The concept of music podcasting is very interesting, but the reality so far has been more often underwhelming for me. The limited number podcasts I've downloaded have been worth the time invested. I have no complaint with their qualities. Quantity is my issue. There just aren't enough music podcasts available today. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place?

Granted, podcasting is still a developing format, one that has the potential for longevity if embraced by the right people and organizations. There are positive signs this is happening: influential radio stations KCRW and KEXP have begun podcasting their respective music programs; select music blogs and record labels are joining in as well. With the recent addition of primitive podcasting functionality in iTunes 4.9, podcast creators will hopefully gain the exposure to justify their investment.

But there are many more compelling resources that have yet to get in the game. Here's my podcast wish list:

1. MP3 and Music Bloggers: For the amount of time spent reading MP3 blogs, I download only a small percentage of the songs they offer. While I'd love to listen to every song posted on Fluxblog, Sixeyes, and many others, there's never enough time. Besides that, I usually do most of my browsing at work, which prevents me from burning CDs or synchronizing my iPod. I could set aside a few hours every day to dig into their archives to catch up, but it's likely that I'd never get current. What if they offered a podcast that accumulated a month's worth of posting? Or just a week? Or just their favorites? I could subscribe to their podcast and easily check them out at any time and any place.

2. Record Labels: Rather than producing and handing out ready-made coasters, uh, sample CDs at concerts why not offer podcasts? Offer one per month highlighting new releases, bands on tour, etc.

3. Online and Print Music Magazines: Pitchfork offers free downloads so why not create podcast out of these? Throw in selections from their Best New Music picks, Daily Features and Top Stories. For power hungry Pitchfork, this would be a simple way of spreading their influence even further. I'd also like to see podcasts from Stylus, Tiny Mixtapes, Rolling Stone, Spin, NME and a number of other online and print magazines.

UPDATE: Thanks to a couple commenters for pointing out that Spin has started a podcast. It's called the SPINsider podcast and it's available here on iTunes 4.9.

4. Record Stores: I would be all over an Other Music podcast. Once a week, the NYC-based record shop sends an email, profiling key new releases. It's a logical extension to include a podcast with tracks from these artists. The same would work for Amoeba, Picadilly Records, etc.

I can only hope that podcasting continues to grow in popularity and a few of these resources will get on board. My fingers are crossed.