Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Last.fm’s Claims Switching to Free Music ‘Boosts Sales’

Last.fm claims its 12-week-old free, full-track music streams have resulted in 119 percent more CD and download sales through its Amazon.com click-through partnership. Some of that is attributable to an expected increase in site users following the new offering - but Last.fm also claims those who were members prior to the launch have been purchasing 66 percent more albums and tracks than beforehand, thanks to the full new previews. Figures for Last.fm’s 7Digital and iTunes affiliates weren’t disclosed and Last.fm wouldn’t supply the baseline figures. Co-founder Martin Stiksel (via emailed release) offers the stats as evidence free music discovery can lead to dollars: “In just over two months, it’s become clear that people will buy CDs and downloads if they get access to the kind of service we offer.” That may help reassure some music execs that services like his, imeem and iLike can indeed aide sales.
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-lastfms-free-music-boosts-sales-unlimited-services-to-kick-in-by-2012/

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