Last FM: Am I missing something?

jonahpwll

Okay, is there any real compelling reason I should join Last FM? I do go to it from time to time when I'm researching a new musician... sometimes there are full track listens and even free downloads. But will joining up do anything for me? I have no intention of triggering my paranoia gene and letting the site view my mp3 library or ipod, so that aspect of the site is a nonstarter... no scrobbling for this guy. Anything else? If I join, can I get full listens to albums instead of those stupid thirty second samples only good for ignoring? Or maybe some other Lala-type benefit to giving them my email and fake name? Anything?

elwoodicious

It's mostly is geared towards providing members recommendations based on their listening habits and through providing social aspects (friending and groups). I've been using it for the last 6 years and have found it helpful in showing the how, what, and when I listen as well as providing recommendations, especially when coupled with services like Soundamus. Paid subscriptions get you uninterrupted streaming and ad-free browsing but it seems like they are downplaying that option by burying it in a footer nav.

kargatron

Genre/tag/artist streaming can be a useful thing if you want "radio", but pandora can serve the same purpose. If you don't want to scrobble, then I'd say never mind, since most benefits come from that angle. I don't follow what level of paranoia would be set off by sharing one's listening history, but if you say so, skip it. I like browsing others (and my own) listening history stats, gives one a quick overall picture of listening habits over various time intervals. In fact, I wish their listening history browsing was a lot more in depth (I'd love to browse history by tag, still can't fathom why they don't institute that).

Kenny

I use the site all the time. I probably check it five to ten times a day. But, I love all the benefits of scrobbling, so it makes a lot of sense for me.

It's really helped me discover my own collection. I haven't even started checking out its recommendations for me. I am mostly interested in its stats on what I am listening to and what I should be listening to more.

The stalker in me enjoys looking up my friends' bands and seeing who else is into them.

choiceweb0pen0

I've been using it for a few years. I like it, especially for the events page of upcoming shows in my area that I should like based on who and what I listen to.

I also do find it vainly interesting what I'm listening to most in any given month and see what other people are listening to as well.

martyna

I feel somewhat foolish for asking, but, what is scrobbling?

thomnottom

@martyna - scrobbling is sending your listening information to Last.fm. They have a program that installs plugins to various media players - and some players have it built-in - that send the artist and title of every song you play to their servers and add it to your profile. Then you get to see how much you listen to various artists, albums, and songs and use that information to find other recommendations or simply for geeking out.

If you're not interested in the scrobble side of things, Last.fm really isn't for you. They did offer full length song streaming at one point for paid subscriptions, but that fell through. The radio stations are great IMO, but you could always just use Pandora. I'll admit, I don't get the paranoia part. Unless you tell them more, all they know is that someone with a particular username listened to x, y and z at a given time. I've said before that I'm a bit of a stats geek and love seeing my listening habits spelled out for me. Just wish it covered my CD playing in the car, too.

Germanprof

What keeps me from looking seriously at the scrobbling thing is the simple fact that I listen to music in so many different places - car, home stereo, home computer, two different offices with their computers, portable player walking to work and on planes...as far as I can see it could at best be a record of a small slice of what I'm listening to. And it would also get skewed in specific ways (there are certain kinds of music I do or do not play in the background while working, for instance). I know that I could, if I wanted and spent the money, make more of those things internet connected, but I don't feel at all motivated to do so. I think that's the most basic thing that still makes me unexcited about those music services that rely too much on constant connectivity.

Doofy

I get the paranoia part. I realize the possibility of anybody sniffing around lastfm to identify music shares is remote, but remote isn't nonexistent.

I do like playing with the history, etc, but have found scrobbling to be a little hinky. Also the raw stats aren't really all that informative...Eg, I listened to this fine baroque Xmas album several times, and since it has like 30 tracks, lastfm now thinks the Isaak Heidelberg Ensemble is my favorite artist.

Katrina

You mean they aren't?

Kenny

thom, I totally get the stats geek thing. I try to account for the music I listen to while driving by playing it on my phone on silent. After typing that, I realize how ridiculous that is, but I don't care.

