CBS to acquire Last.fm for $ 280 million.. hmm

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- Russ said...
- Alumni
- 31 May 2007, 10:58
therevsoup said:
I'll still use Last.FM unless it gets real shitty.

But the CBS brand and everything it stands for can suck my dick, choke on it, and die for all I care. Fuck CBS. Fuck shitty TV. Fuck David Letterman. And pretty much, CBS is just terrible. I really hope they don't fuck up the site too badly.

But if they do, it's not like it's my life or anything. I'll probably just tell people what I'm into myself rather than letting some silly geeky charts do it for me, although the geekdom of the charts does have a certain charm.

At least it's not Fox.

[quote][b][user]Russ[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]therevsoup[/user][/b] said: I'll still use Last.FM unless it gets real shitty. But the CBS brand and everything it stands for can suck my dick, choke on it, and die for all I care. Fuck CBS. Fuck shitty TV. Fuck David Letterman. And pretty much, CBS is just terrible. I really hope they don't fuck up the site too badly. But if they do, it's not like it's my life or anything. I'll probably just tell people what I'm into myself rather than letting some silly geeky charts do it for me, although the geekdom of the charts does have a certain charm.[/quote] At least it's not Fox.[/quote]

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- Jonnypie said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 11:28
Toddcraft said:
Ewwww CB$.

omgzz! you turned the S in CBS to a dollar to show you're against THE MAN. Smooth, real smooth.

TreadxxSoftly said:
I'm just wondering......

Why would CBS show any interest in Last.fm?

Try actually reading the rest of the thread

[quote][b][user]Jonnypie[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]Toddcraft[/user][/b] said: Ewwww CB$.[/quote] omgzz! you turned the S in CBS to a dollar to show you're against THE MAN. Smooth, real smooth. [quote][b][user]TreadxxSoftly[/user][/b] said: I'm just wondering...... Why would CBS show any interest in Last.fm?[/quote] Try actually reading the rest of the thread[/quote]

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- Nectar_Card said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 11:32
I don't see the point of unsubscribing just because there is a new owner. Anyway subscriptions aren't donations - you get something in return. For my £1 a month I get no ads, higher priority streaming, discovery mode, & personal tag radio stations. Easily worth the £1.

If these existing features were reduced then only then would I unsuscribe. But given there's a new owner with deep pockets, I'm betting Last.fm will only get better.

Like Minimal Techno? ---> You'll love High on Electronic Music
Have diverse and non-mainstream taste in music? ---> See if you qualify for The 1 Percenters group....

[quote][b][user]Nectar_Card[/user][/b] said: I don't see the point of unsubscribing just because there is a new owner. Anyway subscriptions aren't donations - you get something in return. For my £1 a month I get no ads, higher priority streaming, discovery mode, & personal tag radio stations. Easily worth the £1. If these existing features were reduced then only then would I unsuscribe. But given there's a new owner with deep pockets, I'm betting Last.fm will only get better. [/quote]

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- BraveLilToaster said...
- Subscriber
- 31 May 2007, 11:48
ChrissyM said:
However, CBS is a particularly unpleasant company. Recently they cancelled one of the only halfway intelligent programs on the network (Jericho) whose ratings went down, partially due to severe mismanagement by CBS themselves, who put a huge 3 month break in the middle of the series, which really fucked with the viewership.

Jericho suuuuuucked.

I'm more upset about Veronica Mars, but that's a totally different network anyway.

[quote][b][user]BraveLilToaster[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]ChrissyM[/user][/b] said: However, CBS is a particularly unpleasant company. Recently they cancelled one of the only halfway intelligent programs on the network (Jericho) whose ratings went down, partially due to severe mismanagement by CBS themselves, who put a huge 3 month break in the middle of the series, which really fucked with the viewership. [/quote] Jericho suuuuuucked. I'm more upset about Veronica Mars, but that's a totally different network anyway.[/quote]

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- theisto said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 12:31
Richard Jones is a rich man now

[quote][b][user]theisto[/user][/b] said: Richard Jones is a rich man now[/quote]

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- raid517 said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 12:38
Well people might mock me. However I was personally devastated to hear this news.

