Last.fm to require subscription for radio use on mobile apps

Starting February 15th, Last.fm will no longer offer its radio service via mobile apps for free. From that point on, a Last.fm subscription will be required if you want to listen on your smartphone.

In the official announcement, Last.fm's Matthew Hawn spells out the reasons for the change. Unsurprisingly, it's got a lot to do with profitability. Last.fm on the desktop will continue to offer ad-supported radio listening for free in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. Users in the U.S. and U.K. will also be able to listen for free on Xbox Live and via the Windows Phone 7 app.

Last.fm is offering users a 90-day trial, which should be plenty of time to decide if you want to pony up for continued access to its radio -- which it feels is "the best in the world."

[In the post, Hawn refers to "Windows Mobile 7." Rodney Dangerfield shares your pain, Microsoft. -Ed]

Tags: apps, audio, discovery, last.fm, lastfm, mobile, music, radio, streaming, web

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