Zune Insider

Our team in Australia just announced that Zune Music Marketplace and Zune Music Pass will launch November 16 with a music catalog of more than 11 million tracks available for purchase in MP3 format. Zune Music Pass will also be available for $11.99 per month or $119.90 annually and can be used on Xbox 360, Windows Phone, Windows PC and Zune.net. In addition, Zune Music Pass subscribers will have unlimited streaming access to tens of thousands of music videos through the Zune PC software and on Xbox 360 later this year.

The Weekly Download Episode 61 dated Oct 11th, 2011 is now live and is hosted by Jessica Zahn (jetherealz).

Show notes:
The Weekly Download podcast features audio samples from the hottest podcasts in the Zune Podcast Marketplace and is hosted by Jessica Zahn. Let us know about a hot new podcast that you may have found and send us an email about it to: askzune at microsoft.com, we might feature it and give you a shout-out.

Listen to the full episode below:

FEATURED PODCASTS SHOW NOTES: Knockin’ Boots – IGN.com Podcast – 90 min Audio Show – Monthly on Random Days so Subscribe (:39 – 2:38);  Waking from the American Dream – SModcast Podcast – 90 min Audio Show – Every Thursday (2:38 – 5:01);  Tech History Today - TWiT Podcast – 1 min Audio Show – Daily (5:02 – 6:00);  Anything Ghost Show – 40 min Audio Show – Random every two weeks (6:01 – 9:00); Coaching Basketball Wisely Podcast – 20 min Audio Show – Sun or Monday every Two Weeks (9:01 – 11:58);  Music: Earth by Ceps.

The mp3 file is 8 MB and runs for a 12 minutes. Subscribe to the podcast in the FREE Zune Marketplace 4.8 Media Player software here or on your Windows Phone 7.5. Download the audio file directly here – stream it

The Weekly Download Episode 60 dated Oct 4th, 2011 is now live and is hosted by Jessica Zahn (jetherealz).

Show notes:
The Weekly Download podcast features audio samples from the hottest podcasts in the Zune Podcast Marketplace and is hosted by Jessica Zahn. Let us know about a hot new podcast that you may have found and send us an email about it to: askzune at microsoft.com, we might feature it and give you a shout-out.

Listen to the full episode below:

FEATURED PODCASTS SHOW NOTES:  SModCo SMorning Show Podcast – 90 min Audio Show – M-F (:39 – 2:31);  Vinyl Café Stories from CBC Radio Podcast – 45 min Audio Show – Every Friday (2:32 – 5:31);  I Sell Comics - SModcast Podcast – 60 min Audio Show – Weekly on Random Days (5:32 – 7:17);  Rooster Teeth – 60 min Audio Show – Weekly on Weds (7:18 – 9:07); Geek Friday from 5By5 Podcast – 50 min Audio Show – Every Friday (9:08 – 11:20);  Music: Earth by Ceps.

The mp3 file is 11 MB and runs for a 12 minutes. Subscribe to the podcast in the FREE Zune Marketplace 4.8 Media Player software here. Download the audio file directly here – stream it

Zune Insider Episode 134 dated Sept 30th, 2011 of the Zune Insider Audio Podcast is now live and hosted by Matt Akers (skipdeez) and Jessica Zahn (jetherealz).

Full Show Notes: New “Zune Music Pass” in Canada, and changes in the US (0:00 -9:47);  John Randolph brings the music recommendations, including “Blink-182″, “Nirvana”, and Jason Derulo (9:48 – 15:40);  Movies Ammon Gilbert discusses “Transformers”, “Fast Five”, “Scream 4″, and “Bad Teacher” (15:41 – 19:22);  Erick Roff gives us the TV scoop, which includes “House MD” and “Big Bang Theory” – and “2 and a Half Men” (oh and “It’s Always Sunny” is not a good choice for an 11-year-old) (19:23 – 26:54); Podcast Rob Greenlee (@robgreenlee) recommends 6 new podcasts from Al-Jazeera, with special mention of “The Stream”, “Fox News Flash” Daily Video series and “The News with Jessica” (26:57 – 31:19);  Live Inbox and Twitter (31:20 – 36:09);  An important announcement (36:10 – end). 

Here is the Full Audio Stream from Episode 134 – 39 minutes:

The mp3 file is 35 MB and runs for a 39 minutes. Subscribe to the podcast in the FREE Zune Marketplace 4.8 Media Player software here. Download the audio file directly here – stream the audio from Zune.net

Canada Zune Music Marketplace and Zune Music Pass

We are excited to announce that Zune Music Marketplace and Zune Music Pass will roll out in Canada on October 3rd, providing access to a growing music catalog of more than 14 million tracks from all the major labels, as well as tens of thousands of indie labels. Zune Music Pass will also be available for C$9.99 per month or C$99.90 annually and can be used on Xbox 360, Windows Phone, Windows PC, Zune devices and Zune.net.

Streaming Music Videos with Zune Music Pass

Zune Music Pass in the US and Canada will now include more than just unlimited music downloads and streaming – starting October 3rd subscribers can stream tens of thousands of music videos through the Zune PC software and later this fall on Xbox 360.

US Zune Music Pass Changes

On October 3rd, in the US, we will be introducing a new, lower priced version of Zune Music Pass at $9.99 per month. The plan will provide unlimited, on-demand access to more than 14 million songs and tens of thousands of music videos. Unlike the current Zune Music Pass offering, it will not include 10 MP3s to keep each month. In addition, as part of the new $9.99 offering, subscribers will be able to download songs and synchronize them on up to a total of four devices (1 PC + any combination of PC, Zune device and Windows Phone), and continue to enjoy unlimited access to streaming on Xbox 360 and on Zune.net.

Once the new Zune Music Pass offering is available, the $14.99 plan with 10 monthly MP3 credits will no longer be available to new subscribers. However, current subscribers can stay on their existing Zune Music Pass plan if they choose and will also have access to streaming music videos.

More news to come

A new music marketplace in Canada, Zune Music Pass changes in the US and the addition of music video streaming will continue to make it easier for you to enjoy entertainment on Xbox 360, Windows PC and Windows Phone.  Stay tuned to Zune Insider for more news.