June 06, 2008

By By Mitchell Peters, L.A.

Free online streaming service Last.fm has joined forces with New York-based independent concert promoter the Bowery Presents to stage live music events for popular bands on Last.fm's Web site.

Artists are chosen based on Last.fm's hype chart, which tracks new acts that are gaining popularity among the Web site's 21 million-plus user community. The series is launching with concerts by rock acts Lightspeed Champion (June 7) and Fleet Foxes (July 9). Both gigs will be held at New York's Bowery Ballroom.

Last.fm is expected to announce several more shows in the New York market. The concert series will also expand into other parts of the country, according to a Last.fm spokesperson.

The Bowery Presents -- which books and promotes shows at such New York venues as the Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Terminal 5 and Webster Hall -- will film the upcoming concerts for Last.fm/Presents, a channel on the Web site that features video interviews and other features.

Last.fm has been staging similar concerts in the United Kingdom since last year. Participating acts include Lost Penguin, Acid Mothers Temple, Shit and Shine, Andrew Weatherall, Gay Against You and Sisters of Transistors, among others.

Last.fm has also moved into other forms of live music. In May, the online streaming service was named the official media partner for this summer's Lollapalooza festival. Through the partnership, Last.fm will power "Lolla Radio," an online radio station featuring tracks from all the artists in the festival lineup.

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