Ahead of the official re-launch of its European online radio platform, Internet service provider America Online (AOL) has announced that the returning service will be powered by none other than popular Internet radio and music community Last.fm.
CBS-owned Last.fm to power AOL\'s new Euro online radio service. Image: Last.fm.
Set for an initial rollout in the United Kingdom, France and Germany -- with more European regions to follow in the coming months -- AOL Radio users are bound to benefit from the association with CBS-owned Last.fm, which currently boasts a worldwide visiting audience of around 21 million.
Specifically, the new AOL Radio will include various new features and engaging multimedia options for users to familiarise themselves with, including the ability to search for favourite artists through the service before then listening to a continuous stream of their music.
“We’re enormously excited to be teaming up with AOL in Europe to power their online radio platform. We can offer a unique music discovery and listen-again service with the millions of tracks in our catalogue, allowing us to bring groundbreaking interactivity to online radio sites like AOL’s,” enthused Martin Stiksel, co-founder of Last.fm . “We’re pleased AOL has recognised that the unparalleled music experience we offer is the future for online radio.”
The integration of Last.fm will allow AOL Radio listeners based in the UK and Germany to repeat the playback of any track they hear through Last.fm’s free-on-demand service, which was launched in January and enables users to access millions of music tracks for full-length streaming from the world’s largest licensed music catalogue.
Beyond the music appeal provided by Last.fm, those choosing to listen in to AOL Radio will also gain access to videos, pictures and event listings, along with the discovery of new music and artists through the posting of user recommendations from other AOL Radio patrons.
In related news, the European deal comes hot on the heels of a similar online radio partnership forged with Last.fm’s parent company, heavyweight US broadcaster CBS, which AOL claims now casts it as delivering “the largest online listening audience in the world.”
Last.fm’s content, which requires no sign-up or software download, is provided thanks to streaming deals with the likes of Universal, EMI, Warner Music, Sony BMG, CD Baby, The Orchard, IODA, and more than 150,000 independent artists and labels.
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