Last.fm
Last.fm is a London-based online music catalogue and listening-tracking platform that aggregates scrobbles from 12+ streaming services, serving general listeners, Pro subscribers, musicians and developers with personalised stats, recommendations and a public music discovery API.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Last.fm does
Last.fm is a London-based, privately-held online music catalogue and listening-tracking platform that aggregates a user's plays across more than a dozen streaming services — Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Tidal, SoundCloud, Deezer, Mixcloud, Sonos, Pandora, Bandcamp, Hype Machine, 8tracks — into a single scrobble history via its web, iOS, Android and Desktop Scrobbler clients. Its core technology is the "scrobbling" ingestion pipeline combined with a recommendation engine covered by four licensed U.S. patents (Nos. 7,346,472; 7,660,700; 7,949,494; 8,214,175) that produces personalised weekly reports, charts, the "Next_30" playlist, similar-artist pages, and recommended radio. Last.fm also operates a public Music Discovery API (REST and legacy XML-RPC) with separate commercial licensing terms, and serves general listeners, Pro subscribers, musicians, developers and academic researchers.
The company monetises through multiple streams: a freemium Last.fm Pro subscription (monthly 31-day, annual and fixed-duration tiers), interest-based advertising delivered through third-party ad-tech providers (Google AdSense, YieldMo, Freestar, Pubmatic), audience data sharing with social platforms (Meta, Snap, X) for custom-audience and lookalike advertising, commercial API licensing on negotiated terms, and an affiliate-style merchandise store (store.last.fm) offering Pro subscriber discounts. Go-to-market is product-led growth with self-serve signup, community-led retention via profiles, friends, shouts and events, and an API-first developer channel.
Last.fm was originally founded in 2002 (with the Audioscrobbler predecessor), raised a $5 million round from Index Ventures in May 2006, and was acquired by CBS Interactive for $280 million in 2007. It operated as a CBS Interactive / Paramount Skydance subsidiary until May 2026, when it separated as an independent private company for the second time, retaining its user base, scrobble data, team and DSP integrations. The legal entity is Last.fm Limited (UK), the workforce is 51-100 per firmographics with no open roles currently posted, and revenue is not disclosed.
Last.fm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Last.fm
- Legal name
- Last.fm Limited
- Website
- https://last.fm
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Last.fm is a London-based online music catalogue and listening-tracking platform that aggregates scrobbles from 12+ streaming services, serving general listeners, Pro subscribers, musicians and developers with personalised stats, recommendations and a public music discovery API.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Last.fm industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Discovery & Listening Analytics
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230), Sound Recording Industries (5122), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- On-Demand Music Streaming (Interactive) (MPAIACAA), Music Recognition, Lyrics & Metadata Platforms (MPAIADAK)
Keywords
Where Last.fm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Last.fm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Last.fm Pro subscription: Premium subscription ('Last.fm Pro') billed monthly (31-day cycle) or annually, with auto-renewal until cancelled; available in fixed-duration, monthly, and annual plans. Provides additional features, controls, merchandise discount codes and promotional offers.
- Interest-based advertising: Personalized advertising and marketing on the Last.fm Services delivered via third-party ad tech providers (Google AdSense, YieldMo, Freestar, Pubmatic, etc.) using cookies, pixels and hashed identifiers; includes 'sale'/'sharing' of personal information as defined under CCPA/CPRA.
- Audience data sharing / data monetisation: Sharing of hashed email addresses, online identifiers and online interaction data with social media companies (Meta, Snap, X) for custom audience and lookalike advertising; plus sharing of audience segments with commercial partners.
- API commercial licensing: Commercial use of the Last.fm API requires a separate commercial use agreement; Last.fm reserves the right to share in revenue generated from commercial API use on terms to be negotiated.
- Merchandise discount codes & store: Discount codes issued to subscribers for the Last.fm Merchandise Store (store.last.fm) drive traffic and sales on third-party storefront; terms at https://store.last.fm/pages/terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free core service — scrobbling, stats, recommendations, community, free music downloads, free non-commercial API |
| Subscription | Monthly | Last.fm Pro monthly subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Last.fm Pro annual subscription |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Last.fm Pro fixed-duration subscription |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | API non-commercial use |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Last.fm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Last.fm operates an online music catalogue and listening-tracking platform that automatically captures ("scrobbles") every track a user listens to across connected streaming services, builds a unified listening history, and generates personalized music recommendations, weekly/monthly/all-time stats, similar-artist charts and a Next_30 playlist. The free core service is monetized through advertising and a paid Last.fm Pro subscription that unlocks additional features, alongside a public developer API, free music downloads, and a merchandise storefront.
