Audio has been around since, I suppose, the spoken language. The difference now is distribution and availability. Audiobooks, podcasts, smart phones, voice controlled home speaker systems, connected cars, and who knows what will come next.
The ultimate in content repurposing.
If you have a podcast, you have some, well, power, authority, credibility. Just like if you have a book, you instantly have some leverage...
Maybe I just lived in the city too long but I can't get enough of the birds. "You'd think I live in the bird...