What’s with lastFM these days? I used it some 20 years ago when they started and they offered free, automatically curated radios (like Spotify ), but then they flipped, thanked the users for the data they collected from listening data and switched to some subscription model

You don’t need those either. You can learn to play an instrument, enjoy music on the Sunday mass, or wait until the local troubadour visits your place.

It’s just easier with the record store.