Comments on: Prepare yourself for a shock: Last.fm – users don’t want to pay!

By: jake harding

jake harding — Sat, 02 May 2009 05:51:50 +0000

Random Question: On facebook there are apps that show my last fm “what i’m listening to”…If I were a subscriber would I be able to see who visits my facebook? or would it only track if they click and enter my last fm site.

By: Kitty Desjardins

Kitty Desjardins — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:36:42 +0000

Though I am NOT a last.fm user (being in HK), wouldn’t it be a reasonable idea to suggest songs for the listener to purchase at sign on, or every 15 minutes interval, base on last.fm’s analytic knowledge of what that listener has been listening to.
It’s like saying… “Hello, welcome to last.fm. We know you enjoy xxx genre of music. We would like to recommend these songs that (last.fm knows listener would likely like). You can charge a few sites for a trial listening and then charge for the 99cents download. Just a thought!

By: RichardM

RichardM — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:53:03 +0000

Last.FM just posted an update:
http://blog.last.fm/2009/03/30/radio-announcement-revisited

Basically the ads in other countries don’t cover the licensing costs for those countries. Could be why Spotify is also not available internationally, unless users pay 10 Euros /month.

By: RichardM

RichardM — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:46:56 +0000

LOL… I guess you and I are polar-opposites, Dave. Not only do I sometimes get relevant Facebook ads, I’ve also been a Last.FM subscriber since early 2005. When I heard the news, first thing I did was buy another 12 month subscription.

Last.FM isn’t just about listening to music, it’s about recommendation. Scrobbling is still free, so you can still get recommendations, listen to previews, and download selected full tracks. It’s also a good way to find relevant music events.

Last.FM have admitted those 3 countries have the highest advertising ROI.

Something else which hasn’t been covered is that the Last.FM iPhone application isn’t available in many countries currently due to licensing. This move could allow the iPhone app to be available worldwide (eg if they can now afford the licensing costs). I’d pay for that.

By: Scott Kane

Scott Kane — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:36:47 +0000

Actually, Dave, it’s quite possible to track with precision via audio, it used the same technology as any other document or file served on the net (and it’d be a no brainer to add some more surreptious stuff if they wanted into the stream).

WRT advertising and the net. This is a lesson unlearned from before the .com bust. We were all told it was learned but it wasn’t. It was repackaged and sold as new. There has to be a better model for the web, something that’s honest (gives instead of just takes?) and is not mundane. Most web advertising is worse than bricks and mortar magazine advertising, cheap, nasty looking and about as appealing as a hit over the head with a dead fish.

By: Alwin Hoogerdijk

Alwin Hoogerdijk — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:27:08 +0000

IMO, adding a business model to an existing free service is pretty hard, even if it’s just advertising.

People just won’t accept it.

Either charge from the start or keep it free forever.

Or: be prepared to loose a LARGE part of your existing users. Could be worth it though.