Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 25, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Online music network Last.fm launched a free on-demand service providing access to millions of songs from all four major labels and 150,000 independent labels. Tracks could be streamed in full up to three times each; users who wanted copies could buy downloads from partners including Amazon and iTunes.
Co-founder Martin Stiksel described it as the world’s largest jukebox. Last.fm financed the service through advertising, allowing music companies to reach an interested audience of 20 million users in more than 240 countries.
The service also planned to pay unsigned artists who uploaded music whenever their songs were played. CEO and co-founder Felix Miller said the Artist Royalty Program would pay artists through their Music Manager accounts 30 days after the end of a quarter.
The platform was initially available in the US, UK and Germany, with further countries planned. More than 600 million songs were “scrobbled” monthly: users connected their listening to Last.fm’s database and shared their tastes. Profiles included radio stations, recommendations, videos, concerts and links to users with similar tastes.
