Warner Music Group
pulled its catalog from Last.fm Ltd.'s on-demand streaming service over the weekend, stripping the service of music by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Nickelback. The label's songs will still be featured on Last.fm's personalized radio stations as well as streams of terrestrial stations featured on the service, but a user can no longer call up a song and play it instantly.
Warner, which
reportedly had a month-to-month deal with Last.fm, may be seeking superior terms or an equity stake in the online radio station, which was
acquired by CBS Corp. for $280 million in May 2007. The label also has taken equity in several other startups that compete with Last.fm. It paid cash for a stake in Imeem Inc. after dropping a copyright infringement lawsuit last year and recently
invested $20 million in Lala.com Inc., a CD swapping site that has experimented with free and paid streaming-music models.
Last.fm also
claimed in April that its on-demand service stimulated music sales through its partnership with Amazon.com Inc. Existing users bought 66% more music through the Last.fm-Amazon partnership following the January launch of the on-demand service, the company said.
Last.fm, which has on-demand distribution deals with three other major labels, has traditionally emphasized music discovery, using
collaborative filtering to suggest new music based on the listening patterns of other users with similar tastes. On Friday, the company
revealed a partnership with live music promoter Bowery Presents, by which the promoter will use Last.fm's data to gauge audience demand for upcoming tours and events.
-- Paul BonanosSee June 6 post from Tech Confidential regarding Last.fm and Bowery PresentsSee May 2007 post from Tech Confidential about CBS's acquisition of Last.fmSee April 9 news release from CBS Corp. concerning music sales and on-demand streamingFor more see
Silicon Alley Insider,
Wired Listening Post and
Mashable!
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