Product overview
Last.fm operates as a single unified music tracking and discovery platform built around the core "Track, Find, and Rediscover" music offering, augmented by several integrated modules and standalone sub-products. The core free Last.fm service powers music scrobbling (automatic listening history tracking) by connecting to a broad ecosystem of music streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Tidal, SoundCloud, Deezer, Mixcloud, Sonos, Hype Machine, 8tracks, Bandcamp, Pandora), supported by dedicated Last.fm Desktop Scrobbler apps for Windows/Mac and mobile apps for Android and iOS. Last.fm Pro is the premium subscription tier that unlocks enhanced exploration and control features. The Last.fm API (Music Discovery API) is a public REST developer product that exposes the platform's catalogue, scrobbling, charts, and recommendations to third-party developers. Complementary offerings include the embeddable Last.fm Widget, the Free Music Downloads catalogue, and the Last.fm Merchandise Store. Last.fm's recommendation and personalisation features are powered by machine learning models trained on user scrobbling and engagement data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Last.fm Pro: Premium subscription service offered by Last.fm, providing enhanced music discovery, listening history, and personalized features.
Products and services
- Last.fm (Core Music Tracking Service)
- Last.fm Pro
- Last.fm Desktop Scrobbler (Windows)
- Last.fm Android App
- Last.fm iOS App (Last.fm Scrobbler)
- Last.fm API (Music Discovery API)
- Last.fm Widget
- Last.fm Free Music Downloads
- Last.fm Merchandise Store
Quantifiable outcome
- Joined millions of users worldwide, all on the free tier
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Last.fm
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Last.fm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
AI capability5 records
Feature4 records
Last.fm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- SpotifyflagshipLast.fm integrates with Spotify to auto-scrobble plays from Spotify desktop, mobile, web player and any connected device. Users can connect their Spotify account via /settings/applications to scrobble 'everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform.' Headline streaming integration prominently featured on homepage and API roadmap (acquired ~$280M alongside Last.fm in 2007 history; integrations confirmed continuing post-2026 independence).
- Apple MusiccoreLast.fm scrobbles Apple Music plays, primarily via the Last.fm iOS Scrobbler app which supports manual scanning and submission of scrobbles compatible with Apple Music. Featured alongside Spotify and YouTube as a primary streaming integration on the homepage.
- YouTube / YouTube MusiccoreLast.fm tracks listening from the YouTube website (and via YouTube Music); also embeds YouTube video playback inside Last.fm track/album pages via the YouTube player. Player-embedded content is provided by YouTube from YouTube's servers.
- TidalcoreLast.fm scrobbles plays from the Tidal desktop and mobile apps and the Tidal web player. Featured among primary streaming service integrations on the homepage.
- SoundCloudcoreLast.fm scrobbles songs listened to on the SoundCloud website; SoundCloud listed as a primary streaming service integration on the homepage.
- Google Play StorecoreLast.fm distributes its official Android application (fm.last.android) through the Google Play Store, providing 'last.fm tracking, personalised listening reports, stats and charts on the go.'
- Apple App StorecoreLast.fm distributes its official iOS scrobbler app through the Apple App Store (itunes.apple.com/app/last-fm-scrobbler/id1188681944) for manual scrobbling compatible with Apple Music.
- StripecoreStripe is listed in Last.fm's Privacy Policy as a secure third-party payment processor handling billing address and payment information for Last.fm Pro subscriptions and other paid features.
- PayPalcorePayPal is listed in Last.fm's Privacy Policy as a secure third-party payment processor for Last.fm Pro subscriptions and other paid features.
- Google AdSenseminorGoogle AdSense is one of the third-party ad providers Last.fm uses to enable interest-based advertising across sites and apps, combining Last.fm data with user activity elsewhere.
- YieldMominorYieldMo is one of the third-party ad providers Last.fm uses for interest-based advertising and ad measurement.
- FreestarminorFreestar is one of the third-party ad providers Last.fm uses for interest-based advertising and ad measurement.
- PubmaticminorPubmatic is one of the third-party ad providers Last.fm uses for interest-based advertising and ad measurement.
- Meta (advertising)minorMeta is one of the social media companies Last.fm shares hashed email addresses and online identifiers with, for custom-audience and lookalike advertising campaigns on Meta platforms.
