There are a couple of new postings about Last.FM on Techdirt. One of them points out that Audioscrobbler (the technical 'engine' of Last.FM's preference-based selections) release their data under a Creative Commons license, which gives scope for further research. (Thanks to Five Eight for this link.) There was also a Wired article yesterday, which explains that Last.FM generates revenue "by offering promotional and market research services to labels and indie artists".