U.S. Listening Spikes 85% Over Previous Week on Day of Launch
NEW YORK and LONDON, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Last.fm, the
online music discovery network owned by the CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A
and CBS), realized strong user growth in several key categories after
launching it's free-on-demand streaming service Wednesday.
In the United States, Last.fm's unique listeners increased 85% on the
day of launch (Jan. 23) versus the previous Wednesday (Jan. 16). Listening
metrics are considered especially relevant as a method to measure a user's
engagement with the site. In addition, the site realized a 45% increase in
page views and 27% increase in unique visitors in the U.S. during the same
time period.
The site's momentum continued yesterday as unique listeners increased
80% as compared to the previous Thursday. Page views and unique visitors
also increased 60% and 31% respectively during the same time period.
"Adding a wealth of great new content to our existing community is
something that we've been looking forward to for some time," said Martin
Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder. "We're pleased that people have responded so
favourably, and we're eager to roll out many more services and features
over the coming months to ensure that our growing community remains engaged
and musically enriched."
In launching the free-on-demand service earlier this week, Last.fm
became the first music Web site to offer free, global, on-demand access to
the largest licensed catalogue of music built on partnerships with all four
major record labels - including Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG, Warner and
EMI - as well as CD Baby, IODA, the Orchard, Naxos and more than 150,000
independent labels and artists. Free-on-demand listening is available
without registration, or the download of any software.
"The U.S. is a critical part of the global marketplace," said Felix
Miller, co-founder, Last.fm. "We are pleased that free-on-demand streaming
has increased our audience so quickly. We will now continue to build upon
our industry-leading content library, and roll out free-on-demand in other
countries in order to grow our community around the world."
Last.fm has become one of the leading places in the world where people
can go to listen to music online. Its vast library has attracted a
community of more than 20 million unique monthly users in 240 countries
around the globe. The heart of Last.fm is a powerful recommendation engine
that guides listeners to music they are likely to enjoy based on prior
selections, connecting them with the music they love and with others who
share their tastes. Last.fm's free-on-demand service will be advertiser
supported, allowing clients many unique opportunities to reach a highly
targeted and engaged audience.
Currently the free-on-demand service is available in the US, UK and
Germany, and is scheduled to roll out globally in the coming months.
About Last.fm
Founded in 2002 in London, Last.fm is the online, social music
revolution that connects people with music and artists with listeners. By
joining the Last.fm community, music fans can choose to share their music
preferences by linking their media player to the Last.fm database. This
database is populated continually with over 600 million monthly track
submissions from Last.fm music fans. As a result, Last.fm can intelligently
recommend songs, artists, local concerts and even other members based on
their musical tastes. Thanks to partnerships with EMI, Warner Music Group,
Sony BMG, CD Baby, independent aggregators The Orchard and IODA, and more
than 100,000 independent musicians and 20,000 labels that upload music
directly to the site, Last.fm can draw recommendations from one of the most
extensive online music catalogues. Learn more about Last.fm at http://www.last.fm.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is a mass media company with constituent parts that
reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer
businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The
Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with
well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive
distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50
states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every
field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and
The CW - a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.
Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local
television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication
(CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution), radio
(CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing
(Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS
Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products), video/DVD
(CBS Home Entertainment), in-store media (CBS Outernet) and motion pictures
(CBS Films). For more information, log on to http://www.cbscorporation.com.
SOURCE CBS Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.cbscorporation.com
http://www.last.fm
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/185007.html/
CONTACT:
In New York: Shannon Jacobs, +1-212-975-3161,
sljacobs@cbs.com; or In London: Christian Ward, +44 (0) 20 7780
7080, christian@last.fm
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