I have been a fervent Last.FM advocate and fan for the longest time ever.

The way I had it figured was that Last.FM really was a community - in the same way that many open source projects are communities.

The idea of this kind of community was that for me it was about finding a way to 'stick it to the man'. So in that sense, there was me, there was Last.FM and there was the 'man'. (In the shape of all of the big corporate entities, the RIAA, Sony BMG, CBS or whoever). But now Last.FM is the 'man' too, they have sold out and are part of the enemy.

There are a lot of things that concern me. Firstly advertising. If content is going to be ad supported now, does that mean I will have to suffer listening to ads in my profile when I tune into my selected stations? (That is the other thing I liked about Last.Fm - which was the seemingly non commercial nature of the project). Will the site now be infested with advertisements? Will my profile now be overrun by ads suggesting 'useful music related products and artists I might want to buy?' How long will my profile really stay my profile - until what has happened in the main stream media takes over and the record labels start using Last.FM as a means of selling me the music they think I should listen to and buy, rather than it being about the music I want to listen to? Lastly, how can Last.FM avoid the influence of organisations such as the RIAA etc. now? Or will we all have to put up with the same crap that they dish out to everyone else? Actually I don't think that's much of a question, because the answer is clearly, yes we will, since CBS are an American company and are bound by American law.

Having said this I can't fault the Last.FM team for selling out for $280 million. I mean there's not many people in the world who are in a position to turn down this kind of cash. (I know I almost certainly couldn't).

Values are fine and dandy - but when someone offers you more money than you have ever dreamed it is possible that you might ever see, it must be very hard to just walk away.

All the same though I do have to say I am really quite gutted.

There are of course probably some Yanks here already who are 'down' with this whole advertising and commercialisation deal. But me, I like my music to be free of any of this - and this always has been the single biggest and most attractive feature of Last.FM for me.

Oh well, I guess Last.Fm is still open source (at least for now, although maybe CBS will close this too?) So maybe someone can take this and start again with something new?

[quote][b][user]raid517[/user][/b] said: Well people might mock me. However I was personally devastated to hear this news. I have been a fervent Last.FM advocate and fan for the longest time ever. The way I had it figured was that Last.FM really was a community - in the same way that many open source projects are communities. The idea of this kind of community was that for me it was about finding a way to 'stick it to the man'. So in that sense, there was me, there was Last.FM and there was the 'man'. (In the shape of all of the big corporate entities, the RIAA, Sony BMG, CBS or whoever). But now Last.FM is the 'man' too, they have sold out and are part of the enemy. There are a lot of things that concern me. Firstly advertising. If content is going to be ad supported now, does that mean I will have to suffer listening to ads in my profile when I tune into my selected stations? (That is the other thing I liked about Last.Fm - which was the seemingly non commercial nature of the project). Will the site now be infested with advertisements? Will my profile now be overrun by ads suggesting 'useful music related products and artists I might want to buy?' How long will my profile really stay my profile - until what has happened in the main stream media takes over and the record labels start using Last.FM as a means of selling me the music they think I should listen to and buy, rather than it being about the music I want to listen to? Lastly, how can Last.FM avoid the influence of organisations such as the RIAA etc. now? Or will we all have to put up with the same crap that they dish out to everyone else? Actually I don't think that's much of a question, because the answer is clearly, yes we will, since CBS are an American company and are bound by American law. Having said this I can't fault the Last.FM team for selling out for $280 million. I mean there's not many people in the world who are in a position to turn down this kind of cash. (I know I almost certainly couldn't). Values are fine and dandy - but when someone offers you more money than you have ever dreamed it is possible that you might ever see, it must be very hard to just walk away. All the same though I do have to say I am really quite gutted. There are of course probably some Yanks here already who are 'down' with this whole advertising and commercialisation deal. But me, I like my music to be free of any of this - and this always has been the single biggest and most attractive feature of Last.FM for me. Oh well, I guess Last.Fm is still open source (at least for now, although maybe CBS will close this too?) So maybe someone can take this and start again with something new?[/quote]

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- jonnie5 said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 12:44
raid517 said:
I have been a fervent Last.FM advocate and fan for the longest time ever.

