If you’re too lazy to fiddle with the Media Extender or plug in a USB device into your Xbox 360 in order to stream music, Last.FM probably sounds like a good deal. Theoretically, it’ll operate much like Netflix: turn on your box, hit a tab, find something and go to town. But there’s a small caveat. Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers will be the only ones able to dance (or whatever) to their favorite tunes whenever they want. Silver subscribers will be allowed just three hours of streaming glory a month.
Joystiq recently spoke with Xbox LIVE general manager Christina DeRosa, who explained how the forthcoming integration would work across Gold and Silver memberships.
“Silver users will be able access what we’re considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising,” DeRosa said, “Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks.”
Sounds like Netflix with a twist. As Joystiq notes, Last.FM charges three bucks a month to kick the advertising — not a bad price if you’re a music junkie.
