Social music and Internet radio service Last.fm Ltd. announced the addition of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" album to its on-demand streaming service, making it the latest of several key new releases that users can stream in their entirety. "In Rainbows" follows new releases from Sigur Ros and Portishead onto Last.fm's virtual airwaves, although those were preview streams of albums that hadn't been released yet. "In Rainbows" was released by the band last October on a name-your-own-price basis, followed by a traditional release around New Year's; it has sold over 1 million copies. Last.fm is the first ad-supported service to stream it in its entirety.
In addition to its on-demand streams, CBS-owned Last.fm uses collaborative filtering technology to suggest music to users based on other people's tastes, and delivers personalized Internet radio stations based on the results. The company is currently testing a beta product featuring a redesigned user interface, and opened an API last week. Warner Music Group Corp. [WMG] pulled its tracks from Last.fm's on-demand streaming service last month, and is said to be negotiating with the company for increased revenue sharing. Another major label, Universal Music Group, added its catalog of videos to the service in June. - Paul Bonanos
See July 2 press release from Last.fm
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