The move is likely to open the door to similar arrangements with other global digital services, though so far the major has only confirmed the deal with Last.fm.

"We have made the decision to license Last.fm directly for all of its tiers of service on a worldwide basis," a Universal Music spokesman told Music Week.

"Previously Last.fm had licensed some rights through directdeals with Universal and some through PPL and other collection societies," the spokesman said. Rumours about the move ...