May 20 Site Update

Hey everyone,

We've just put a site update live. A lot of the changes are in the bug-fixing and maintenance category, so if you don't notice anything different then they worked. :)

If you spot any new bugs, please report them as usual over in the support forum. To discuss the changes, you can use this thread or make a new one in the feedback forum.

Here's a look at what's new in this release, and also a peek into some future releases:

* Full-length track playback now happens primarily on track pages. This means that to play a specific track or preview on-demand, you should head over to that track's page.

Why this change? We have many kinds of content on Last.fm -- videos, recommendations, wikis, full length tracks, previews, radio stations, pics, etc -- and we periodically review how we use this content. We have to consider a lot of factors when we do, such as cost, current usage patterns, consistency, and user experience. This is a small structural change that we think, in the long run, will play to our strengths as a music discovery, recommendation, and profile/stats service.

* Coming soon… We have a lot going on in the labs that should find its way to the site in the next little while. Stuff like: making it easier to spot free downloads from artists; album info when listening to the radio; improvements to track pages; better ways to keep up with what the artists in your library and your Last.fm friends are up to; and more. Stay tuned.

See you here!

-Matt

flaneur said:

* Full-length track playback now happens primarily on track pages. This means that to play a specific track or preview on-demand, you should head over to that track's page.


Massive pain in the ass

Now we can't read the wiki while we're checking out a new band? And have to browse through page after page instead of just working our way through the songs on the player? You can't be serious

Translation: Music player has been removed from artist/album pages.

Why this change? ...Sorry, that mostly reads like marketing waffle / excuses. All I know is, if I go to an artist page, I don't have instant access to listen to some of their tracks. I now have to open an individual track page for each track that I want to hear.

Bad, bad move in my opinion :(

edit: And now I see the player is gone from album pages too! So, even albums which are fully streamable with auto-advance - e.g. Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band - now has no way of playing it.

This is a small structural change...Yes, yes it is. It's one which again removes the ease of listening to music on Last.fm, and plays straight into the hands of your competitors again (mmm... Spotify... oh wait, Spotify's not a competitor, amirite?)

While I'm not much of in page player user I cant say I like this change at all...

Though I agree with the policy of marketing yourself as a different service from spotify I don't think this is the way to go about it at all....you wouldn't be needing more page impressions to pay for the full tracks now would you? If so can you just tell us that rather then hiding behind the idea that this is an improvement.

* Full-length track playback now happens primarily on track pages. This means that to play a specific track or preview on-demand, you should head over to that track's page.



I really wasn't expecting this change and I really, really, really don't like it. I used the player on artists and album pages a lot and I don't see why I should have to open 50 million tabs to be able to pick and choose songs. Stupid change. I'll be using spotify even more now.

(doublepost!)

So by implementing this change, you're hoping that we will find it more of a hassle to listen to music, therefore consume less music and choose to go to other places to do that?

If it's a problem with royalties, why not make it possible for the artist's pages to have the player on them for subscribers?

With this update it's again more difficult to play music on the Last.fm site...a new strategy?

what bug fixes exactly? any updates on the new player?

akrde said:
flaneur said:
But another aspect I was trying to communicate through that "marketing waffle" (sorry, though as a Canadian I do like my maple syrup) is that this shift emphasizes that we're not only a one-stop on-demand music shop.


How comes the change in mind?
In January 2008 you told us about Free the Music and that the "soon-to-be announced subscription service" will give us unlimited plays.

With this May update and your statements it's more than clear that there are not any on-demand ambitions anymore!

Quo vadis, Last.fm? :-(

Because it costs too much, PRS are bastards and not enough people pay to subscribe.

Well, I'm quite disappointed with the new update, because it gives, well... nothing to us.

I truly hope that you are going to implement one-month charts, 'use this pic on my profile' and long-awaited fix to album system, which doesn't work like a charm.

Mr_Blakk said:
flaneur said:

* Full-length track playback now happens primarily on track pages. This means that to play a specific track or preview on-demand, you should head over to that track's page.


Massive pain in the ass

Now we can't read the wiki while we're checking out a new band? And have to browse through page after page instead of just working our way through the songs on the player? You can't be serious

Completely agree, only just realised the forums were here while searching for the reason why the in page players were gone and felt compelled to post. Makes checking out albums a massive chore, I used to listen to the top tracks for my reccomended artists but that now also will be more time consuming. I thought site updates generally made sites easier to use, not more difficult.

I think it's generally agreed that this is a bad change, but unfortunately I doubt it will go back to how it was because Last.fm simply cannot afford it.