DJ_Tyrant at Vampirefreaks.com

What is Last.fm?

Last.fm is a UK-based Internet radio and music community website that claims over 21 million active users based in more than 200 countries.

Using a music recommendation system called "Audioscrobbler," Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the songs the user listens to, either on streamed radio stations, on the user's computer or on portable music devices such as the I-Pod. This information is transferred to Last.fm's database ("scrobbled") via a plugin installed into the user's music player. The profile data is then displayed on the user's profile page and can be utilized to find new artists similar to the user's favourites and find friends with similar tastes in music.

Why should I setup a Last.fm profile?

Well, for one it�s free! If you�re a music fanatic then Last.fm offers many attractive features such as:

�Profile:
Last.fm automatically generates a profile page for every user which includes information such as your user name, avatar, date of registration and total number of tracks played. This can be customised with additional information or photographs if you want. There is also a Shoutbox for instant messages.

Profile pages are visible to all, together with a list of top artists and favorite songs. Each Users' profile has a 'Taste-o-Meter' which gives a rating of how compatible your music taste is with other users.

Profile pages can also include lists of friends, weekly musical "neighbours", favourite tags, groups and events. An optional customisable playlist may be also added, with tracks that the user wishes to share or promote.

A customisable display of Recently Played tracks and image "quilts" of artists and album covers, are available via web services, allowing users to embed them into blogs, MySpace pages or as forum signatures.

�Recommendations:
Do you want to find new music similar to what you like? The most recent expanded service on Last.fm is a revamped personal recommendations page that suggests new music, events, journal entries and other people with similar tastes, all tailored to your own preferences.

Recommendations are calculated using a collaborative filtering algorithm so users can browse and hear previews of a list of artists not listed on their own profile but which appear on those of others with similar musical tastes. The page also lists music that has been directly recommended to the user and groups the user belongs to, journals written by users about artists the user listens to, and other users who have listened to similar music recently.

There is also a 'recommendation radio' station which will play music specifically filtered based on the user's last week of listening. Last.fm also permits users to manually recommend specific artists, songs or albums to other users on their friends list or groups they belong to.

�Groups:
Last.fm allows the formation of user groups between users with something in common (for example, fans of an artist or of a certain genre of music). Groups may be linked to artists and countries. Any user may start a group and add members. Most groups are open to all, but membership may be subject to approval by the Group Leader.

Last.fm generates a profile similar to users' profiles, showing combined listening data of the entire group and charting the group's overall tastes. Each group has their own discussion forums and journal space, and a group radio station based on members music profiles is automatically generated once a sufficient number of members have joined. Group members are also able to submit recommendations of artists or tracks to all the other members of their group.

�Events:
Do you want to find shows near you that you can attend and meet up with friends? This feature lets users specify a location and a radius from their location, then suggests gigs or festivals that that user may want to see in the area. Users can set themselves as attending an event to coordinate attendance with friends.

Any user may add a new venue or event which will be listed on the band or artist's main page, together with other details if available. There is also a facility to submit reviews and photographs of events after they happen.

Join now and start enjoying the features and benefits of Last.fm!

DJ_Tyrant [at] Vampirefreaks.com

NEW SONG RELEASE!

C.O.P. INTERNATIONAL

Demand the Flow of Rhythm!

These other great bands are also distributed by C.O.P. International. Please support them on Vampire Freaks!