There are of course probably some Yanks here already who are 'down' with this whole advertising and commercialisation deal. But me, I like my music to be free of any of this - and this always has been the single biggest and most attractive feature of Last.FM for me.

Why do they have to be American to be all right with this whole thing? If you failed to forget, the people who run this site aren't "Yanks" and they seem to be pretty "down" with the CBS acquisition.

Furthermore, I've been a last.fm advocate and fan longer than you, so your moral prowess has faltered.

My enemies will find you and kill you to get to me, because secret identities are for the safety of you, not me.

[quote][b][user]jonnie5[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]raid517[/user][/b] said: I have been a fervent Last.FM advocate and fan for the longest time ever. There are of course probably some Yanks here already who are 'down' with this whole advertising and commercialisation deal. But me, I like my music to be free of any of this - and this always has been the single biggest and most attractive feature of Last.FM for me. [/quote] Why do they have to be American to be all right with this whole thing? If you failed to forget, the people who run this site aren't "Yanks" and they seem to be pretty "down" with the CBS acquisition. Furthermore, I've been a last.fm advocate and fan longer than you, so your moral prowess has faltered.[/quote]

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- [Deleted user] said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 12:46
raid517 said:
There are a lot of things that concern me. Firstly advertising. If content is going to be ad supported now, does that mean I will have to suffer listening to ads in my profile when I tune into my selected stations?
You won't. It was told several times.

[quote][b][user][/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]raid517[/user][/b] said: There are a lot of things that concern me. Firstly advertising. If content is going to be ad supported now, does that mean I will have to suffer listening to ads in my profile when I tune into my selected stations? [/quote] You won't. It was told several times.[/quote]

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- rascal_radio said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 12:50
Nectar_Card said:
If these existing features were reduced then only then would I unsuscribe. But given there's a new owner with deep pockets, I'm betting Last.fm will only get better.

In fact they were, but that's not CBS's fault. Tagging has become a pain in the ass since the Tag Editor's gone, multiple tag stations have been disabled (caused by what appears to be a misunderstanding between last.fm and some record company that does not seem to understand how they function) and the song selection for Personal Stations and tag stations has been non-random (to say the least) for a long time now. I can only hope these will be fixed now.

[quote][b][user]rascal_radio[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]Nectar_Card[/user][/b] said: If these existing features were reduced then only then would I unsuscribe. But given there's a new owner with deep pockets, I'm betting Last.fm will only get better. [/quote] In fact they were, but that's not CBS's fault. Tagging has become a pain in the ass since the Tag Editor's gone, multiple tag stations have been disabled (caused by what appears to be a misunderstanding between last.fm and some record company that does not seem to understand how they function) and the song selection for Personal Stations and tag stations has been non-random (to say the least) for a long time now. I can only hope these will be fixed now.[/quote]

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- Nectar_Card said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 13:03
rascal_radio said:
the song selection for Personal Stations and tag stations has been non-random (to say the least) for a long time now.

try discovery mode - puts the randomness back in.

As for the rest - multiple tag stations are coming back. So at the moment I'm happy to hand over my £1/month.

Like Minimal Techno? ---> You'll love High on Electronic Music
Have diverse and non-mainstream taste in music? ---> See if you qualify for The 1 Percenters group....

[quote][b][user]Nectar_Card[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]rascal_radio[/user][/b] said: the song selection for Personal Stations and tag stations has been non-random (to say the least) for a long time now. [/quote] try [url=http://www.last.fm/help/faq/?category=Radio#300]discovery mode[/url] - puts the randomness back in. As for the rest - multiple tag stations are coming back. So at the moment I'm happy to hand over my £1/month. [/quote]

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- raid517 said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 13:06
"Why do they have to be American to be all right with this whole thing? If you failed to forget, the people who run this site aren't "Yanks" and they seem to be pretty "down" with the CBS acquisition.

