Mark Relph, Community Radio at MSDN Canada Mark Relph over at Microsoft Canada is getting into the podcasting game ... using Windows Media Audio files (WMA).

Sure, Microsoft has a vested interest in promoting the WMA file format but would it hurt to provide the show encoded in the MP3 format?

MP3 is the de facto standard and deeply entrenched as the king of the hill, despite numerous competing audio formats that have come and gone over the years. MP3 is familiar to everyone, every digital music player out there supports it and people want it. So why not provide it, as promised?


"Podcasting" - we really question the term as it seems to limit one's choice of device, but we love the concept and the power of this new paradigm of audio delivery.

So, let's call it a "BlogCast" or an "Internet Audio Broadcast" and leave it at that.
...
For every show we will include:

  • Show Notes (Text and OneNote)
  • Links To Relevant Information
  • Audio provided in WMA & MP3
  • RSS Feed
[emphasis added]

Mark is right about one thing: the term "podcasting" is a bit confusing to the uninitiated and I'm not a fan of it.

"Podcasting" makes it sound like the audio files can be played only on Apple's phenomenally successful iPod music players, which is the dominant digital music player brand. I don't like the term "blogs" either, but it looks like we're stuck with both blogs and podcasting.

Even though Internet audio broadcasts/Internet radio have been around for at least a decade using various formats (including MP3, Real, AAC/Liquid Audio, A2B, Windows Media and OGG Vorbis -- an open, free format), it wasn't until the iPod came along that Internet audio/podcasting gained mass awareness, appeal, and the cachet that is a marketing strategist's dream.

With the help of a catchy name podcasting has become the latest trendy Internet phenomenon. MP3 files are inherently assumed to be part of that. MP3 is a part of podcast listeners' user experience (UX).

A cardinal UX rule is not to break customer expectations unnecessarily and especially not after commiting to deliver a feature, in this case an MP3-encoded option. Because iPod is the dominant music player, with an estimated 75-87% market share depending on which analysts you trust, and because iPods don't play WMA files -- but do play MP3s -- a huge number of potential listeners are cut off from receiving Mark's podcast by Microsoft's decision not to offer MP3 files. If for no other reason, Microsoft should offer MP3s out of enlightened self-interest.

To paraphrase the Dire Straits, I want my MP3.

via Scobleizer
Canadian employees talk to developers via audio files on the net

Ahh, the Canadians are podcasting or WMAcasting or whatever. Man, everyone has a point of view on what this stuff should be called. Anyway, introducing community radio at MSDN Canada.

11:02:24 AM