As subscribers to last.fm already know, last.fm announced today that they will discontinue streaming as of the end of April. They will still support a web player and an iOS app, but the content will be from YouTube and/or Spotify; I guess track selection will still be determined by last.fm, based on the scrobbling database.
I originally started paying for a sub just to keep the banner ads off the site while I browsed; it wasn't until later that the streams were restricted to paying customers. I guess I'll keep subscribing for a while, but I will definitely miss the radio. And I have to wonder if the scrobbling service will last for too much longer, as the disappointed paying customers take their leave.
last.fm ends streaming service
Moderator: Gurus
kismetcow at last.fmRe: last.fm ends streaming service
last.fm is part of the CBS family so at least there are some big pockets behind it to keep it going.
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Lowlander (MediaMonkey user since 2003)
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Lowlander (MediaMonkey user since 2003)
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JCfantasy23
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:12 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: last.fm ends streaming service
I've used Last.fm for years but rarely used the streaming, so this doesn't really bother me. I would be crushed if something happened to the site completely, though - all those stats!
MediaMonkey fan since 2006/ Last.FM Profile / 8Tracks Profile
Re: last.fm ends streaming service
I've settled, for now, on paying Rdio $5/month for desktop on-demand streaming. This works on the Chromebook, and I've got a nice USB DAC to plug that into the stereo. I really like Rdio's ability to remotely operate the playback from a different computer, including from the Android app even without paying for the mobile on-demand streaming. Rdio has reportedly upped their bitrate to 320kpbs, which sounds as good as CD to me.
Not sure if I'll ever bother to pay for mobile. I don't now have a smartphone, I only use the tablet, and for me mobile listening is almost exclusively in the car. If I'm ever paying for a data plan, it will be a cheap one, and I wont want to spend my MBs on streaming when I can just carry the music. I'd rather kick that extra $5/month directly to the artists I like.
I have listened to a load of new music on demand in the past month that I would never have heard otherwise: things I read about and said, Oh, I'll give that a listen. However, most radio stations from Rdio are simply not as good as the ones I used to get from last.fm. I used to click the My Neighborhood station on last.fm and discover some great tunes. I hope that somebody comes up with a way to tie the two together.
Not sure if I'll ever bother to pay for mobile. I don't now have a smartphone, I only use the tablet, and for me mobile listening is almost exclusively in the car. If I'm ever paying for a data plan, it will be a cheap one, and I wont want to spend my MBs on streaming when I can just carry the music. I'd rather kick that extra $5/month directly to the artists I like.
I have listened to a load of new music on demand in the past month that I would never have heard otherwise: things I read about and said, Oh, I'll give that a listen. However, most radio stations from Rdio are simply not as good as the ones I used to get from last.fm. I used to click the My Neighborhood station on last.fm and discover some great tunes. I hope that somebody comes up with a way to tie the two together.