Warner Music Group pulls catalog from Last.fm
Setback comes as Last.fm is under pressure from increased competition in streaming music.
UPDATE:To include CBS statement.
Warner Music Group has pulled its entire catalog from Last.fm, a company spokeswoman confirmed Friday.
Warner Music would not comment on the reason for leaving Last.fm, but the label's departure is certainly a setback for the social-networking site. Warner was the first of the major labels to do a deal with Last.fm.
Last.fm offers an on-demand streaming service that's free to members but has been seriously hamstrung by limits placed on song playback. The site allows users to listen three times to a song. At rival Imeem, users can listen to free streaming music as many times as they want.
Silicon Alley Insider reports that Warner Music licensed its music to Last.fm on a month-to-month basis and hasn't renewed it.
"We are currently negotiating a new agreement with Warner Music Group," CBS, which acquired Last.fm a year ago, said in a statement. The network added that it was "working hard to build the most comprehensive music service on the Web."
Note:CBS has agreed to acquire CNET Networks, parent company of News.com.