• by Fern Siegel , June 12, 2011

The CBS Interactive Music Group wants consumers to be their own online DJs. To supply inventory, it has integrated Last.fm technology into its Radio.com player, letting listeners access Last.fm's library. The global music service offers more than 4.5 million artists and nearly 12 million songs.

It also provides access to any of CBS Radio's 130 stations.

That gives Radio.com users an extraordinary selection from which to customize their own radio stations. It's a free, unlimited cross-platform streaming experience: broadcast, online and personalized radio.

To create your own radio station, listeners use the "create a station" button on their Radio.com player, type in the name of an artist, and hit play.

Last.fm, which claims a worldwide community of 40 million users, features a proprietary "scrobbling" technology, allowing its audience to track the music they listen to on various applications. Last.fm then collects the information and recommends content to personalize line-ups.

"CBS is in the unique position of programming to consumers who appreciate high-quality local radio stations, both on-air and online, but also value the ability to experiment with their own musical tastes," states David Goodman, president, CBS Interactive Music Group.

He notes that major market stations KROQ and WXRT are in big demand and will continue to "foster growth online for many years to come."

As of February, the radio service built into Last.fm mobile apps and home entertainment devices is ad-free and subscriber-only, costing $3 a month. However, Last.fm Radio is still free and ad-supported on the Last.fm site in the U.S., UK and Germany.

In May, Last.fm announced an alliance with Facebook to up its social-media exposure. The music streaming site will allow users to log in with their Facebook ID, find friends and transfer the musicians they've Liked on the social network to Last.fm.

Spotify and Pandora, rival music services, also have strong integration deals with Facebook.