Furthermore, I've been a last.fm advocate and fan longer than you, so your moral prowess has faltered."

Well as I said, Last.FM for me was about independence. Not just independent music labels and artists (I never listen to anything that could really be considered 'main stream' anyway) but Independence also from large corporate interests.

"If you failed to forget, the people who run this site aren't "Yanks" and they seem to be pretty "down" with the CBS acquisition."

I didn't 'fail to forget' (or 'remember') at all. The Last.FM staff are clearly down with the $280 Million - which is pretty hard to fault anyone for.

The reference to Americans being more OK with this than others is that traditionally I have found that many Americans do have an easier time with this whole capitalist big business kind of stuff than a lot of people of other nationalities do. Hey call me a Commie pinko if you want (in some ways I probably am) - but it always seemed to me that Last.FM did stand up to some degree against rampant commercial interests. And anyway I won't lie, I liked the idea that Last.FM was a British company - and I am not so keen on the idea that it is now an American company. Not only specifically because it is American, but also because at some point CBS are going to want their $280 million back. It isn't free money. So while the Last.FM team might feel that they may be left to do things their own way - it seems almost inescapable that CBS won't want some kind of return on their money fairly quickly - and that their influence in the site and in the service will be almost impossible to resist.

[quote][b][user]raid517[/user][/b] said: "Why do they have to be American to be all right with this whole thing? If you failed to forget, the people who run this site aren't "Yanks" and they seem to be pretty "down" with the CBS acquisition. Furthermore, I've been a last.fm advocate and fan longer than you, so your moral prowess has faltered." Well as I said, Last.FM for me was about independence. Not just independent music labels and artists (I never listen to anything that could really be considered 'main stream' anyway) but Independence also from large corporate interests. "If you failed to forget, the people who run this site aren't "Yanks" and they seem to be pretty "down" with the CBS acquisition." I didn't 'fail to forget' (or 'remember') at all. The Last.FM staff are clearly down with the $280 Million - which is pretty hard to fault anyone for. The reference to Americans being more OK with this than others is that traditionally I have found that many Americans do have an easier time with this whole capitalist big business kind of stuff than a lot of people of other nationalities do. Hey call me a Commie pinko if you want (in some ways I probably am) - but it always seemed to me that Last.FM did stand up to some degree against rampant commercial interests. And anyway I won't lie, I liked the idea that Last.FM was a British company - and I am not so keen on the idea that it is now an American company. Not only specifically because it is American, but also because at some point CBS are going to want their $280 million back. It isn't free money. So while the Last.FM team might feel that they may be left to do things their own way - it seems almost inescapable that CBS won't want some kind of return on their money fairly quickly - and that their influence in the site and in the service will be almost impossible to resist.[/quote]

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- Extreme_One said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 13:56
Now you have £141.6 million to splash out with will a subscriber actually get a pony now?
If so will it have "Property of CBS" branded on it's hide?

lol j/k

Hope the deal works out well for you and for us :)

The Grey Album AudioSurf

[quote][b][user]Extreme_One[/user][/b] said: Now you have £141.6 million to splash out with will a subscriber actually get a pony now? If so will it have "Property of CBS" branded on it's hide? lol j/k Hope the deal works out well for you and for [b]us[/b] :)[/quote]

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- rascal_radio said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 14:00
Nectar_Card said:
try discovery mode - puts the randomness back in.

That is no solution. It's not that I don't want to hear any song I've ever heard before, I just want to hear the others too. Besides, this method would very soon result in 'Not enough content to play this station'. Tag stations should be random whatsoever, with or without discovery mode.

