You can already buy some tracks from last.fm on a purchase rather than subscription model, via 7digital. From the UK the subscribe page says: Unlimited Listen

You can already buy some tracks from last.fm on a purchase rather than subscription model, via 7digital. From the UK the subscribe page says: Unlimited Listening Subscription We're publicly beta testing our new free listening service. You can listen to most tracks up to three times for free. When the beta is over, we'll offer a subscription package with unlimited access to a catalogue of music built on partnerships with Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner, EMI and over 150,000 independent labels and artists. We will continue to offer our existing Basic Subscription.