It is true that you pay to listen to the radio, but listening and scrobbling your own music is free (it also scrobbles from Spotify if you use that service
) There are also other useful free services, such as the local events listing, which manages to be surprisingly thorough and accurate if you have been listening/scrobbling for a awhile. It is also quiet incredible how many new bands I have picked up from there and loved because of the "music compatibility" feature that compares your account with other users.
Nobody is asking you to use the payed radio service, it's simply a place where (apart from the features I have just listed) fellow musically inclined Abandonian's can gather and enjoy