Everyone knows that podcasts where developed to provide original content to ipod owners and over the last few years it seems just about everyone has become a podcaster. You can download all sorts of music and video files to Zune using any number of download services. As a matter of fact you can subscribe to podcasts using the Zune podcast directory although its not as robust as the one offered by Apple.

in this post we take a look at how to download music to your Zune using iTunes podcasts as a free downloads source. Of course the first step is too download and install the Apple iTunes software for your PC. Once you have it installed then you will need to subscribe to some of your favorite podcasts and download the episodes to your computers hard drive.

By default the iTunes software will keep the downloaded files under your My Music folders on your windows pc and when you open up your Zune software it should recognize the mp3 file format and import the iTunes podcasts onto your Zune player.

Here is the RSS link to mp3 and mp4 files from the ZuneInsider podcast. These Zune downloads are available for free to anyone looking for free downloads for their Zune or even their iPod.

Just click on the link below and you can either subscribe with your Zune player using the settings you have in your Zune software. You can also use your favorite RSS reader such as Google Reader or my favorite Firefox.

http://zuneinsider.feeds.zune.net/rss

I made it through the first night of Reggae SumFest and I had a great time. I did not make it to the final act of the evening and I missed “The Doctor” and Jamaica’s reigning “King of Dancehall” Beenie Man on stage. I woke up at 5am and watched the sun rise on Thursday morning and was not able to squeeze in a nap during the day so when the sun started to pop up again this morning I thought I was hallucinating at the pretty light show and remembered the hour long drive home ahead of me. I called it quits and drove home early for some short sleep and now I’m up again with little hope for any sleep again before the show tonight. I may end up missing some part of tonights show as I expect I’ll take a nap during the day at some point. My van is parked within easy access and a sleep break is easy with the press pass. I can walk in and out as I wish with the armband I’m wearing and not even the cops say much to me. I did notice like 100 police dogs all over and when I tried to snap a shot of one the guy made me put my camera down. It was a beautiful all black German Shepard with perfect form. I just wanted a pic of the dog but he would not have it. I don’t question Jamaican police I just go with the flow.

I was out gunned for interviews and the little bit of video I did get is probably crap because my camera with built in mic could not compete with all the noise in the room. Many of the people running interviews had much nicer cameras with attached microphones which made the interviews possible. I was stuck alone with my handheld video camera and no tripods allowed because of space constraints and tripping hazards. It was sad really but I had my digital camera and I got some good still photos. I spent much of the night networking and the show turned into a huge opportunity I think with a number of Jamaican artists expressing interest in working together with me on some online music projects. I’ve found so many musicians with a MySpace page and not their own website. I show them how powerful and easy something like Wordpress is and they can manage it from there. Having your own website allows you to generate your own income, builds a better brand with your music and gives you greater creative control. Anyway lets hope I can get a short nap and move on today. If not tonights coverage may be even weaker.

I had my Zune and WiFi on but I never caught a signal anywhere. not very surprised at the fact there are no Zunes in Jamaica but I was hoping for someone from the media or maybe an artist or band member to have something with them. No Zuners at SumFest except MAX and me.

Zune has sold over 2 million units and grabbed a whopping 4% market share in it’s 2nd year of production. Zune hit the 1 million mark back in 07/07. That was one million in just under the first year and this 2nd million comes in at about 1 1/2 years after the release date of the first player. They made the jump from 1 to 2 faster so it looks like Zune may be gaining steam. It was expected that Zune would be a late bloomer and Microsoft stated in the very beginning the had a 3 to 5 year plan for this.

I would think they are mildly pleased with hitting 4% market share in that time. Many folks had Zune doomed from the start and most thought it would never make it this far. I knew Microsoft was planning for a long battle and it looks like their efforts may be paying off. They have not had the best of luck with Zune and they have even been their own worst enemy at times but Microsoft has the hammer approach to marketing and they’ll just keep pounding away until the get it right. We’re gonna love zune and they’ll keep shoving stuff at it until we do!

I’m really digging the new games on Zune and I have beeen letting the kids use it more since we put them on it as well. I think Microsoft should work on porting as many free games for Zune as they can find and start adding some fan favorites into the Zune MarketPlace alongside Podcasts and Videos for a full service media market place. If I could find more Zune games to download I’d have more fun I think.

Zune Eats Creative’s Meager Lunch, Grabbing 4 Percent of MP3 Player Market | Listening Post from Wired.com

Microsoft’s Zune picked up a percentage point in the MP3 player market, bringing its share to a whopping four percent, with two million units sold. Microsoft has said from the start that it will stick with the Zune for as long as it takes for the player to gain traction, and it looks like that’s starting to happen.

Apple’s share of the MP3 player market share dropped a single point to 71 percent, according to the NPD Group’s study, but its lead is still monstrous. The bigger loser between Q1 2007 and Q1 2008 was Creative, which saw its share halved to two percent.