CBS Radio, Last.fm sing a streaming-audio duet
Last.fm, the social music site that CBS Interactive purchased last year, will be seeing closer integration into one of the media conglomerate's other properties very soon. According to a joint announcement Tuesday, Last.fm and CBS Radio will be sharing audio content on the Web to provide online editions of CBS' radio stations to Last.fm users and free streaming music to CBS Radio listeners.
A collaboration with CBS Radio has been rumored since the Last.fm acquisition was first announced last May.
In what Last.fm co-founder and CEO Felix Miller said was "the first of what we hope to be many collaborations (with) CBS Radio," streaming versions of all the company's radio stations--including New York's WCBS, Los Angeles' KROQ, and Chicago's WXRT--will be available on Last.fm. In return, listeners using CBS Radio's player on the Web will be able to listen to full songs on Last.fm. The partnership is a simple one: basically, it's designed to create crossover and brand awareness between the two CBS divisions.
CBS Radio's 140-plus radio stations are now in the process of being introduced to Last.fm in a "staggered rollout." In addition to music, news, talk, and sports stations will also be available on the social network.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
