iTunes namespace definition

Extension: iTunes (Apple)

Extension Name: itunes

Purpose: The iTunes namespace allows the user to add the information necessary to have a podcast listed on the Apple iTunes Music Store (ITMS).

Declaration: The namespace for iTunes is defined at: http://lists.apple.com/archives/syndication-dev/2005/Nov/msg00002.html
<rss version="2.0"xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd">

Elements: Elements appear at both the <channel> and <item> level as described below:

<itunes:author> appears in both the <channel> and <item> levels and is a name. At the <channel> level it is the name of the author of the podcast. At the <item> level it is the name of the author of the episode.

<itunes:block> can appear at both the <channel> and <item> levels. At the <channel> level it indicates the whole podcast feed should not show up in the ITMS. At the <item> level it indicates that that individual episode should not show up in the ITMS.

<itunes:category> is used at the <item> level to indicate where the podcast will show up when browsing by category in the ITMS.

<itunes:duration> is used at the <item> level to indicate how long an episode is. It is in either HH:MM:SS or total number of seconds.

<itunes:explicit> is used at both the <channel> level and the <item> level to provide an indication of the appropriateness of the content. The default value is "no". A value of "yes" will cause the ITMS to put a red "EXPLICIT" flag on the podcast or episode, and will work with the content filtering capabilities of the iTunes software. A value of "clean" will cause the ITMS to put a green "CLEAN" flag on thhe podcast or episode. A lot of EXPLICIT songs on albums have a matching CLEAN version.

<itunes:image> is how the artwork image is specified for both the <channel> and <item>. The iTunes specification calls for a much larger, square image then the RSS 2.0 specification recommends.

<itunes:keywords> appears at both the <channel> and <item> levels and is a list of comma separated words or phrases used when searching in the ITMS

<itunes:new-feed-url> This <channel> level tag is used when a podcast needs to move from one server to another and the author is unable to configure the proper HTTP response codes.

<itunes:owner> This <channel> level tag is used by the ITMS staff to contact the author of a podcast if there are problems or concerns. It has two subtags <itunes:email> and <itunes:name>.

<itunes:pubDate> This <item> level tag is only used by the ITMS if the <item> did not specify a <pubDate>. It is used for the date of the episode.

<itunes:subtitle> The <channel> and <item> level tag is used as the title of the podcast or episode in the iTunes software and is usually only a few words.

<itunes:summary> is used at both the <channel> and <item> levels. At the <channel> level the <itunes:summary> tag shows up as the long description of your podcast in the iTunes software. At the <item> leve the <itunes:summary> tag shows up when the circled I is clicked on an individual podcast episode.

Example:


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>FeedForAll Mac OS Team's Podcasting Tutorial </title>
<link>http://www.feedforall.com</link>
<description>Podasting tutorial developed by FeedForAll Mac OS team to walk you through the steps necessary to publish a podcast on iTunes Music Store using this very program. Simple and precise instructions will gude you through creating an RSS feed that can contain audio, artwork, or simple XML </description>
<itunes:subtitle>Podcasting made easy with FeedForAll</itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:summary>Podasting tutorial developed by FeedForAll Mac OS team to walk you through the steps necessary to publish a podcast on iTunes Music Store using this very program. Simple and precise instructions will gude you through creating an RSS feed that can contain audio, artwork, or simple XML </itunes:summary>
<itunes:category text="technology">
</itunes:category>
<itunes:keywords> itunes, podcast, tutorial, feedforall</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:author> FeedForAll </itunes:author>
<itunes:owner>
<itunes:email> support@feedforall.com</itunes:email>
<itunes:name>FeedForAll Mac OS Team </itunes:name>
</itunes:owner>
<itunes:explicit> no </itunes:explicit>
<cf:listinfo>

<item>
<title>FeedForAll 2003-07-18:Artwork</title>
<description>Gives specific details and recommendations for specifications of the artwork that will be embedded in your RSS feed</description>
<link>http://www.feedforall.com</link>
<author>macsupport@feedforall.com</author>
<enclosure url="http-feedforall.com/tutorial/pod.mp3" length="14587560" type="audio/mpeg"></enclosure>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2005 19:54:02 -0400</pubDate>
<itunes:subtitle> Artwork </itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:summary>Gives specific details and recommendations for specifications of the artwork that will be embedded in your rss feed</itunes:summary>
<itunes:duration> 3:57 </itunes:duration>
<itunes:keywords> RSS specifcations artwork</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:author>FeedForAll Mac OS Team</itunes:author>
<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
</item>


other namespace declarations