I have a couple of audio buddies in The Netherlands, Germany and Spain. One of them mentioned that the next big thing in Europe is Internet radio. When I checked with the others, they concurred. Now granted, this is not hi-fi quality, but some stations do offer better sound. Apparently the recording industry's crackdown on illegal downloading is the main reason for the new direction and people are starting to get their music by "recording" off the web.

Now I remember back in the day when I used to tape whole radio shows on Saturday night off of FM. I never considered myself a terrorist for doing this, but I'm sure the RIAA would disagree. Anyhow, I guess this is the new trend. My friend in Spain also said that a lot of the music that is offered on illegal download sites is actually recorded off internet radio. He added that a lot of internet radio stations are also listing upcoming playlists on their websites to make recording easier. Actually, I have noticed that more manufacturers, even hi-fi ones and especially the ones hailing from Europe, are offering tuners that have built-in Internet radio tuners. Considering that some of these also have digital output, I could see this really becoming a big thing here in the US too.