The Last.fm independent company story is official: the music-tracking service says it is leaving corporate ownership and operating on its own again.
In a support forum announcement, Last.fm said ownership has changed, but the product has not. The company told users their accounts, listening histories and data remain where they are.
That matters because Last.fm is not just another old music site. For longtime users, it is a personal listening archive built from years of scrobbles across Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other services.
What stays the same
Last.fm says the current team is still building and operating the product. Accounts and scrobbles are staying intact. Privacy settings also remain unchanged.
The announcement says Pro subscriptions and billing are not changing for paying members. Last.fm also told developers that API functionality will continue as normal.
That developer piece is important. Last.fm has long lived beyond its own website through apps, tools and music services. Tech My Money recently covered Spotify making its audio features easier to share, and Last.fm sits in the same wider ecosystem of music data moving across apps.
Why independence matters
Last.fm was acquired by CBS Interactive in 2007. That business later became part of the wider Paramount corporate structure, which has gone through its own merger and restructuring cycle.
The new announcement does not spell out the buyer, price or detailed ownership structure. It does say Last.fm is not being acquired by another company and is now operating independently.
Last.fm still lists Last.fm Limited as registered in England and Wales. For users, the practical takeaway is simpler than the corporate paperwork: the service is not shutting down.
The company says more details will come in the weeks ahead. For now, the pitch is stability first. Same accounts, same team, same scrobbles – just with Last.fm calling its own shots again.
