What is Last.fm?

Last.fm is one of the most prominent streaming and online radio services in the world. Through full-length previews and tailored-to-taste radio stations, Last.fm empowers their audience to discover new music.

Last.fm, which is available worldwide, also offers a high level of fan interaction by allowing users to update and manage the information on band pages, as well as interact with other fans through a social networking environment. You can see the details and join at http://www.last.fm.

As an artist, you can sign up for an account directly, or have a distributor like CD Baby deliver your albums and singles to Last.fm. If you already use CD Baby to get your music on Last.fm, you are paid royalties for each and every full-length listen!

Sometimes it’s best to go direct.

Using CD Baby distribution to Last.fm is an easy, ‘hands-free’ way of working with Last.fm. This means that even without ever visiting to Last.fm, you will get paid royalties when people check out your tunes.  Pretty cool.

For albums that CD Baby has submitted to Last.fm, CD Baby will handle your royalties for you and add them to your CD Baby account.  You’ll even get a better percentage from Last.fm through CD Baby than any of the other options.

However, some of the tools and options that Last.fm has to offer are not available to you when using a distributor like CD Baby. If you’re a Last.fm fan and want to make the fullest use of what they have to offer, we would recommend working with them directly and cutting out the middle man, umm… us.

This article is intended for folks who want to claim ownership of their music on Last.fm in order to have more flexibility in terms of networking and updating artist information.

How to go direct with Last.fm.

When CD Baby provides your content to Last.fm, it’s available for 30-second preview and radio play.  However, signing up as an artist or label with Last.fm enables you to promote your music actively, and utilise their Music Manager interface.

If an artist would prefer to allow full-track previews rather than receive royalties for radio streams from CD Baby, they can “claim’ their album on Last.fm. Once an artist has “claimed” their album on Last.fm, they will be able to change the information and approve full-track previews on the album page. Their music will remain on Last.fm’s online radio service, but we will not collect royalties for streams.

Alternatively, they can sign up to access the Music Manager without “claiming” their release – this still enables access to the functionality of the Music Manager, but without the ability to enable full length previews or free downloads.

If you’re already on Last.fm with CD Baby content

If you are already signed up with Last.fm and wish to claim a CD Baby release within your account:

1. Log into your Last.fm member account.
2. Go to your Music Manager section.
3. Select “Manage Your Catalogue.”
4. click on the album you wish to reclaim.

You will notice at the top of any album page that there may be a disclaimer that states your album has been delivered by CD Baby and that we are now collecting royalties on your behalf.  If you would like for us to continue doing so, then you’re all set, don’t click anything!

If you’d prefer to be responsible for collecting royalties from radio streams, and in total control of your account on Last.fm’s service, then just click the “Claim Ownership” button and you’re all set!  That album will no longer be reported to us, and you are free to explore a direct royalty payment with them.  It will be like we never delivered you there in the first place.

If you’re not yet on Last.fm, and your music is

If you would like to sign up with Last.fm and manage your account, here’s how:

1. Sign up with them here: http://last.fm/uploadmusic
2. You will have access to the Music Manager.  It may be that your release is already within your Music Manager, or it may be that you see a page instructing you to upload music.  Don’t panic!
3. If your release is not within your Music Manager, you’ll need to contact Last.fm’s Music Team.  You can do this under http://musicmanager.last.fm/contact – make sure that you tell them the artist and title of the release you wish to have inside your Music Manager account.
4. Once transferred, the above ‘If you’re already on Last.fm’ applies.

If you’d like to learn more about Last.fm and its Music Manager services, please see http://musicmanager.last.fm/help/faq

Sell your music on Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby, Rhapsody, Napster, Spotify, and more!