What is Last.fm used for?

Last.fm is a music tracking service that records what you listen to across apps and uses that history for stats and recommendations. It is a good fit for keeping a lifetime record of what you listen to and finding new artists from your history.

Is Last.fm open source?

No. Last.fm is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Last.fm include ListenBrainz.

What are some alternatives to Last.fm?

Other SaaS products in the Media & Streaming category include Napster, Asteroid and Audiomack. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Last.fm alternatives.

Last.fm: features, pricing and alternatives

About Last.fm

Last.fm records the music you play, a process often called scrobbling, by connecting to streaming services or through its web client, apps and browser plugins. It then builds a detailed listening history and live statistics that users can revisit at any time.

The homepage explains that the service uses this history to recommend new music and events through a personalized music page, a Next_30 playlist and recommended radio. Users can look back at specific days, view all-time stats, receive weekly reports and rediscover forgotten favorites. Developers get a public API and a downloadable scrobbler.

Last.fm is free to join, with a paid Pro upgrade offering extra features. It is a consumer web service rather than business software, hosted entirely by the provider, and Pro prices are not given in the supplied information.

Key features

Automatic tracking of listening history
Live listening stats and weekly reports
Personalized music recommendations
Scrobbling from streaming services and apps
Developer API and scrobbler downloads
Optional Pro upgrade

Good fit for

→Keeping a lifetime record of what you listen to
→Finding new artists from your history

Tags: music; scrobbling; recommendations; listening-history; stats; api; discovery

Last.fm: questions and answers

What is Last.fm used for?: Last.fm is a music tracking service that records what you listen to across apps and uses that history for stats and recommendations. It is a good fit for keeping a lifetime record of what you listen to and finding new artists from your history.
Is Last.fm free?: Yes. Last.fm has a free plan.
Is Last.fm open source?: No. Last.fm is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Last.fm include ListenBrainz.
What are some alternatives to Last.fm?: Other SaaS products in the Media & Streaming category include Napster, Asteroid and Audiomack. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Last.fm alternatives.