Looking for workout music and also ? for all your techno geeks out there...

[canuckgal]

Anyone have some recommendations of workout music you like, like a playlist or something? I am getting bored with what I have (for the most part individual CD's by artists, not a mix/compilation). I mainly have the Offspring, Weird Al, Green Day, Hinder, Lincoln Park, Nickelback, a few of those "Big Shiny Tunes" Cds. I am looking to make several collections of 45min-1hr long and either burn them onto CD's (I ususally work out at home for the most part), or may take the plunge and get an Ipod sort of thing.

I am a TOTAL noob in this area. I know that there are "downloading sites" but what do I get to do it? Cost is a factor here too. We have Windows XP as a computer system. I have heard that IPOD is a Mac thing and not Windows, is that true?

As you can see I am totally clueless...anyone to help me out here???

[Valkyrie9]

iPods work on any computer, but all their accessories are very proprietary. For example, you can't buy a non-iPod MP3 player and use any of the iPod speaker docks or anything. But it'll work on Windows systems just fine.

I bought a Zune, which is the Microsoft MP3. It is less proprietary, in that you can use any online music service with it. (iPods only want you to use iTunes, or your own CDs.) I also got the Zune Pass, which is a $15/month subscription for unlimited downloads. The catch is that you only get to keep 10 songs as MP3s per month. Everything else you download goes away if you stop paying the $15/month. Personally, I think it is an awesome deal because essentially you're getting the same 10 songs for $10 that you'd get on iTunes, and then for the additional $5 you have unlimited access to the Zune catalog. I probably have 1200 songs on my Zune right now, and I sure didn't pay $1200 to load them all on it.

Okay, that said, my latest exercise thrill is Michael Franti and Spearhead. They're reggae/protest music and just awesome. Great beats with social awareness! Try "Say Hey (I Love You)" and "Light Up Ya Lighter".