Also: Kevin Rose's new baby | Archant's postcode tags | Google Maps | Google Hair | VideoJug's funding | Yahoo's ex-auction site | Microsoft's job site | New London classifieds | Gratuitous link of the day
It had to happen: music recommendation site Last.fm is moving in to video. The site recommends music based on what you like: enter "Tom Waits" and its database of (at least) 6 billion pieces of information gathered from its users will suggest that you probably also like Nick Drake and Lou Reed.
You can download their desktop app and it will create your own personalised radio station based on what you listen to, and what it thinks you'll like. The different here is that Last.fm's recommendations are based on the listening habits of its users, rather than what some wonky-haired, tight be-jeaned muso thinks you'd like.
Anyway, the same process is being applied to video, so users get music videos as well as songs. Videos will be better quality than YouTube and will initially focus on the indie labels: Ninja Tune, Warp, Atlantic, Mute, Domino and Nettwerk Music Group.
The rather modest ambition is to get the site to include every music video ever, to o be the MTV of the internet (Viacom will love that - not) and to tap the "long tail" for music videos. MTV currently rotates the same 2,000, co-founder Martin Stiksel told Wired, but I swear when you watch it it feels more like 20.
Last.fm's Christian Ward said the first videos would probably be on the site next week, and the recommendation around the videos would be added later. For now, the priority is to attract as much high-quality video as possible. And there's plenty more tricks coming from these guys. (Release)
Kevin Rose's new baby
Digg's Kevin Rose, perhaps unsettled by last week's user revolt over HD encryption codes (sexier than it sounds, honest) is trotting out his third start-up project which has something to do with an IM-style communications tool. It's all very secret squirrel at the moment, says Om Malik, kind of, but should launch later this month. Rose is working with fellow Digger Daniel Burka and entrepreneur Leah Culver - I'm guessing that's her of the etched-laptop fame. Kevin will probably still be working on Digg and also Revision 3, and both of those were funded by Greylock Partners. (GigaOm)
Postcodes in news story tags
Archant is asking its regional newspaper reporters to put the relevant postcodes as tags on stories so that it can serve hyper-local news to its online readers. It sounds very much like there is some Holovaty-esque Chicago crime-style Google Mappage on the cards too: development director Ian Davies said this will allow new types of reporting because 'the newsroom will be able to refer back to all the crimes that have been reported on one particular street'. The revamped localised sites will launch in August or September, starting with the Norwich Evening News. (Press Gazette)
Google Mappage
In other Google news, they just launched a new blog dedicated to the geo-web, which indicates the level of "buzz" (as the kids say) about this trend. It's the LatLongBlog.
And there's now a UK version of Google Maps for Mobile (thank God), which might cut down the number of Londoners trotting round the capital with maps printed on A4. (Vecosys)
Just to elaborate on the continuing fascination with perks for Google employees, Reuters has done a smidge on a mobile hairdresser in the car park, or something. Such is the fear of infiltration that the snippers, Onsite Haircuts, have been made to sign nondisclosure agreements. So we were able to find out which whether it was Sergey or Larry that had expressed an interest in getting his barnet done in the car park. Shame. (Reuters)
VideoJug scores £15m funding
UK video sharing site Videojug has scored £15m in private equity funding from a consortium including Jeremy Coller of Coller Capital and Sloane Robinson. This round of funding values the site at £35m. VideoJug focuses on how-to videos and makes money through display ads, content syndication and producing corporate videos. (Telegraph)
Yahoo terminates its US auction tool
Yahoo is closing down its US auction website, it has announced, so that is can "better serve customers through other Yahoo properties". The auction services in Hong KOng, Taiwan and Singapore will stay open, as well Yahoo's other e-commerce sites including classified ads and car sales. Over on Techcrunch, comScore's chart on players in the US auction market says it all. (CNN Money)
Microsoft invests in jobs website
Microsoft has acquired a 4% stake in CareerBuilder.com, the jobs website, and becomes the site's first non-newspaper investors. The LA Times and Gannett each own 40.8% and McClatchy owns 14.4%. CareerBuilder will pay Microsoft $443m over seven years to be the exclusive online jobs provider for MSN's careers site. (Reuters)
New classified site alert
Something about a new site called "TheBigGB" has been drifting round today - it claims to offer child-friendly classified ads for London and "a YouTube section", amongst other stuff. Do we need another classified site? Do we need a child-friendly classified site? I don't know. But it's free, and something else for local newspapers to worry about.
Gratuitous link of the day
Possibly the best headline I've seen today.
