What is scrobbling?
A “scrobble” is a listen sent to Last.fm: the artist, title, album and time. Day after day, your scrobbles build your listening history, from which Last.fm draws your most played artists and albums, your statistics and its recommendations.
RustMusic scrobbles your local files like everything else: your FLAC, DSD and MP3 files join your Last.fm profile as you listen.
Link Last.fm in one click
- 1
Open Settings → Online listening
In the “Last.fm” group, click “Connect Last.fm”.
- 2
Authorize RustMusic in your browser
The Last.fm page opens: sign in if needed, then click “Allow”. Stay on the RustMusic settings page meanwhile; “Reopen the page” reopens it if you closed it.
- 3
That’s it
RustMusic connects on its own and shows “Connected as …”, with the number of listens waiting to be sent and “See my profile”.
Your Last.fm password never goes through RustMusic: you only enter it on the Last.fm website, which then gives RustMusic permission to send your listens.
What is sent, and when
- A track counts once it has been played halfway, or for 4 minutes if it is long, and if it lasts more than 30 seconds.
- What is sent: the artist, title, album, duration and time of the listen. Never your files.
- “Announce the current track”, on by default, shows the track that starts on your profile.
- Neither podcasts nor radio are sent.
- A track with no artist or no title in its tags is not sent: fill them in with the tag workshop.
The threshold you can set in Settings → General (“Count a track as played”) drives RustMusic’s own play count: Last.fm keeps its own rule.
Offline, and with ListenBrainz
Without a connection, listens wait on the computer and are sent as soon as possible, in batches: at the next listen or the next time RustMusic starts. The settings show how many listens are waiting.
Last.fm and ListenBrainz can be linked at the same time: each listen goes to both services. And each RustMusic profile links its own accounts.
Your own API key (optional)
The RustMusic builds offered on this site link to Last.fm with nothing more to do. If you’d rather use your own key, or if your build of RustMusic doesn’t include one (a build you compile yourself, for example), “Use my own API key” opens a three-step guide:
- 1
Create a key on last.fm
The “Create an API key on last.fm” link opens the form: name it RustMusic, the rest is optional. It’s free and instant.
- 2
Paste the key and the shared secret
Into the “API key” and “Shared secret” fields in RustMusic.
- 3
Connect
Click “Connect Last.fm”, then “Allow” on the page that opens.
Frequently asked questions
How do I scrobble to Last.fm from a PC?
With a player that scrobbles, such as RustMusic on Windows, macOS or Linux: link your account in Settings → Online listening, and every track you play joins your profile.
Do I have to give RustMusic my Last.fm password?
No. You authorize RustMusic on the Last.fm website, in your browser; your password never goes through the app.
Can I scrobble to Last.fm and ListenBrainz at the same time?
Yes. Both services are linked from the same screen, and each listen goes to both.
Are my offline listens lost?
No. They wait on the computer and are sent as soon as the connection is back.
Why doesn’t a track show up on Last.fm?
It wasn’t played long enough (halfway, or 4 minutes), it lasts less than 30 seconds, or its tags have no artist or title.
Does RustMusic send my past listens?
No. It sends the listens made after the account is linked.
Your listens on Last.fm, from a free player
Link Last.fm in one click, with no password, and ListenBrainz too if you like. Free, open source, no RustMusic account.