Podcast NYC: The Podcast Revolution

Think about how content has been distributed in the modern era. In the early 1900s there were newspapers that disseminated content in the form of newsprint. This content was very local and people didn't have much (if any) choice in what they got. Then radio came along and turned the world upside down. People could actually hear news and original content through a box in their homes. So when they were done reading the newspaper they could get more content from the radio. The radio was the first step in revolutionizing the delivery of content.

In the early days innovations were few and far between so it took decades for the television set to be perfected and distributed to the masses. Once it was distributed, people were amazed once again. They could now hear and see content being delivered through a box in their homes. People were (and continue to be to this day) mesmerized by the glow of the boob tube. Once again, innovations were few and far between. Over the next forty years, TV became the most exploited media delivery device. More and more channels were added. Many different types of programs were added. They even added programs to allow you to shop while watching TV. TV ruled! People invented boxes that could play (and later record) movies and other shows on the TV. TV still ruled until the mid 1990s. Then something happened.

The internet happened and the tide began to turn....ever so slowly. For the first time in nearly a hundred years content could be delivered in a way that did not include newspapers, TV or radio. People could get onto the web and read news, see pictures and even communicate via email. Holy guacamole! But wait. The type of media was very similar to the old stuff. People would read news websites (like a newspaper), listen to low quality audio streams (like the radio) and they could see pictures and maybe some short movie clips (much like the television.) They could shop and buy stuff on line (much like using catalogs or the home shopping network.) So what was the big deal with the internet in the 'early' days?

COMMUNICATION! (More on that in a moment.)

If you think about the change from the pre-internet days to the internet days, not a whole lot changed. You still had this box in your house that you sat in front of and did all the things your grandparents did in front of the radio, television and newspaper. And there's one more thing. You got the content from the same people all the time. Think about it. We now watch news on CNN, MSNBC and Fox on television. And we go to their websites when we're online. We read newspapers and we go to the newspaper websites when we're online. And even though we're downloading music and even movies from the internet, it still comes from the same sources as before. Is that a revolution? Not really. Wait, it's getting better.

The revolution is beginning. There wasn't a single point in time when it began. It's sliding on a continuum and moves forward on it's own inertia. What? In other words, this train is movin and there ain't nothin stoppin it baby. The revolution begins with simple addition.

COMMUNICATION + BANDWITH + CONTENT + PORTABILITY = BYE BYE OLD MEDIA WORLD.

The internet is the grease that provides the communication. Bandwidth is available now in spades. Content is out there. The blog movement has proven that millions of people have tons of content that they want to get out there. With the increased bandwidth, that content can now be delivered via audio and video, instead of text. The last mile of this revolution involves portability. Portable hard drives and their use as media devices. People can listen to (and soon watch) all kinds of content, anywhere they go, all the time. Why will they do this? Because they've always done it. People like to be entertained and otherwise distracted. No, they love to be entertained. The Sony Walkman changed how people listen to music and even changed people's habits. Now, the portable media player will blow the doors off of the traditional distribution methods for all kinds of media. As a result, people will be emboldened to create. They will create, And that's a good thing!

What am I getting at here? You're screaming it as you read this. No problem. The revolution has begun and you can get in on it. Do you want to? If yes, monitor this space. If no, go surf CNN's website or something.