We already knew CBS (NYSE: CBS) was setting its $280 million social music engine hard to work in its native US. Now come more indications as to Last.fm’s growing role in the conglomerate’s universe. “It’s our job, frankly, as a corporation, to make them more valid in the United States,” said CBS Interactive president Quincy Smith, interviewed by Staci for paidContent.org after reshuffling the business.

Staci: To that end, CBS will ramp up on-air promos with “a lot more call-outs” starting in May and, very soon, Last.fm will get its own chief marketing officer, “charged with plugging them more into the CBS mainstream”. In late May, CBS will start sending viewers of certain shows to the show’s music on Last.fm. “The downside of Last.fm right now, from my perspective, has nothing to do with the service itself ... the question is how do you blow it up and make it a major media brand in the United States? CBS has done much less of a job with Last.fm than Last.fm has done with Last.fm.

Last.fm’s growing importance to the mothership is becoming clearer, though. Smith has appointed general managers to four core divisions - Sports/News, Entertainment, Mobile and Last.fm (with co-founders Martin Stiksel and Richard Jones on virtual level-pegging with Felix Miller for the latter). With the entertainment division based out of CBS’ new Menlo Park office, Last.fm now has legs in Silicon Valley - but there are no firm plans to place Last.fm staff there. Stiksel told me: “It’s good to be there because there are other interesting companies there.” He wants to get “even more of a presence in the most important internet market”.

But Last.fm is coy on whether the new marketer will work from London or CBS Interactive’s new Meno Park, California, office. Co-founder Martin Stiksel told me the team’s use of the new space hadn’t been discussed and they hadn’t yet seen the office. But it’s likely the appointee will have to commute frequently between there and the UK HQ - a name will be announced “relatively soon”, adding to Last.fm’s 75-plus-strong teamsheet.

With the TV theme link-up will come “interesting cross-promotion opportunities” like pointing movie fans to soundtracks on the site. “Last.fm can contribute something wherever there is music. Video scrobbling and recommendation are “opportunities” that will happen “in the foreseeable future” - they’re under development, but no firm dates yet.

• London Mixer Multimedia Report: Q&A With Martin Stiksel, Last.fm Co-Founder
• CBS Radio Getting Closer To Last.fm; Partnership For Streaming
• Last.fm Gets Half Of Users Off-Site, Targets US Market