What is ListenBrainz used for?

ListenBrainz is an open-source server behind ListenBrainz, a service that records the music you listen to and shows insights about your habits. It is a good fit for keeping a long-term record of what you play, building apps on open listening data and sharing music taste with friends.

Is ListenBrainz open source?

Yes. ListenBrainz is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at metabrainz/listenbrainz-server and is written mainly in Python.

Is ListenBrainz free?

Yes. ListenBrainz is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host ListenBrainz?

Yes. ListenBrainz can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is ListenBrainz an alternative to?

ListenBrainz is an open-source alternative to Last.fm.

Is ListenBrainz actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to ListenBrainz was on 1 October 2026. The project has 1k stars on GitHub.

ListenBrainz: open-source alternative to Last.fm

About ListenBrainz

ListenBrainz keeps a record of the music you listen to and turns it into insights about your listening habits. This repository holds the server behind the service, including the React and TypeScript front end it serves and the data processing components that power its statistics. The project is operated by the MetaBrainz Foundation.

Users can track their listening history, visualize their taste and share it with others. An API is available for anyone who wants to build on the data, and the project publishes its data as open data. The backend is mostly Python, with Apache Spark used for large-scale data processing jobs.

The code is licensed under GPL-2.0. The README notes that its setup instructions are for a development environment and that a production installation may differ, so running your own instance takes more effort than a quick install. The hosted service at listenbrainz.org is the usual way to use it. According to the README, the data can be used commercially, with support tiers offered through MetaBrainz.

Key features

Tracks personal music listening history
Visualizations of listening statistics
Public API for submitting and reading data
Open data published for reuse
Spark-based processing of listening data
React front end served by the server

Good fit for

→Keeping a long-term record of what you play
→Building apps on open listening data
→Sharing music taste with friends

Built with: Python; TypeScript; React
Tags: music; listening-history; open-data; api; spark; analytics; metabrainz

ListenBrainz: questions and answers

What is ListenBrainz used for?: ListenBrainz is an open-source server behind ListenBrainz, a service that records the music you listen to and shows insights about your habits. It is a good fit for keeping a long-term record of what you play, building apps on open listening data and sharing music taste with friends.
Is ListenBrainz open source?: Yes. ListenBrainz is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at metabrainz/listenbrainz-server and is written mainly in Python.
Is ListenBrainz free?: Yes. ListenBrainz is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host ListenBrainz?: Yes. ListenBrainz can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is ListenBrainz an alternative to?: ListenBrainz is an open-source alternative to Last.fm.
Is ListenBrainz actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to ListenBrainz was on 1 October 2026. The project has 1k stars on GitHub.