Actually, I would like for MC to have as great a market share as possible. Benefits?
* More support from hardware manufacturers of things like MP3 appliances and portables - consider how much effort SteveG has to spend reverse engineering the iPod, with no support from Apple
* Larger community of 3rd party developers of skins, plugins, visuals - think Winamp
* More money for J River to spend on development - shortened development cycle, more testing, more features, etc.
* More money for J River to spend on license fees for things like DVD & AAC codecs
* Ability to influence the market in terms of codec development, business models, standards, etc.
I think it's a bit selfish to try to keep MC as a hobby for a select few... though there is no reason why this can't continue, and the hard core user community is certainly a great asset!
In terms of how to do it, there are some options (and I am sure that J River has already explored most/all of them).
* Free version of MC with reduced feature set
* Bundling with hardware devices
* Close cooperation with specialist computer audio forums (iPodLounge, AVSForum) - doing a pretty good job here BTW
* Close cooperation with complementary software products (Girder, NetRemote, myHTPC, ZoomPlayer, etc) - have done in the past, but could streamline a bit more, maybe explore bundling/joint promotion? I really think there should be a one-stop purchase option for MC + Girder + DVD Codecs
* Reduce the learning curve - ie gather the most frequently asked questions from the Forum and make them easy accessible, have a Getting Started forum for new/prospective users that doesn't expose them to what appears to be a long list of bugs/trouble reports, etc.
* Some kind of system integration/configuration service - delivered through a mix of software and working with 3rd party consultants. It's taken me a year or so to get everything working just right, it would be great if new users could take advantage of the learning process that advanced users have gone through.
* Make sure that the "Wow!" features are easily visible and accessible "out of the box" - such as Theater View, Remote Server, Smartlists, Track Info options, Visualizations, Video & picture support, etc. I've seen too many posts along the lines of "I didn't know MC could do that..."
Most importantly, have a clear & compelling answer to "Why should I pay $25 for MC when WinAmp/WMP/iTunes is free?" - I believe there are reasons, but we just need to deal with this issue head-on, put it on the website, in the FAQ, support our answers with well thought arguments and PUT THEM IN A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE VISIBLE TO POSSIBLE BUYERS, NOT JUST EXISTING DEDICATED USERS!