After Pandora, Last.fm joining axis of evil too? | The Coffeehouse

RoyalSchrubber
One. How many time travellers does it take to change a lightbulb?

Last.fm decided they don't want to stream their radio service for free anymore and next month to start charging money. How selfish! The exception to this are US, UK and Germany. (http://blog.last.fm/2009/03/24/lastfm-radio-announcement).

So in this darkest hour I'm asking fellow niners to join rebellion and become member of free-is-free group (http://www.last.fm/group/FREE+IS+FREE). Optionally you can change last.fm avatar picture to picture of free-is-free group and send this call to arms message to other people that you have in friends list so they too can join this just cause.

Yggdrasil
Pour me a cab, 'cause I can't drink no more.

I'm really trying to figure out if you're cynical or not.

I've been using last.fm for years. I've used their streaming radio station any number of times. I love their service. But I don't have any sense of entitlement. They don't owe me anything. I didn't pay for the premium service. I didn't click the ads. It was fine while it lasted. I hope they find a different business model, though.

Bass
www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/

When did music become worthless?

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to Bass

#Mar 26th @ 3:00 PM

When everyone started feeling it's their right to consume and distribute it for free.

AndyC

In reply to Bass

#Mar 26th @ 3:00 PM

About the same time as the Pop Stars, Pop Idol, X-Factor, etc TV shows?

Yggdrasil
Pour me a cab, 'cause I can't drink no more.

So I checked it out, and it seems we're talking about £1.50 per month here. That's less than 10 Israeli sheqels a month! That's less than a cup of coffee. And this will allow last.fm to keep going and allow me to listen to unlimited music, streamed via wifi to my Nokia E66 phone whereever I am? That's a goddamn BARGAIN.

There. I subscribed just now.

Ion Todirel
buuu

at least they are not as selfish as Pandora with not allowing the service at all outside of US

CreamFilling512

What is this "outside of US"?

Ion Todirel
buuu

In reply to CreamFilling512

#Mar 27th @ 5:52 PM

PANDORA TERMS OF USE

Terms:

Thanks to the way our music licensing works, you have to live in the United States to use Pandora. You also have to be at least 13 years old. Pandora can only be used if you are in the United States.

Ray7

In reply to Bas

#Mar 26th @ 3:11 PM

Looking at the comments on the blog, I don't think that charging is the problem. It's the fact that it's being given for free to 3 pretty rich countries. (hell, even the people living in the 'no charge' countries think it's unfair.)

Still, I think that may be down to the record companies.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

In reply to Ray7

#Mar 27th @ 10:47 PM

Oh, I wasn't talking about Last.fm, I was responding to the "when did music (in general) become worthless" thing. I don't know, I think that when people start considering it their god-given right to consume stuff without giving anything in return, they've made it worthless.

RoyalSchrubber
One. How many time travellers does it take to change a lightbulb?

In reply to Bas

#Mar 28th @ 3:36 AM

Are you music oppressor? Music wants to be free...

@Yggdrasil: of course I was cynical - if every song I listened was 1 mb file then I've downloaded more than 13 gb of data off their servers - certainly this amount is worth something. I see why they did it, I don't blame them, but I understand it more like youtube - it wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't free - I don't want to fiddle with paypal, I just want to listen. It's not money, it's nuisance. If I paid for any subscription then it would probably be zune pass - it costs more, but from what I hear it's better and they let you keep few songs - problem is it's not available outside US..

exoteric
I : Next<I>

In reply to Bas

#Mar 28th @ 3:36 AM

I think people do what they've always done. Pay for what they like and casually consume the rest via radio. Last.fm just seized to be a radio, in any traditional sense of the word (digital or not), meaning it will no longer be a path of exploration for those not willing to pay to explore. There are enough other radios out there, real and digital. Last.fm is free to do as it pleases, consumers are free to uncheck their last.fm accounts (check). I'm looking forward to seeing how this gamble plays out. This is a major opportunity for anyone who wishes to take advantage of the badwill last.fm just sold themselves.

PaoloM
Hypermediocrity

In reply to RoyalSchrubber

#Mar 28th @ 4:42 AM

Are you music oppressor? Music wants to be free...

Yeah, no. Music doesn't "want" anything.

blowdart
Peek-a-boo

In reply to PaoloM

#Mar 28th @ 1:08 PM

And that's the same crappy argument, "Information wants to be free" - ok so give me the imprint of the magnetic strip on your bank card and your PIN - it's just information.

Schrubber does your *work* want to be free? Do you work for free?

RoyalSchrubber
One. How many time travellers does it take to change a lightbulb?

In reply to PaoloM

#Mar 28th @ 1:08 PM

music has feelings too, you insensitive clod...

@blowdart: to be honest i'm playing corona.. sarcasm detector broken today? Smiley

Ray7

In reply to Bas

#Mar 28th @ 3:36 AM

Ah, fair enough.

Pretty much agree on that score then.

exoteric
I : Next<I>

In reply to PaoloM

#Mar 28th @ 1:08 PM

Quite true in any literal sense. The owners of the music may want it though (Creative Commons) - in which case it appears one will still have to pay-to-play this used-to-be free music. I really hope I'm wrong on this one.

And as for "information wants to be free", well of course again, we can take a literal interpretation, or we can think about countries like China, North Korea and Iran, freedom of speech and even things like a smarter media economy - or even a resource-based economy, further down the rabbit hole. There are many interpretations possible that make sense.

It's a brave new world, in more than one sense.

Yggdrasil
Pour me a cab, 'cause I can't drink no more.

In reply to RoyalSchrubber

#Mar 28th @ 4:42 AM

You gotta be careful with your sarcasm, because Poe's Law can easily apply to free-as-in-gimme-gimme-gimme kids as well as to fundamentalists. You got me and a couple of others confused. Smiley