- SnapminorSnap is one of the social media companies Last.fm shares hashed email addresses and online identifiers with, for custom-audience advertising campaigns.
- X (Twitter)minorX is one of the social media companies Last.fm shares hashed email addresses and online identifiers with, for custom-audience advertising campaigns.
- Paramount Skydance (formerly CBS Interactive)flagshipLast.fm was owned by Paramount Skydance (formerly CBS Interactive) until separating to become an independent company again in May 2026. The separation retains all user data, profiles, scrobbles and the current team, with API tools and DSP integrations continuing under the new independent Last.fm entity.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Last.fm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Spotify: The dominant global music streaming platform with native recommendation and personalization features (Discover Weekly, Daily Mix, listening stats) that increasingly overlap with Last.fm's value proposition. Also Last.fm's most important scrobbling integration partner.
Direct peers
- SoundCloud: Music streaming and discovery platform with strong community features (follows, comments, reposts) and artist-uploaded catalogue. Comparable to Last.fm in combining listening, discovery, and social/community engagement.
- Pandora: Internet radio and music recommendation service focused on personalized stations driven by listener feedback. Comparable to Last.fm's recommendation/radio functionality and uses scrobbling-style listening history to power personalization.
- Deezer: Global music streaming service with personalized recommendations (Flow) and editorial features. Direct competitor in streaming/DSP space and a Last.fm scrobbling integration partner.
- Bandcamp: Artist-direct music marketplace and discovery platform with community features. Comparable to Last.fm in surfacing independent and emerging artists and integrating listening data via scrobbling.
- Tidal: Hi-fi music streaming service with curated editorial and discovery features. Directly comparable streaming/DSP offering and a Last.fm scrobbling integration partner.
- Discogs: Crowd-sourced music database and marketplace with strong community of collectors and DJs. Comparable to Last.fm in combining a music catalogue, user profiles, community features, and developer API.
Emerging players
- Musixmatch: Music metadata and lyrics platform with a developer API and dataset licensing business. Comparable to Last.fm in building a music data/API product serving both consumers and third-party developers.
- Genius: Music lyrics and knowledge platform with annotation and community features. Adjacent to Last.fm as a music discovery and community-driven content platform.
- Audiomack: Free music streaming and discovery platform focused on hip-hop, electronic, and emerging-genre artists. Comparable to Last.fm in combining free streaming with discovery and artist-direct features.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Last.fm social profiles
Digital presenceLast.fm compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Last.fm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Last.fm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Last.fm subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Last.fm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Last.fm M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Last.fm
What does Last.fm do?
Last.fm operates an online music catalogue and listening-tracking platform that automatically captures ("scrobbles") every track a user listens to across connected streaming services, builds a unified listening history, and generates personalized music recommendations, weekly/monthly/all-time stats, similar-artist charts and a Next_30 playlist. The free core service is monetized through advertising and a paid Last.fm Pro subscription that unlocks additional features, alongside a public developer API, free music downloads, and a merchandise storefront.
Is Last.fm a public or private company?
Last.fm is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Last.fm founded?
Last.fm was founded in 2007. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Last.fm based?
Last.fm is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Last.fm make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Last.fm Pro subscription is the primary driver. The others are interest-based advertising, audience data sharing / data monetisation, API commercial licensing and merchandise discount codes & store.
Who are Last.fm's main competitors?
Spotify is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are SoundCloud, Pandora, Deezer, Bandcamp, Tidal and Discogs. Emerging players are Musixmatch, Genius and Audiomack.
Does Last.fm have an API?
Yes. Last.fm offers a public Music Discovery API (REST-based) that allows developers to access Last.fm Data including scrobbles, artist/album/track information, user data, charts, tags, and recommendations. Access is granted via an API key issued by Last.fm after registering an API account. The API supports authentication flows for web, mobile, and desktop clients. Usage is governed by non-commercial use terms by default; commercial use requires a separate commercial use agreement. Rate limits are enforced at Last.fm's discretion to prevent abuse. A "Reasonable Usage Cap" of 100 MB of Last.fm Data applies unless prior written consent is obtained. Methods include album.*, artist.*, auth.*, chart.*, geo.*, library.*, tag.*, track.*, and user.* endpoints covering scrobbling, tagging, recommendations, loved tracks, weekly charts, and listening history. Developer documentation is at www.last.fm/api.
What industry is Last.fm in?
Last.fm's product category is Music Discovery & Listening Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAC, Music & Audio Streaming Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAIACAA, On-Demand Music Streaming (Interactive). Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 4832.