Last.fm adds music video service

What do you do if you've got an internet radio station, but the future of online radio is murky? Add video, of course. Because no content owners have ever demanded much of internet companies that offer video.

Last.fm plans to add video to its site this week, allowing users to create custom music video channels much the way they can currently create custom music stations. The music will be encoded at 128kbps, which is twice the bitrate of music videos on YouTube.

The company is partnering with a group of major and independent record labels, so there shouldn't be any lawsuits to worry about. But with the copyright royalty board seeking significantly increased fees from internet radio stations, how long will it be before sites like Last.fm also have to pay exorbitant royalty rates to deliver music videos online?

Tags: internet radio, InternetRadio, last.fm, music videos, MusicVideos