Last.fm’s site is getting a lot more musical thanks to Spotify. Starting today, Last.fm is building in an option to listen to any track on its site through Spotify, so long it’s in the service’s catalog. Though music will still play through Spotify itself, playback controls will appear on the bottom of Last.fm, letting listeners continue to browse without leaving the site to pause or skip around. While Last.fm already offers links to listen to tracks through popular streaming services — including Rdio, Deezer, and even Spotify — this new integration gives Spotify a far greater presence on Last.fm by effectively turning it into the site’s default player.
Last.fm can now play music through Spotify
is The Verge’s executive editor. He has covered tech, policy, and online creators for over a decade.
Spotify’s integration is a big and useful addition for Last.fm, which never made much of a dent in the streaming radio business and likely wants to avoid paying the costly licensing fees it would take really compete. The site — which has long been focused on tracking its users’ music playback and recommending them new artists — does still offer its own radio service, but it’s never found much attention. That seems to be fine with Last.fm though, leaving it room to maintain its focus on recommendations. And with its site now offering more accessible ways to listen to music, exploring those recommendations could become a lot more appealing.
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