[quote][b][user]rascal_radio[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]Nectar_Card[/user][/b] said: try [url=http://www.last.fm/help/faq/?category=Radio#300]discovery mode[/url] - puts the randomness back in. [/quote] That is no solution. It's not that I don't want to hear any song I've ever heard before, I just want to hear the others too. Besides, this method would very soon result in 'Not enough content to play this station'. Tag stations should be random whatsoever, with or without discovery mode. [/quote]

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- popgurl said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 14:40
Russ said:

At least it's not Fox.

Amen.

[quote][b][user]popgurl[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]Russ[/user][/b] said: At least it's not Fox.[/quote] Amen. [/quote]

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- ypotier said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 14:46
Some people should read the rest of the thread, or at least the answer of the staff in the previous pages before saying more bullshit.

[quote][b][user]ypotier[/user][/b] said: Some people should read the rest of the thread, or at least the answer of the staff in the previous pages before saying more bullshit. [/quote]

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- Kanixtant said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 15:00
As for me, I rarely (if ever) use Last.fm radio.

Heh, it's funny. When the servers would go down, people would incessantly flame the Last.fm staff. Now when something happens that hopefully will reduce the chance of the servers going down... people still flame the Last.fm staff.

[quote][b][user]Kanixtant[/user][/b] said: As for me, I rarely (if ever) use Last.fm radio. Heh, it's funny. When the servers would go down, people would incessantly flame the Last.fm staff. Now when something happens that hopefully will reduce the chance of the servers going down... people still flame the Last.fm staff. [/quote]

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- JimBowen2005 said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 15:10
Bleh.
I honestly don't see how this benefits US at all.

The way I see it, there is no way that CBS can get any kind of ROI without ruining this site. (even the last.fm staff who have no doubt been racking their brains for the past few weeks with ways to convince CBS to buy them, have no idea how CBS will make any money out of this site in its current form)
Therefore it WILL be ruined, no matter how much the last.fm staff (who just received a £142m bribe, don't forget) insist that it won't.
I can just see that money being squandered on licensing big-media mass produced bullshit as is found on MTV and the like. With all the DRM additions to the radio system that will inevitably come as a condition.

As much as they say it won't change, it will. CBS owns them, and there's not a thing they can do against what CBS say. All we have is the word of a now powerless CBS subordinate.

I too loved this site because it was so anti-industry and pro-indie. But it is now part of the industry, and will be forced to play along with what the rest of the industry wants.

Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?

[quote][b][user]JimBowen2005[/user][/b] said: Bleh. I honestly don't see how this benefits US at all. The way I see it, there is no way that CBS can get any kind of ROI without ruining this site. (even the last.fm staff who have no doubt been racking their brains for the past few weeks with ways to convince CBS to buy them, have no idea how CBS will make any money out of this site in its current form) Therefore it WILL be ruined, no matter how much the last.fm staff (who just received a £142m bribe, don't forget) insist that it won't. I can just see that money being squandered on licensing big-media mass produced bullshit as is found on MTV and the like. With all the DRM additions to the radio system that will inevitably come as a condition. As much as they say it won't change, it will. CBS owns them, and there's not a thing they can do against what CBS say. All we have is the word of a now powerless CBS subordinate. I too loved this site because it was so anti-industry and pro-indie. But it is now part of the industry, and will be forced to play along with what the rest of the industry wants. Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?[/quote]

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- Extreme_One said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 15:18
JimBowen2005 said:
...
Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?

Because "small nice" companies get popular and then the overheads start to escalate and the wages start going up.
And then the owners of these "small nice" companies start thinking "Hey, I'm working my arse off for what? Isn't it about time I started to make some money from this?"

And I for one don't blame them.

If things go bad as a result of CBS taking last.fm over then so be it - we had a good run wilst it lasted but there's little point in predicting the downfall of this place until it actually happens.

Nobody would kill their cash cow intentionally - not even a big nasty corporation - ESPECIALLY not a big nasty corporation.

