# Do you use last.fm?



## Ciel_Rouge (May 16, 2008)

I always wanted to share my musical experience more directly, be able to find people who listen to exactly the same things as me and also discover some new things with them. You never know, maybe your neighbour also listens to classical? I am considering joining last.fm but I would like to ask those of you who already have: does it really work this way? Are you satisfied with using last.fm? Have you really made friends there? Did it help you find new pieces you enjoy now? Are there any special features which are particularly useful that I should pay attention to?

As a secondary theme of this thread, I would like to ask you about your offline experiences with sharing music - have you ever met living and breathing classical fans who would come to your place to listen together? Have you ever tried to play your music to other people?


----------



## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Last.fm isn't perfect. First of all: it counts number of plays, not the time you spend listening to some artist/piece. So if you will listen to symphony in three parts, each of them about ten minutes, and then to some more other composer's short piano pieces, which all together leasts no more than even half of this symphony you listened before - it will look like you like the second composer better. Another thing is problem with classical tags on last.fm. To name track "Allegro molto" or "Concerto No. X - Allegro molto" or tag artist as performer and name the piece "John Composer: Concerto No. X - Allegro molto". It makes a lot of chaos. 

But I use last.fm. Yes, I discovered a lot of music thanks to it. Friends? Not really, but I had some conversations with people there. Groups are useful thing in this matter. So I guess it's worth of your attention. It won't take much of your time to try this out anyway.


----------



## hansjuergen (Jan 31, 2010)

Ciel_Rouge said:


> I am considering joining last.fm but I would like to ask those of you who already have: does it really work this way? Are you satisfied with using last.fm? Have you really made friends there? Did it help you find new pieces you enjoy now? Are there any special features which are particularly useful that I should pay attention to?


 You can find people with the same musical taste quite easily there, because this is one of the main aspects of that site. For example you can check your "neighbours" (database recommendation of users with similar taste) or search for a group with a subject that interests you. At the beginning it is a bit difficult to understand how the site works and how to get the most out of it, but there are support forums and a comprehensive FAQ that provide help for new users. The best thing in my opinion is that you can listen to all kinds of music for free and at full length - I'm living in Germany though which is one of those "lucky three" countries besides the UK and USA. Users from other countries have to pay a small fee to use the available radio stations there.

By the way, I just started a new group about conductors at Last.fm with several tag radios and a group member radio: www.last.fm/group/conductors



> As a secondary theme of this thread, I would like to ask you about your offline experiences with sharing music - have you ever met living and breathing classical fans who would come to your place to listen together? Have you ever tried to play your music to other people?


 Yes, but that was a "natural thing" to do, because I had lessons in classical guitar and was studying musicology back then.


----------



## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I saw this guitar crocodie before... YOU! HERE! ARGH!


----------



## ulyssestone (Jan 6, 2010)

I have been using last/fm for two and a half years, it works great for me.

http://www.last.fm/user/ulyssestone


----------



## Romantic Geek (Dec 25, 2009)

I've used last.fm before it was known as last.fm but rather Audioscrobbler. It has its problems with classical music, but if you listen to a lot of non-classical music, then it is a great resource. The issue with classical music is that it counts track plays and some CDs split up movements into multi-track movements. Also, Aramis is right that it doesn't count time spent listening to certain artists...but I don't find that to be a big big issue.

I'd recommend it, but strongly recommend it if you listen to music other than classical a lot.


----------



## hansjuergen (Jan 31, 2010)

My highlight today on Last.fm was finding and listening to two very good albums with Mozart's Don Giovanni, one with period instruments from the Hungarian Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, conducted by Michael Halasz (Naxos) and the other a remastered EMI live recording with Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Wiener Philharmoniker:

http://www.last.fm/music/Wolfgang+Amadeus+Mozart/MOZART:+Don+Giovanni

http://www.last.fm/music/Cesare+Sie...taatsoper%2FORF+Salzburg/Mozart:+Don+Giovanni

By the way, is the email notification of new posts in a thread broken in this forum?


----------

