CNET Download Music will redirect to Last.fm

Dear friends and fans of CNET Download Music,

We have some important news to share. On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, the CNET Download Music site will begin redirecting all artist pages and category doors to corresponding pages on our sister music site Last.fm.

We're extremely proud of our close association with Last.fm because, like CNET Download Music, the site shares the same spirit of independence and discovery--not to mention ease of use and a large song catalog--that we find so vital to a satisfying online music experience.

Launched in 2002, Last.fm is a music discovery site without borders, a destination where listeners, be they casual or fanatic, can come to both hear old favorites and get turned on to new ones--to listen, learn, discover, and share with friends. With up-to-date song and album information, user-created bios, personalized radio stations, videos, an extensive events calendar, and a huge community of artists and fans--not to mention millions of songs for free streaming and download--Last.fm is an immersive environment, a music space that draws you in and invites exploration. We feel it's a perfect match for the users of CNET Download Music.

To best experience the site's ability to recommend music that matches your taste, we encourage you to register with Last.fm. As with CNET Download Music, there's no cost and the process is simple. The Last.fm FAQ can provide full details on the benefits of joining the Last.fm community.

If you are an artist with music posted on CNET Download Music, please note that we will not be transferring any of your content to Last.fm. Therefore, we recommend that you sign up as a Last.fm artist. The benefits are many, beginning with Last.fm's Artist Royalty Program and continuing with greater upload options, detailed performance stats, and the fact that Last.fm has a user base that's large, loyal, and extremely active. For more information, please read our recent Artist's Newsletter.

If you have questions about the artist upload process, please consult Last.fm's Music Manager. For general user questions consult Last.fm's FAQ.

We want to thank you for supporting CNET Download Music during the past five years. We've been thrilled to be able to give artists a place to post music and share it with each other and the community at large--and to provide fans with a space to discover new and exciting talent. And we feel proud that, since launching in 2004, CNET Download Music retained its focus on adventurous, independent music and the spirit of discovery. Those of us working behind the scenes are, after all, just like you: extremely passionate about music, and always eager to find new favorites and share them with others.

Which is exactly why we're thrilled about Last.fm. So with that in mind, we encourage you to join us as we shift our attention to Last.fm and continue to grow the site into the most exciting, dynamic, and powerful music destination on the Web.

Thanks very much, The CNET Download Music Team