While early rumors had Viacom preparing to purchase UK-based internet radio site Last.fm for $450 million, it looks like the CBS corporation has snatched up last.fm for the bargain price of $280 million. (If you're scratching your head, yes, CBS used to be part of Viacom, but the two split up last year).Last.fm had set itself the (possibly unrealistic) goal of adding every music track every recorded to its library. Having a major media corporation for a parent makes that lofty goal seem a bit more feasible. But perhaps just a bit.
CBS has strong roots in terrestrial radio, with 179 stations in 50 markets across the U.S. While the fate of online radio remains to be seen, there's no doubt online music services are gaining in popularity, so it makes sense that CBS would want to pick up one of the market leaders. Last.fm boasts that it has 15 million listeners each month.
[Thanks Gil Creque!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-30-2007 @ 2:45PM
Gil Creque said...
No problem. You guys provide me with enough info. =)
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5-30-2007 @ 2:55PM
Marcus said...
I feel like I'm reading TechCrunchClone instead of DownloadSquad lately. Is there a way to filter out all the duplicate articles?
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5-30-2007 @ 3:07PM
Christopher Walken said...
I wonder how they'll integrate this with CBS Radio.
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5-30-2007 @ 3:34PM
breba said...
Paying $18.66 per user seems high because I don't think they can continue to grow under CBS. I know I don't want a large corporation like CBS to have my music listening information. I could imagine them giving it to the RIAA. Good thing I moved to http://soundcrank.com.
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5-30-2007 @ 4:20PM
Jenny said...
It doesn't really matter to us as long as the service is not interrupted.
Jenny
http://www.spaml.com
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