Goodbye, Clear Channel! Hello, Crowdsourcing . . . Kinda?

According to Billboard.biz, Last.fm's reach will go beyond the internet and be coming to a terrestrial radio station near you . . . hopefully.

CBS Interactive Group is turning the Last.fm music service into a broadcast radio station. Starting Oct. 5, the Last.fm station will be multicast on CBS's high-definition radio channels in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco-as well as streamed on CBS Radio's website-as a programmed channel.

Last.fm's user-generated weekly charts will inform the playlist, with live performances and interviews mixed throughout. The top-played songs on the Last.fm digital music service are compiled into weekly charts, which are also influenced by songs that show the greatest gains in the week as well.

Radio personality Sat Bisla will host the station's flagship program "Last.fm Discovers," featuring popular music and artist interviews. Seth Neiman, digital content manager for CBS Interactive, will serve as program director.

CBS Interactive Music Group president David Goodman said the company hopes the Last.fm channel will attract new users to the HD Radio format.

Although it's only going to be launched in four markets  (KITS-FM: 105.3 HD3 in San Francisco, WWFS-FM: 102.7 HD2 in New York, KCBS-FM: 93.1 HD2 in Los Angeles, & WXRT-FM: 93.1 HD3 in Chicago) you will still be able to listen to it through CBSRadio.com.


With the stations being in HD Radio, it might make the Zune HD that much more attractive.


Thanks for stopping by,


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P.S. Crowdsourcing - the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call.