Last.fm on XBL: free to gold subscribers, 3 hours per month for others Posted by XanTium | July 1 00:05 EST | News Category: Xbox360

From joystiq.com: [QUOTE] Microsoft announced at their E3 keynote last month that Last.fm would be coming to Xbox Live. We can share one tidbit: today we spoke with Christina DeRosa, a general manager for XBL, and she let us know who the service will be available to. "Silver users will be able access what we're considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising. Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks." [/QUOTE] Full Story: joystiq.com

So will the ad supported Last FM be able to play in the background in game, so how how will the ads work? Like on youtube, just keep popping up at the bottom of the screen?

I think XBL is becoming saturated in Advertisments.

I dont know what your talking about I havent seen any ad's unless there promoting a game which is all right to me since its a game system.

The ad's are only for silver members anyways.

Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day.

I think the adverts will be like those used on Spotify. Like after ever 4-5 songs, a small 20 second advert will play, then it will continue playing your tracks. You really dont notice it on spotify.

CJ

unlimited access for Gold users sounds good to me.

i wonder if Microsoft will release a new subscription which includes 12months of Gold + 3/6/12months of add free LastFM - that would be quite good imo.

would be great if they had it at retail so we can grab some great deals when the retailer has special offers/promotions

The 360 is full of advertising. The American Marketplace is probably the worst for it. I've seen adds for fast food outlets, softdrinks, phones, cars, clothing, gum, movies/TV shows (not the ones available for download) etc etc. The 360 is packed with advertising and it's steadily increasing as Live grows in popularity and big companies want a slice of the action.

I think it would have been better if gold subscribers got the commercial free option and silver users got the ad-supported access. Gold susbcribers are already paying, that should be enough. More info on whether it can be used in game would be nice too.

I don't think it's clicking with Microsoft that we don't want to pay extra money for features that paying members should automatically get...




-CollinstheClown

This is what Microsoft reads your comment as:

* ***'* ***** **'* ******** **** Microsoft **** ** ***'* **** ** *** extra money for features **** paying members ****** ************* ***...

Didn't they say it would be free for gold members?

It is free for Gold Member. I think all these ads are lame but i guess its the same thing as TV(you pay for your cable every month and you still have to watch tons of ads).

i'm curious if a normal last.fm subscription will transfer over to the xbox as a premium subscription. That would only make sense IMO.

Reread it please. Free unlimited ad-supported access. We would have to pay to remove the commercials.

Hornet, I ROFL'd at that haha nice.




-CollinstheClown

I doubt it. I believe that Nexflix subscribers still need a XBL gold membership to stream their movies to the 360, so it sounds like another gimic just to get people with one to spend money on the other. Rest assured that no matter which choice you make, MS will be their to shove plenty of ads in your face.

last.fm has to pay for broadcasting content. so they use ads to support the fees they have to pay to record labels. or, you can pay $3/mo to waive the ads. i think it's rather simple and traditional. also, i don't mind the ads on the dashboard, i don't know why people are making such a big deal about it. it isn't like they pop up and stop me from doing something. i either look at them or i don't. they basically don't exist to me.

What type of ads? If they are ads where they fill the screen with stuff while I'm listening to music, then I don't
have a problem with that. Now if they interupt the song for the latest entry in the dollar menu, then I'll be pissed.

Well I would assume that they are sound based... it is a radio after all. I use Pandora Radio every now and then and they have a commercial every hour or something, which isn't all that bad I guess, I just wish they 'supported' my phone so I can use it more often.




-CollinstheClown

we'll, if you have bought any dashboard theme's, you should be annoyed - now you're gonna see even less of it.

There lies the key issue. We don't pay attention to them which means Microsoft, LAST.FM or whoever receives the ad revenue is getting money thrown at them. I don't have a problem with advertising per se, it's the garbage they advertise.