About
Last.fm is a music website that is known for it’s features, including Groups, and The Audioscrobbler.
Origin
The original Last.fm was created by Felix Miller, Martin Stiksel, Michael Breidenbruecker and Thomas Willomitzer as an internet radio station and a music community. It received fair acclaim and was nominated for the Europrix Student Awards in 2002.[1] The group started to work with Richard Jones, creator of the Audioscrobbler, and had it fully implemented in the site by 2003. On August 9th 2005, the two officially merged.
During April of 2007, it was rumored that negotiations with CBS were made to purchase the site for $449 million dollars.[2] On May 30th, 2007, it was announced that the site was purchased for $140 million, and that the management team would stay intact.[3]
Features
Groups
A Group is a feature where users can join a group along with other fellow users. Currently, the largest group is “I Still Buy CDs” with over 76,000 members.[4]
The Audioscrobbler
The Audioscrobbler is a feature that records the music a user listens to and with that information, gives recommendations on artists, songs, and users with similar tastes. It was originally created by Richard Jones while attended the University of Southampton School of Electronics and Computer Science in the UK.[5]
Search Interest
External References
[1]- Wayback Time Machine – Europrix Selection – Last.fm
[2]- Mashable – Viacom Still Buying Last.fm for $450 Million
[3]- BBC– Music site Last.fm bought by CBS
[4]- Last.fm – I Still Buy CDs group