The Grey Album AudioSurf

[quote][b][user]Extreme_One[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]JimBowen2005[/user][/b] said: ... Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?[/quote] Because "small nice" companies get popular and then the overheads start to escalate and the wages start going up. And then the owners of these "small nice" companies start thinking "Hey, I'm working my arse off for what? Isn't it about time I started to make some money from this?" And I for one don't blame them. If things go bad as a result of CBS taking last.fm over then so be it - we had a good run wilst it lasted but there's little point in predicting the downfall of this place until it actually happens. Nobody would kill their cash cow intentionally - not even a big nasty corporation - ESPECIALLY not a big nasty corporation.[/quote]

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- ypotier said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 15:29
Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?
Well, you can also see that with the success of last.fm, it is difficult to maintain a perfect service (even though server crash are rare, it happens), and the service is good because people are working hard, and people need to live and get payed for this work (and London is not a cheap city :D ).

As said earlier, subscription are not giving a lot of money, and adds are not always enough to pay the bills. If you need support of a bigger company to get bigger and better, well "hey yeah".

[quote][b][user]ypotier[/user][/b] said: [quote]Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?[/quote] Well, you can also see that with the success of last.fm, it is difficult to maintain a perfect service (even though server crash are rare, it happens), and the service is good because people are working hard, and people need to live and get payed for this work (and London is not a cheap city :D ). As said earlier, subscription are not giving a lot of money, and adds are not always enough to pay the bills. If you need support of a bigger company to get bigger and better, well "hey yeah". [/quote]

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- Russ said...
- Alumni
- 31 May 2007, 16:05
JimBowen2005 said:
Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?

Because small, nice companies start growing, and they need money to keep up with that growth. So they get investors, and the moment you have investors you have an obligation to give them a return on their investment.

So ultimately, any company which has received any investment will pursue an exit strategy. And that has to be one of: a) IPO, b) The company buying back the shares, or c) Sale of the company.

Option a would have been impossible for several years, and would make the company directly accountable to its shareholders, and therefore remove our control.

In web companies, option b is fairly impossible (it would have been years before Last.fm will generate enough spare money to buy back its own shares at a reasonable price). It doesn't give us money.

So option C it is.

It's not just us. Popular ideas need money from somewhere. All big web companies are the same. Some people start these sorts of companies purely to sell out in 2-3 years and make money.

[quote][b][user]Russ[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]JimBowen2005[/user][/b] said: Why can't small, nice companies stay small and nice?[/quote] Because small, nice companies start growing, and they need money to keep up with that growth. So they get investors, and the moment you have investors you have an obligation to give them a return on their investment. So ultimately, any company which has received any investment will pursue an exit strategy. And that has to be one of: a) IPO, b) The company buying back the shares, or c) Sale of the company. Option a would have been impossible for several years, and would make the company directly accountable to its shareholders, and therefore remove our control. In web companies, option b is fairly impossible (it would have been years before Last.fm will generate enough spare money to buy back its own shares at a reasonable price). It doesn't give us money. So option C it is. It's not just us. Popular ideas need money from somewhere. All big web companies are the same. Some people start these sorts of companies purely to sell out in 2-3 years and make money.[/quote]

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- TuttaviaCorrere said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 16:07
Mr_Scientist said:
Definitely going ahead guys according to the great ol' Beeb.

BBC News - Last.fm brought by CBS

According to the Beeb Last.fm are going to be allowed to keep some form of independence and nothing will be changing at the top so I believe that the current ethics will carry on into the future. Hopefully this means that things can only get better from here on.

Congrats all at Last.fm

Viva la revolution!

HAHAHAHA NOTHING WILL CHANGE AT THE TOP??? haha wow, how glib. that is hilarious. last.fm has been bought out by a major corporation. they ARE the top.

