As Sportsunit noted , Zune has debuted in the number two spot, according to early NPD data. We're happy to see this but we know this is going to be multi-year investment. Quoting thestreet.com : For the week ended Nov. 18, Microsoft had a 9% unit share and 13% dollar share of the U.S. portable player market, while Apple had 63% unit share and 72.5% dollar share. Also, retailers are telling us that they've seen Zune delivering incremental sales, and that's resulting in growth of the category. So Zune...

Today we're announcing that we'll pay UMG a per device royalty for every Zune player sold – a first in the industry. Why? We're about supporting artists, and ensure they continue to prosper with the emergence of the digital music model. The distribution of digital music isn't that old, and the current method isn't really doing a lot to compensate artists fairly. We worked closely with Universal to create this revenue opportunity for artists, as the industry transitions to a time when it can fully...

I've got info on all the Zune Launch Parties. We've got one in Atlanta , Chicago , Seattle , LA , NYC , and Miami (link going up later today). Check this site tomorrow for details.

Next Thursday night (11/9), you can come to LA to check out Zune and hang out with some other folks on the Zune team. We'll also have some music there: Jason Bentley and Bitter:Sweet . If you live in the area, and want to check out Zune, email me at askzune (then type the at symbol) microsoft.com. I'll be there; let me know if you want to meet up!