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Using Spotify with Last.fm to Discover New Music

Mar 7, 2012

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Using the Spotify Last.fm App

I told you that Spotify and Last.fm are designed to work well together. This is most notable in the case of the Last.fm app, which works from within Spotify. This app lets you see the personalized recommendations resulting from your scrobbling—and use those recommendations to discover and play new music on Spotify.

To use the Last.fm app, you must first install it within Spotify. You do this by going to the Apps section of the Spotify navigation pane and clicking App Finder. When the App Finder page appears, click the Add button next to the Last.fm app.

Once you install the app, you launch it by clicking Last.fm in the Apps section of the Spotify navigation pane. The first time you open the app you're prompted to either log in to your existing Last.fm account or create a new account; do whichever is necessary to proceed.

The Last.fm app consists of four tabs, clickable at the top of the page: Overview, Now Playing, Recommended, and Albums. Use the Overview tab to get a quick glance at the Last.fm recommendations. If you're interested in discovering new music, go directly to the Recommended for You section, which lists the Last.fm top recommended albums, based on other music you've played.

Figure 5 The Overview tab in the Spotify Last.fm app

Also of interest is the Now Playing tab, which gives details about the track you're currently listening to on Spotify. Not only do you see information about the track and recording artist but you can also create a playlist with similar tracks by clicking the Similar Tracks Playlist button. In addition, similar artists are listed beneath the track/artist description.

Figure 6 The Now Playing tab in the Spotify Last.fm app; click the Similar Tracks Playlist button to discover similar new music.

When it comes to discovering new music, however, you really want to check out the Recommended tab. This tab lists a dozen albums that Last.fm recommends based on your current listening habits. Under each album cover, Last.fm describes why this album was recommended; click an album to listen to it. To view more recommended albums, click the More button at the top of the page. To create a Spotify playlist from music on these albums, click the Add as Playlist button.

Figure 7 The Recommended tab in the Spotify Last.fm app

And here's a hidden feature within the Last.fm app that lets you immediately discover new music. When you drag a song from your Spotify library and drop it on the Last.fm title in the sidebar, Last.fm automatically creates a playlist of 20 tracks similar to that song!

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