Ad Free Last.fm Radio No Longer Free

Last.fm music channel lovers have to pay for their mobile phone service. So far, the channel provided their personalized radio as a free service on all ‎mobiles, relying on advertisements between songs to generate revenue. Since this will no ‎longer be possible if ad-free continuous music is to be played, consumers have to pay for ‎the nuisance free services. Although one could use the web to listen freely, others may ‎have to pay a monthly fee to relish the ad-free experience. It was a rational decision for ‎the business model contemplated.‎

The charges are pegged at £3 a month, to listen to personalized radio stations – but songs ‎cannot be picked to one’s liking. Other competitors like the Spotify, were already charging ‎‎£10 a month for ad-free, on-demand access both across the web as well as on mobile ‎phones. ‎

Web users listening to Last.fm are exempt, as Microsoft is subsidizing costs to ‎enable consumers using their Xbox or Windows Phone 7 to hear them for free.‎

The Web 2.0 boom had catapulted these services to a new high, with a large user base ‎before it was sold in 2007 for $280m – £140m to CBS.‎ After the takeover, progress has slowed down. The founders have left. Financial concerns were creating hurdles across the online industry, even as people welcomed the online radio concept.‎ The market for this segment was large. Rajar [the radio industry measurement group] ‎estimated that 2.6 million people in the UK used personalized radio services a week.‎

With money on their minds the commercialization of the web could not be helped.‎