Last.fm announced today that its free-on-demand music service has had a direct and positive impact on the music purchases of its users. Since the service launched in January, overall CD and download sales through Last.fm's partnership with Amazon.com have experienced a 119% increase, the company said.

Alongside an increase in visitors to Last.fm this boost is also fueled by existing users purchasing 66% more albums and tracks than they did prior to the launch of free-on-demand.

According to Martin Stiksel, Last.fm Co-Founder, this demonstrates that giving users free access to streaming songs encourages music purchasing.

Last.fm has affiliate deals with partners including iTunes, Amazon and 7Digital, allowing users to buy CDs and downloads from a catalogue that includes all four major labels and thousands of independent labels and artists.