly for every song played.
"Today we’re redesigning the music economy. There are already millions of tracks available, and we’re adding more every day. We will continue to work hard to bring this to everyone in the world", Mr Jones added.
It isn't free all the time however, as you'd expect, each user has the ability to play each track up to 3 times for free before a notice appears telling them about Last.fm's forthcoming subscription service.
It's an interesting move for an ultimately struggling music industry. Digital distribution is clearly where the music world is headed, but is Last.fm's streaming service going to prove more popular than a purchase-based service such as Apple's iTunes? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, head over to Last.fm and get your fill of free music.
Official announcement: Free the Music (Last.fm blog)
