First place for music
If you’re a music nut like me you’ll love Last.fm, a streaming online audio service that allows you to discover new artists. Simply type in the name of your favourite band and Last.fm will start playing one of their tunes. It’ll then start playing songs from artists it reckons you’ll like.
It works by collecting detailed information about the musical likes and dislikes of users. Most users upload their data using a plug-in to their PC audio player software which uploads information about the music they listen to.
Last.fm is then able to compare that information with the song information uploaded by other users and make recommendations about bands and artists that individual users will like. Information about more than 10m songs is uploaded to Last.fm every day.
Last.fm also has a plug-in for iPods. Each time you sync your iPod, the plug-in will upload the details of all the songs you’ve been listening to while on the go. Over time, you can build up your own personal music charts or check out what everyone else is listening to.
Another cool feature is the ability to create or join community groups that share an appreciation for a particular band or genre of music.
I’ve been playing with Last.fm for several weeks and have discovered a range of incredibly good but little-known bands such as Polish prog-rockers Riverside and American experimentalists Agalloch.
Last.fm also enables users to create their own radio stations according to genres, though the site doesn’t allow specific songs to be played on demand.
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