Thirty-second clips can be a letdown, especially for those wanting a real taste of the music.  That is a memo received long ago by Last.fm, a destination plucked by CBS last year for $280 million.  On Wednesday, Last.fm finally started offering on-demand, full-track streams from all four majors, as well as thousands of independents.  "Something we've wanted for years—for people who visit Last.fm to be able to play any track for free—is now possible," confirmed cofounder Richard Jones.

But limitations exist.  After three full plays, users are returned to thirty-second clips, a familiar terrain.  But after the third full-length stream, Last.fm begins teasing an upcoming subscription service.  "We're beta testing our free tracks service, and will be offering a subscription service with unlimited plays soon," the site explains.

Last.fm indicated that artists are being paid directly based on their  full-track plays.  "This is good because artists get paid based on how popular a song is with their fans, instead of a fixed amount," Jones explained.  Last.fm finalized deals with EMI Music, Sony BMG, Universal Music and Warner Music in the US, UK, and Germany.  Jones indicated that licenses for other countries are also being negotiated. 

Coming Soon ... Unlimited Listening Beta

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