It really is amazing how much the audio marketplace has evolved over the past decade. I've written about the growing "competition for our ears" here before, but over at the Radio Survivor blog, there's an outstanding collection of essays about "The Decade's Most Important Radio Trends" by several long-time industry experts. Dennis Haarsager of National Public Radio has a nice listing of all the entries over on his blog, which I have reproduced down below.
It just blows my mind to think that just 10 years ago I didn't have satellite radio (now have 3 subscriptions); I didn't have Pandora (my 8 different personalized channels are playing in the background on my computer non-stop); I had never heard a podcast (and now subscribe to several and have hosted one here on occasion); I didn't have an MP3 player and had never burned any of my music (now have 3 players and my entire 25-year collection of CDs on all 3 devices); and I had never spent any time listening to music online (and now am quite in love with Lala and LastFM). Meanwhile, I am still listening to the old fashion radio quite a bit, including on a new HD Radio player in my house. You gotta love choice like that!
Anyway, read these essays for a fuller investigation into the state of the audio marketplace. I don't agree with everything said in each of the entries but still recommend you check out the entire series:
#1 (Paul Riismandel): The birth and troubled childhood of satellite radio.
#2 (Jennifer Waits): The growth of internet radio.
#3 (Waits): iPod and iTunes lure listeners away from terrestrial radio.
#4 (Riismandel): Podcasting.
#5 (Matthew Lasar): The age of Pandora.
#6 (Riismandel): HD Radio launches, but who listens, who cares?
#7 (Lasar): Internet radio's Day of Silence.
#8 (Lasar): The Great Fairness Doctrine Panic.
#9 (Riismandel): The FCC authorizes Low-Power FM.
#10 (Riismandel): Clear Channel goes private equity.
#11 (Waits): Cash-strapped schools turn back on college radio.
#12 (Lasar): National Public Radio keeps growing.
#13 (Waits): College radio tightens its playlist.
#14 (Lasar): Pacifica Radio democratizes itself.