Thank you, both!

jdporter No, no CLI arguements expected; that's a todo, yet, but it does expect to run in the directory with the mp3s as it now stands. Could my oversight in failing to mention that be the reason it "doesn't work" for you? It's been fine on all three recent w32 boxes here.

BUT, thank you especially for pointing out problems AND improvements. Clearly, I should NOT have missed MP3::Info (though it is NOT FOUND in ActiveState's ppm repository)... which may explain, if not excuse, my reverse-engineering of the two working .asx samples I found.

If you would, please, elaborate on "gruesome" -- I think I understand re parsing the output from dir, but don't see why the code to obtain a (close) approximation of runtimes earned that epithet (which is definitely NOT to say it doesn't deserve it; I just don't understand why, yet).

blazar -- The brevity and elegance of your so-called "poor man's" script amazes me... but it also prompts a (hasty) question (I'll likely regret): as I read it, your script seems to imply that most of the junk I'm so awkwardly and verbosely handling is "unnecessary." True? Wikipedia was less than helpful; PC Mag's was even less so.
Update: Thanks also for quick reply below, even as I was fixing 2 omissions here.

Comment on Re: buildasx.pl (W32 Windows playlist builder)