Martin Stiksel is not predicting that Last.fm, the fast-growing online social music site he co-founded, will sound the death knell for radio. "It's an alternative," says the 32-year-old after careful consideration. But, Mr Stiksel adds, the site's name derives from the "cheeky, arrogant assumption that it is the last music station you will ever need".

The former music journalist from Austria launched Last.fm in London in 2003 with two other university graduates and music buffs. It has attracted more than 1m users around the world. Nielsen/NetRatings counted the unique monthly users in October at about 1m in the US and 300,000 in the UK, followed by Germany, Canada, Brazil and Japan.