Last.fm offers free music for all

A free, on-demand streaming music service accessible to anyone in the world has been launched by Last.fm. The website has announced that it has struck an agreement with Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI to offer free, on-demand access to a large online catalogue of music to anyone in the world. Anyone will be able to sign up to the site and listen to any track, streamed over the web, for free, three times. You will have the option to download the track after that. Martin Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder, said: "We're giving the listener free access to what is basically the best jukebox in the world. "The ability to dip into such a uniquely broad catalogue from your laptop, home or office computer, and listen to whatever you want for free represents a new way of consuming music that in turn might change the way you listen to music," he continued. Payment for the downloads and revenue from advertising that listeners will hear when streaming the music will fund the service. As well as the four major record labels, Last.fm has signed agreements with 150,000 independent record labels and artists. Unsigned artists are being offered the chance to earn royalties through the website too. Recently Pandora.com, a recommendation-based online radio station, closed its doors to anyone using its service outside of the US due to problems negotiating a deal with licensing bodies. UPDATE: Early indications are that the free, on-demand streaming service is already a success, with 32 per cent increase in UK listeners and a 19 per cent increase in unique visitors. "We're pleased that people have responded so favourably, and we're eager to roll out many more services and features over the coming months to ensure that our growing community remains engaged and musically enriched," said Martin Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder. www.last.fm