 Last.fm shockwaves will reach all radio media, says report ·Jan 24, 11:06 AM From the Motley Fool: “I’ve got some good news and some bad news for XM Satellite Radio and Sirius investors. “The good news is that it may get a whole lot easier to get the merger between the two companies approved, after [yesterday’s] announcement that online radio service Last.fm will offer free streaming music from all four major labels and countless indies… “The bad news? I just told you. Last.fm, bought by CBS… is providing on-demand delivery of its “Naturally, this is also bad news for other companies selling digital tracks, like Apple, or music subscription services like Napster and RealNetworks. “Models will be rattled… “It’s funny to see terrestrial radio lobbying against the pairing of XM and Sirius as a threat to their livelihood, when this ‘silent but deadly’ killer is sneaking in through the Internet.
“I think that XM and Sirius are differentiated enough to earn their premium pricing. I can’t say the same for free radio. It may be Last.fm’s stand, but it’s starting to feel more like the last stand for conventional one-way commercial music broadcasting.” Read the entire article at the Motley Fool. share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
growing digital library for free. 
“It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see where the music broadcasting industry is headed. Have you tried the FlyTunes widget, which lets iPhone users stream free Internet radio through their iPod-enabled wireless phones [RAIN coverage 
In the years to come the music will continue to approach the price of zero. Denying so is wishful thinking. Looking at the trends, it’s just going there faster and faster.
Give it another 5 years, tracks will be nearly completely free, and not just the first 3 times to play.
— Ari Shohat · Jan 24, 12:18 PM · #
If the artists who create the music do not
get paid the music will STOP!
— Dave Kaspersin · Jan 24, 12:23 PM · #
I would like to know how the decision in Europe will affect internet radio for example live365???
— Nancianne · Jan 24, 12:29 PM · #