Last.fm just announced via their blog that Last.fm “will become an ad-free, subscriber-only feature.”
Last.fm Radio will remain free on the Last.fm website in the US, UK and Germany and for the US and UK users of Xbox Live and Windows Mobile 7 phones. We’ll also continue to offer radio for free via the Last.fm desktop app.
Looks like Last.fm is one of the first companies to remain exclusive to Microsoft devices only. It’s nice to see this exclusivity making it even more worth it to support Microsoft devices. They mean it when they say that only Microsoft devices (and the Last.fm desktop app) will remain free, meaning if you have an Android, iPhone, etc. Last.fm is now just as subscriber-only as Pandora when it converted too. In short, Last.fm is converting because they are “committed to building Last.fm into a bigger service that gives listeners the best music discovery experience anywhere while financially supporting and promoting the artists who make the music we love.”
Hop on over to the Last.fm blog using the link at the beginning of this post, or below, and read the full post.
via Last.fm
Haha I think you’ve missed the point here. Everyone knows it expensive to stream music via mobile, so they’re charging for it. Surprised its taken this long. And I’m even more surprised you’ve taken a screenshot of the WEBSITE, which remains free to use. I use Last.fm everyday, but I rarely use the radio: It is more than just radio.
I wonder if they’re going to strive for consistency across platforms. My Last.fm “scrobbles” from iTunes on my desktop, but doesn’t interact with Microsoft’s Zune. Yet Last.fm was one of the first WP7 apps.
So why be free for MS devices when there’s no interactivity with the MS desktop software?
Why have I received an email from Last.fm saying:
“…you will need to be a subscriber to listen to Last.fm Radio stations on devices, including your Windows Phone 7 app.”
Free or not free?
“Microsoft Windows Mobile 7 – Free in 2011 in US and UK; subscription required for radio in Germany”
Direct from Last.fm updated list found here: http://www.last.fm/help/faq?category=104#508