Last.fm & Advertising Paranoia...
I read last week that Last.fm , the online music source that CBS acquired last year, is loosening some restrictions and providing listeners with an extensive music archive that can be accessed for FREE. The tracks, however, are streamed and can only be used for up to THREE times, so nobody's taking them home to do with as they wish. I think, after your THREE allowances have been exhausted, you wind up subscribing to the service for a fee. Otherwise, the site is paid for by the advertisers, in the tradition of typical radio. From a "benefit" standpoint, Last.fm's been made available for independent artists (no label) to use for promotion. Royalties will be paid to these artists based on the amount of times their respective tracks have attracted enough attention to earn a PLAY. So, it's good that some money is going toward those that are struggling to make it, though there's no way to determine whether or not the advertisers will have any say in regard to t...