[quote][b][user]TuttaviaCorrere[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]Mr_Scientist[/user][/b] said: Definitely going ahead guys according to the great ol' Beeb. [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6701863.stm]BBC News - Last.fm brought by CBS[/url] According to the Beeb Last.fm are going to be allowed to keep some form of independence and nothing will be changing at the top so I believe that the current ethics will carry on into the future. Hopefully this means that things can only get better from here on. Congrats all at Last.fm Viva la revolution![/quote] HAHAHAHA NOTHING WILL CHANGE AT THE TOP??? haha wow, how glib. that is hilarious. last.fm has been bought out by a major corporation. they ARE the top.[/quote]

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- foetusized said...
- Subscriber
- 31 May 2007, 16:20
JimBowen2005 said:
The way I see it, there is no way that CBS can get any kind of ROI without ruining this site. (even the last.fm staff who have no doubt been racking their brains for the past few weeks with ways to convince CBS to buy them, have no idea how CBS will make any money out of this site in its current form)
According to one article I read (Reuters I believe), CBS plans on applying last.fm technology to their other internet properties. For instance, a web site with CBS video content that predicts which other content you would like to see, based on what you have already watched. They bought more that just this site, they bought expertise and methods they can apply to their other sites as well.

Found the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070530/wr_nm/cbs_lastfm_dc

"Just like I knew what I was doing" -- Foe

[quote][b][user]foetusized[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]JimBowen2005[/user][/b] said: The way I see it, there is no way that CBS can get any kind of ROI without ruining this site. (even the last.fm staff who have no doubt been racking their brains for the past few weeks with ways to convince CBS to buy them, have no idea how CBS will make any money out of this site in its current form)[/quote] According to one article I read (Reuters I believe), CBS plans on applying last.fm technology to their other internet properties. For instance, a web site with CBS video content that predicts which other content you would like to see, based on what you have already watched. They bought more that just this site, they bought expertise and methods they can apply to their other sites as well. Found the article: [url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070530/wr_nm/cbs_lastfm_dc[/url][/quote]

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- ChrissyM said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 16:32
BraveLilToaster said:

Jericho suuuuuucked.

I'm more upset about Veronica Mars, but that's a totally different network anyway.

But it wasn't a crappy reality show, and it had appeal over the whole spectrum of ages...But not so much in the 18-49 bracket, so CBS axed it.... They are too concerned about being cool for the kids.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" ~ C.S. Lewis

[quote][b][user]ChrissyM[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]BraveLilToaster[/user][/b] said: Jericho suuuuuucked. I'm more upset about Veronica Mars, but that's a totally different network anyway.[/quote] But it wasn't a crappy reality show, and it had appeal over the whole spectrum of ages...But not so much in the 18-49 bracket, so CBS axed it.... They are too concerned about being cool for the kids. [/quote]

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- Thiffany said...
- User
- 31 May 2007, 16:34
The Kiss of Death...!

Congratulations on being bought by CBS.
You deserve the cash.
But also my condolences.
CBS is so exactly opposite to you guys.
CBS is old, tired and does NOT understand design or the web.
Just compare CBS' online TV with ABC's; that is just one example.

As when DELL bought Area51: I hope you guys survive.
<< Oh, the horror. >>

winks,
Thiff

[quote][b][user]Thiffany[/user][/b] said: Congratulations on being bought by CBS. You deserve the cash. But also my condolences. CBS is so exactly opposite to you guys. CBS is old, tired and does NOT understand design or the web. Just compare CBS' online TV with ABC's; that is just one example. As when DELL bought Area51: I hope you guys survive. << Oh, the horror. >>[/quote]

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- mll said...
- Moderator
- 31 May 2007, 16:40
FYI, there's an article about this in today's "Les Echos", the #1 french economic newspaper. Online version. I spetted an interesting point in it: htey speak of an "earn out", which will add to the buyout price if "objectives" (no more precision) are reached.

Check out some of my groups: TV-free | Musepackers of the world, unite !

Je suis modérateur pour lastfm.fr (la partie francophone).
I'm a moderator for lastfm.fr (french-speaking side of last.fm).

[quote][b][user]mll[/user][/b] said: FYI, there's an article about this in today's "Les Echos", the #1 french economic newspaper. [url=http://www.lesechos.fr/info/innovation/4582527.htm]Online version[/url]. I spetted an interesting point in it: htey speak of an "earn out", which will add to the buyout price if "objectives" (no more precision) are reached.[/quote]

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