Last.FM now launches "Last.fm Discover"

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Last.fm, CBS Corp.’s/CBS Interactive Music Group’s global music recommendation service, recently launched a specially made app for digital music service Spotify, helping listeners using the service decide what to play next—from new artists, albums and tracks—based on social recommendations. Spotify soon after launched its own custom music discovery channel option, and now Last.FM has added a new music discovery service to its repertoire.


“Last.fm Discover” is being dubbed as a new global music tool that harnesses Last.fm’s library of three million tracks by emerging, independent artists.  Sponsored by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9, the HTML5 app sits within Last.fm.

Bear in mind, it will not work with Internet Explorer browsers previous to IE9.

Last.fm Discover (http://www.last.fm/discover) allows users access to indie genres from Newgrass to Indietronica, free of charge and without commercials. It allows unlimited skips and listens to help tailor the format as their own, and the ability to showcase their curation skills by making mini mixtapes of newly discovered music, all easily shareable online with their friends and networks.

RBR-TVBR observation: Yes, Pandora was first with custom music channels, but now most major online music discovery providers have them via their own custom music algorithms, providing a similar offering. While Pandora is well ahead of everyone in getting its service in cars and consumer electronics, its competitors are doing the same and some are catching up more than others. No doubt, these companies will have more to bring to the table with digital media buyers now and they’ll be out to best Pandora’s offerings. It looks like Last.fm Discover is being offered commercial-free for now due to not having pay SoundExchange royalties on many of these “emerging, independent artists” because many of them may be unsigned.