Last.fm
17/02/2005 03:30 | Categories: Links, Music | 0 Comments
I recently discovered Last.fm, an online radio station with a twist: you can build your own profile and then your "personal" radio will only play songs from artists that are in your profile. You need to play a few songs and add a few albums/artists/songs in your profile before you can enjoy your personal radio (about 100 I think), but then it works wonderfully.
Even though you select the artists that you like, last.fm is a radio in the sense that you do not choose what's going to be played next but instead, the system will choose a song from one of the artists available in your profile, so you never know what's going to play next. But you do know that you're going to like it! 
If you don't feel like listening to your personal station, you can also tune in to any other user's personal station and listen to different music. The difference between the "personal" radio and "profile" radio is that the "personal" radio is the radio based on your profile and taste while the "profile" radio is a radio based on somebody else's profile and taste... Another additional difference is that the personal radio is only free of charge during the first month after you sign up for the service. After that, you need to make a donation if you'd like to continue using it... I like it so much that I think I will pay for it. Plus, I can add a link to my personal radio here in my blog and you will be able to listen to my songs, for free at 128kbps. How does that sound?
What I like most about last.fm is that it is a fantastic way to discover new artists and to find people with similar tastes. For example, the system will from time to time play songs from artists similar to the ones in your profile but that are not part of it. Another way to find new stuff is by looking at the "Recommended" section or even better, the "Neighbours" section. "Neighbours" is a list of users that the system has found share a similar taste to yours and you can visit their profile, make them your "friends", send them a message, etc. It could also be a nice way to meet new people!
I really really recommend it! And while you sign up, you can also listen to my station (just click the "listen" button)