Editing Last.fm (section)

===Changes to streaming and access on other platforms (2009–2011)===  
On 24 March 2009, Last.fm announced a change in its free streaming policy. According to the [[blog]] post,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.last.fm/2009/03/24/lastfm-radio-announcement|title=Last.fm Radio Announcement|access-date=25 May 2009|archive-date=17 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217155915/http://blog.last.fm/2009/03/24/lastfm-radio-announcement|url-status=live}}</ref> "[...] In the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, nothing will change. In all other countries, listening to Last.fm Radio will soon require a subscription of €3.00 per month." This change took effect on 22 April 2009. The announcement sparked a wave of disappointment among users, leading to a decline in data submissions, refusal to update signatures or avatars, and even account deletions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7963812.stm|title=BBC NEWS(25 March 2009): Last.fm to charge for streaming|access-date=2 June 2009|date=25 March 2009|publisher=BBC News|archive-date=31 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331014645/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7963812.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 11 September 2009, [[CBS Radio]] announced that Last.fm programming would be available for the first time on four major market FM stations through their [[HD Radio]] multicasts. This included [[KCBS-FM|KCBS-HD2]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[KITS|KITS-HD3]] in [[San Francisco]], [[WNEW-FM|WWFS-HD2]] in [[New York City]], and [[WXRT-FM|WXRT-HD3]] in [[Chicago]]. The programming, which primarily featured music aggregated from Last.fm's user-generated weekly music charts, as well as live performances and interviews from the Last.fm studios in New York City, debuted on 5 October.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/cbs-radio-to-use-lastfm-programming-on-hd-2-channels-in-four-major-markets |title=CBS Radio to use Last.fm programming on HD-2 channels in four major markets |date=11 September 2009 |work=Radio-Info.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100908060556/http://www.radio-info.com/news/cbs-radio-to-use-lastfm-programming-on-hd-2-channels-in-four-major-markets |archive-date=8 September 2010 }}</ref>

On 12 April 2010, Last.fm announced the removal of the option to preview entire tracks, redirecting users instead to sites such as the free [[The Hype Machine|Hype Machine]] and the pay-to-listen service [[MOG (online music)|MOG]] for this purpose. This decision provoked a significant negative reaction from some members of the Last.fm user community, who perceived the removal as a hindrance to lesser-known and unsigned artists' ability to gain exposure for their music, as well as to the overall enjoyment of the site.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/617074/ |title=Site Update – track page beta, streaming changes – Feedback and Ideas – |publisher=Last.fm |date=12 April 2010 |access-date=7 September 2013 |archive-date=27 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227221251/http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/617074 |url-status=live }}</ref> A new "Play direct from artist" feature was introduced shortly thereafter, allowing artists to select individual tracks for users to stream in full.<ref name="artist feedback loop">{{cite web |url=http://blog.last.fm/2010/04/21/the-artist-feedback-loop |title=Last.fm – the Blog · The artist feedback loop |publisher=Blog.last.fm |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=7 September 2013 |archive-date=2 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902102605/http://blog.last.fm/2010/04/21/the-artist-feedback-loop |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ability to listen to custom radio stations, such as "personal tag radio" and "loved tracks radio," was withdrawn on 17 November 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.last.fm/stationchanges2010 |title=Station changes at Last.fm |publisher=Last.fm |date=15 January 2013 |access-date=7 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615052517/http://www.last.fm/stationchanges2010 |archive-date=15 June 2012 }}</ref> This change provoked an angry response among users.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/653360/4#f13717305 |title=Site update – forthcoming changes for subscribers – Feedback and Ideas – |publisher=Last.fm |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=7 September 2013 |archive-date=20 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220082232/http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/653360/4#f13717305 |url-status=live }}</ref> Last.fm stated that the move was due to licensing reasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/653360/34#f13764621 |title=Site update – forthcoming changes for subscribers – Feedback and Ideas – |publisher=Last.fm |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=7 September 2013 |archive-date=31 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331185652/http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/653360/34#f13764621 |url-status=live }}</ref> The change meant that a tag radio stream would now include all music tagged as such, rather than just that tagged by individual users, effectively broadening the number of tracks that could be streamed under any one tag set.<ref name="blog.last.fm">{{cite web |url=http://blog.last.fm/2010/04/12/yes-it-does |title=Last.fm – the Blog · Yes, it does! |publisher=Blog.last.fm |access-date=7 September 2013 |archive-date=2 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902073741/http://blog.last.fm/2010/04/12/yes-it-does |url-status=live }}</ref>