last.fm
it is well-known that music has the capacity to improve our lives in a number of ways. It can completely transform our daily experiences, altering our moods and intensifying activities that may not be too pleasurable to begin with. With the right playlist playing, work becomes more bearable. Exercising becomes less painful. And boredom turns into entertaining.
No, I am not telling you anything that you did not already know yourself - music is the soundtrack we need in order to survive. It is truly the universal language, one that is capable of cutting deeper and more viscerally than any combination of words and sentence structures. It is a language that is, quite literally, felt. The language of the heart.
This is why there is no shortage of music streaming services, sites, and apps to choose from in the digital age. This is a beautiful thing - we have an abundance of options to choose from and different ways in which we can experience music. But it is also, on the other hand, a bit frustrating - perhaps we have too many choices, which means that it can be somewhat overwhelming to sift through them all and choose the one that is going to be right for us.
In order to choose the best music streaming service for oneself, it is important to ask questions such as which genres of music interest one and what type of listening experience they are looking for. After understanding these factors, the decision of which streaming service to use becomes much easier.
What are some of the features that you find most valuable in a music streaming app? Are you looking for a large number of songs to choose from? Do you want exclusive content? If so, Tidal may be a good fit for you.
If you enjoy personalized playlists that have been generated by an (intelligent) algorithm, Spotify might be the app for you. Figuring out what streaming service is best for you, in the end, comes down to figuring out what you like and which services cater to your specific needs.
You might have a personality type that is often referred to as ?type-A.? You like charts, graphs, and being able to visualize data. You might like to be aware of an intricate breakdown of what you listen to. The best part of using Spotify, if you have done so, in your opinion, is the end of the year recap of your listening habits.
If you enjoy researching what others are listening to, Last.fm may be the perfect music streaming service for you. I would like to introduce you to Last.fm, which is a great resource for finding out what music is popular around the world.
History
Last.fm, which originated in 2005 as a merger of Last.fm and Audioscrobbler, is still in operation today.
Audioscrobbler was originally a school project completed by Richard Jones while attending the University of South Hampton School of Electronics and Computer Science. Jones defined the term ?scrobbling? in terms of discovering, processing, and distributing numerical information about people, music, and more.
Last.fm, founded in 2002 by four music lovers from Germany and Austria, was meant to be an online radio station and social network on which similar music profiles would be used to generate personalized playlists. The site quickly rose to acclaim winning Europix in 2002 and nabbing a nomination for the Prix Arts Electronica in 2003.
In 2003, the Audioscrobbler and Last.fm teams began to collaborate closely, figuring that the two technologies could perfectly compliment each other. In 2005, an Audioscrobbler plugin was officially added to the Last.fm website, completing the merger between the two companies.
Today, Last.fm has a new site that uses Audioscrobbler's visual data capabilities to create a new kind of radio station. This site is unlike any other that has been created before it, and it is the perfect way to end all radio.
Design
Upon arrival on Last.fm, it will be immediately evident that the site's designers are experts in their field. The site is visually stunning - Last.fm manages to be extremely easy to navigate and intuitive while also looking unlike any other music streaming site on the internet. Everything is very clearly defined, cleanly organized, and intuitive. Additionally, the site's understated black, white, and red design gives it a sleek and professional appearance.
I like the fact that the audio player lives in a very narrow bar, ever at the top of the page, on Last.fm. It sits locked into the site menu bar, conveniently displaying what you're listening to right now, as well as the ability to pause and skip forward, backward, or "love?" a track.
To the right of this content area, you will find all of the other features and options that you need in order to browse around the different sections of our website. As far as streaming music sites are concerned, I do not believe that I have found one that is better designed yet.
Content
Last.fm is a music streaming service with several features that make it unique among the myriad options available. The first thing that stands out to me is just how social the site isâit's a part social network, part music streaming service, which makes it truly a unique blend of all our favorite online pastimes.
Your Last.fm profile displays as your musical calling card and allows others to see all of your favorite music. The site claims that this information is invaluable when someone asks, "What music are you into?"
To reinforce the social emphasis of Last.fm, they remind users that it is possible to connect with like-minded music lovers by linking up with their profiles. This way, users can actually discuss their favorite artists, albums, festivals, tracks, etc. with other members of the Last.fm community in a unique twist.
But outside of the social aspects, Last.fm also allows you to visually represent your listening habits in fun, informative, and easy-to-grasp ways - providing you with accurate insights into where exactly you fall on the musical spectrum.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
Unfortunately, Last.fm does not have a full-fledged app in which you can listen to music. There is a Last.fm Audioscrobbler app, however, which allows you to view your listening data. However, it doesn't do much else besides that and it's unfortunate because a fully functional app would put Last.fm at the top of the music streaming services list in my opinion.
Pricing and Plans
Last.fm offers two subscription options: the free, basic service and Last.fm Pro. The paid subscription service is one of the cheapest on the market, at only $3.00 per month. However, it is important to note that Last.fm doesn't have quite as many songs available as, say, Spotify. For that $3.00 charge per month, you get ad-free listening and browsing, as well as tons of advanced data and ?scrobbling? options not available to free users. Oh, and 30% off all Last.fm merch - not a bad deal!
Suggestions that I have for Last.fm
Dear Last.fm,
I hope you can understand my plea. I love the Last.fm service and all that it offers, but I am really frustrated that I can't use it anywhere I go. It would be wonderful if you could develop and roll out an app as soon as possible, so that everyone can enjoy the music service to its fullest potential. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Conclusion
Overall, Last.fm definitely has the potential to become the best streaming service on the planet. They have all of the foundations already there - a great site design/layout, fun and interesting cross-section of music, data, and social networking, and the brand recognition for expansion. It is still a great service as of now, but I would love to see it grow and evolve in the years to come!
Popular search queries