I find that the last.fm radio is a lot cooler than Pandora.

Another great feature is listening to the radio stations of other users (an entire radio playlist comprised of songs a user likes).

cafreema

I'm really obsessed with my stats. I was completely pissed off last week with three days worth of iPod plays didn't scrobble when I plugged the iPod into the computer. Hopefully working with a new iPod that is large enough to sync will keep that from happening anymore.

Craig

jonahpwll

Okay, good, I feel sufficiently warned off from the site.

Hey, on a related note, has anyone seen the site official[dot]fm? It looks like a combination of the Bandcamp and Lastfm sites.

cafreema

official.fm used to be fairtalizer.com or something like that. My only experience with it is through free downloads from self-titled magazine. It has a pretty slick download experience, that's for sure.

Craig

Doofy

Craig, my Xmas travel plays also did not Scrobble. Now everybody thinks I was just listening to nothing but Isaak Heidelberg Ensemble all Christmas long. One speculates that scrobbling such a large number of plays might make audioscrobbler more prone to such snafus.

cafreema

Doofy - The number of scrobbles could well be the issue.

Also, things like your experience with IHE is exactly why I keep my page showing my top artists for the last 3 months. The length of time smooths out issues like that. Of course I often wish I could have it show the last one month, but that isn't an option.

Craig

thomnottom

I'm not sure where the paranoia comes in, is it possible that people are misunderstanding what information gets sent? Because all Last.fm gets is the basic metadata (artist/album/track) and what program sent it. They don't have any information regarding what files are on your computer, where they are, what format they're in, or if anything is shared.

frogkopf

So... will my copious porn collection show up there by accident?

cafreema

froggie - Just turn off the scrobbler before you...um...indulge.

Craig

jonahpwll

So... will my copious porn collection show up there by accident?

Only the audiobook versions.

jonahpwll

I'm not sure where the paranoia comes in

In the dark of the night, when midnight has set in its heels and dawn feels like an eternity away, I can hear the digital cookies scrobbling about in the shadows, biding their time until I grow weary with sleep, my eyes fluttering shut, and my iTunes library undefended from their malicious desires and vile machinations.

elwoodicious

their malicious desires and vile machinations

...is just for you to collect more music. ;-)

Plong42

> their malicious desires and vile machinations

An accurate description of FrogK's porn collection?

Doofy

True, lastfm provides no info of use in identifying the provenance of any music that is in print. I think the concern would be over more obscure or OOP stuff circulated by sharing.

Katrina

Haha, hubby got me a few albums for Christmas...which I already had. I returned one to Vintage Stock and they wanted my phone number & driver's license even though I had the receipt! So of course I told them my phone number was unlisted. Boo hoo, he can't go further without a phone number. So of course I gave the fake phone number of xxx-555-1419 or somesuch foolishness and their computer told the clerk it was an invalid phone number because of the 555 exchange. At this point, I'm kinda getting annoyed at the computer (not the clerk) so I just mildly said I had my tinfoil hat on today and here was a better fake number for the stupid machine. He ended up laughing when I was walking out. Whether it was WITH me or AT me, I don't care, but I think it was WITH.

The point of this blathering rant is I understand wanting privacy, dammit. Obviously I don't care about my listening habits privacy. To each their own.

elwoodicious

@katrina, when posed with that I always give the standard dismissive of [Area Code]-382-5633.

cafreema

In a music store it should be [Area Code] 867-5309.

Craig

Rudie

Or, alternately [Area Code] 606-0842.

choiceweb0pen0

634-5789

Katrina

@craig, OMG, I wish I'd had the presence of mind to sing out Jenny's phone number!
Not sure if they would have gotten the B-52's or Wilson Pickett numbers.
@elwoodicious, I wasn't particularly annoyed with the clerk - but I will remember that one for the future! When I do want to insult someone!

Doofy

I say, "No thanks." I feel bad for the clerks sometimes, all the crap they're made to ask for. Do you have a rewards account with us? Would you like to open one? Bought a space heater at Sears over the weekend, I think they asked for slightly less info than when we got our mortgage. [/crank]