Not content with releasing just the Zune 2.0 and Flash Zune today, Microsoft announced the Zune Social and an upgrade to the Zune Marketplace.

The Zune Social seeks to connects Zune users around the world by creating a social network dedicated to discovering and sharing music. According to the Electronista, Zune owners can create their own profiles, share music across the Internet, view each other’s recent playlists, make recommendations, and buy the music they see on other profiles. You can access the service via the upgraded Zune media player software.

The Zune Marketplace received a few upgrades, the most prominent being the addition of over one million DRM-free MP3 tracks to the Marketplace catalog from a number of labels including EMI. Even iPod users can buy from the Zune Marketplace and play the unprotected tracks on their digital audio player of choice. The catalog consists of about 3 million songs in total, the rest, unfortunately, featuring DRM, but for DRM-free MP3 tracks, I would strongly recommend the Amazon MP3 Download Store.

Those enjoying the Zune Pass unlimited subscription service will be able to enjoy the service with the new software and store, but those tracks come laced with Microsoft DRM, like many other subscription services, and expire if you stop paying the $15 per month fee.

Related:

Zune 1.0 gets Zune 2.0 firmware update November 13

Official: Microsoft’s Zune 2.0 and Flash Zune w/ Wi-Fi sync

Zune firmware update upgrades Zune 1.0 to Zune 2.0 capabilites

Facebook working to take on iTunes Store, Amazon MP3 Service

Group Review: Zune 80, harddrive PMP king

Entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at 3:58 am under Microsoft.  Print This Post

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