Microsoft has expanded the music collection available via Zune Marketplace with a set of items that the Redmond company claims to have for the first time brought into the digital age. Starting with September 29, Zune users will be able to access never-before-digitally-released productions from Fania Records. The Exclusive Fania Records Digital Store made available on the Zune Marketplace consists of a custom collection of albums featuring a variety of artists that Microsoft has not been shy of deeming iconic.

“We wanted to bring a sense of retro music to Zune Marketplace, and to do that, there’s no other label to work with than Fania. Fania’s renowned roster of musicians made it easy to select iconic artists, and we’re happy to bring this collection to our subscribers,” revealed Mariel Cruz, Zune Marketplace Latin content producer.

At the start of September 2008, Microsoft introduced Zune 3.0, namely the evolution of its digital media player and the associated services and software past version 2.0 delivered at the end of 2007. The Redmond company brought not only new Zune devices but also upgrades to the Zune firmware and an update of the Zune Marketplace.

Among the Fania artists with digitally remastered content available through the Zune Markerplace, Microsoft enumerated: Hector Lavoe, La Lupe, Celia Cruz, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Mongo Santamaria and Bobby Valentin. Fania has got its own cozy nook on Zune Marketplace with Microsoft having built a custom Zune boutique page designed to permit users to buy and download salsa and Latin jazz collections dating back to the 1960s and 1970s.

“It’s exciting to partner with Zune to offer our collection digitally and for new content from such classic artists. Our hope is to have a new generation of music lovers discover these masters of music from such a significant musical era,” added Leda Ceccarelli, director of New Media, Fania Records.