Post your Audiosrobbler userlink so we can always watch what you're listening to

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6701863.stm

Social music site Last.fm has been bought by US media giant CBS Corporation for $280m (£140m), the largest-ever UK Web 2.0 acquisition.

The online network was founded in the UK five years ago and it now has more than 15 million active users.

It allows users to connect with other listeners with similar music tastes, to custom-build their own radio stations and to watch music video-clips.

Last.fm founding member Martin Stiksel said it was an "exciting opportunity".

Last.fm is one of the fastest growing online communities out there
CBS Corp

As part of the deal, Last.fm's managing team will remain in place and the site will maintain its own separate identity.

Mr Stiksel said: "This move will really support us to get every track ever recorded and every music video ever made onto Last.fm.

"With a strong partner like CBS, this is now within our reach."

Dot.com boom

CBS Corporation has business interests in TV, web and radio.

CBS radio is the largest radio group in the United States, with 179 stations in the top 50 markets covering news, rock, country and urban music.

The firm's president and CEO Leslie Moonves said: "Last.fm is one of the fastest growing online communities out there."

Music lover
The web has helped revolutionise listening to music

He said Last.fm's strength in building communities around music and syndicating content was "central to CBS".

He added: "Their demographics also play perfectly to CBS's goal to attract younger viewers and listeners across our businesses."

CBS is not the first major player to purchase up-and-coming websites for millions or even billions of dollars, prompting what some have called the second dot.com boom.

In 2005 Rupert Murdoch's News Corp snapped up social networking site MySpace for $580m (£290m). And last year, search engine Google paid $165bn (£82bn) for video site YouTube.

Mr Stiksel said Last.fm would retain an independent identity.

He said CBS was buying "great technology and a very vibrant, active community".

"They want to move from a content company to an audience company giving the audiences control and learning from this and that's why Last.fm was their choice," he added.

Mr Stiksel said he did not think that users would feel disappointed that a mainstream media firm had bought the site.

"When we said revolution we mean that - we put the users in charge. CBS gets this.

"They understand that consuming media is changing, the patterns are changing."

As part of the acquisition, the Last.fm management team, including founders Felix Miller, Martin Stiksel and Richard Jones, will continue to independently run the online network

Mr Stiksel said the deal proved that Web 2.0 companies did not have to be in the United States to succeed.

"Being in London has helped us; it's the best place to do things with music full stop. It's the place that leads the world."

The three founders will now be among the most successful - and potentially wealthy - Web 2.0 pioneers in the world.

Mr Stiksel said: "The success of the site is the most important thing. With a strong partner we can add the features we always dreamed about."

I can see them all puffing on cigars and jumping for joy across the other side of the road.

Being in London has helped us; it's the best place to do things with music full stop. It's the place that leads the world."

really tho...

The picture in the article is slightly worrying

well, this means i'll feel less guilty if i need to complain about stuff.

i hope they send a big chunk of that cash to the dude who makes iScrobbler; without that (ie iPod support), last.fm would be useless for me.

WOW

Yeah this has me worried, but only really if they end up clamping down on who can use it, like pandora did. Ive become very attached to my scrobbles :(

only really if they end up clamping down on who can use it, like pandora did

?

Lots of people say they won't donate now(according to last fm forums).

grimly: apparently pandora only works now if you come from a US IP address. I dont know, Ive only tried it once, I couldn't say for sure. I was worried last.fm would do the same, as well as scrobbling my stuff, I use the radios/tags heavily for listens of tracks I dont have. It has been a great way to find out what stuff is like which I then go out and BUY (are you listening record labels).

My scrobbler seems to have stopped scrobbling in the past few days. I downloaded a new version of iTunes -- could that be the reason?

Pandora broke my heart. When I get over the rejection, would I be advised to hook up with Last.fm?

(xpost -- basically I'm asking the same thing as Trayce.)

last.fm is fantastic lost, yeah sign up, its free, tho you can pay if you want to make your own stations and things (I think you have to pay to play more than just yr loved tracks channel). All you need to then do is play and play all your music and after about 400 songs it starts to figure out who else you'd like, who your neighbours are and shows all that. You can add people like you would something like livejournal and see what yr friends are listening to.

I'm addicted to it. The streaming radio is extremely flaky for me at home, but I'm not sure if thats them or me, because at work it seems ok.

yeah Eazy that's probably what it is

http://www.last.fm/user/muddlinleigh/

Looking at my charts i realise that i really need to find some new music.

the radio application is pretty good, it just played me doris day, marcos valle, stars of the lid, pharoah sanders and drexciya

oh, yea

http://www.last.fm/user/halifax

http://www.last.fm/user/ilx_onimo