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Shoes
Floor Surfaces Even the best cushioned shoes can't entirely make up for a poor floor surface. Avoid jumping for any period of time on hard, unforgiving surface like concrete or tile over concrete. The risk of developing shin splints, sore calves, or sore feet is too great when the floor doesn't yield at all with each landing. Surprising to most people, thick foam mats or carpeting over padding is not good either. Although the landing will be cushioned, there are extra stresses imposed on the legs because you lose your "rebound" from the landing and have to jump "out" of the cushioning. It's much like running in sand. Below are the surfaces that I do recommend jumping on:
Synthetic Gym Floors also work well for rope jumping. I believe that they are made out of a rubber base with a polyurethane top coating. They don't have quite the spring of a good suspended wood floor, but are not a bad choice.
Music Equipment & Workout Apparel
The personal music system is best worn at the waist on a belt or in a pouch that is especially made for this purpose. I've broken a couple of players when they've come off while jumping. Small earphones also work well and can be held in place by placing a sweatband over them. I route the wire from the player to the earphones under my T-shirt to keep it out of the way. Wear whatever exercise apparel is comfortable, absorbs sweat, and won't be so baggy as to interfere with the turning rope. Women might want to wear a sports bra for support. Men should wear an athletic supporter or snug briefs.
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Cross-trainer
or aerobic dance shoes generally work the best for rope jumping. You
want good cushioning under the forefoot and good lateral stability
(resists the tendency for the foot to roll with side way movements).
Running shoes have more cushioning under the heel and don't generally have
good lateral stability. You also want to avoid shoes that have thick
knobs on the bottom which will tend to snag the rope. Choose
whichever brand fits your feet the best and meets the criteria listed
above. 
Wood
Floors are the best jump rope surface, especially if they are
suspended (laid over some cushion or spring design rather than over
concrete) as they are in some aerobic exercise rooms. This is the
kind of surface I drove to in order to set the world record for the most
"doubles with a cross." 
Rubber
or Plastic Tiles/Mats made for sports or exercise are also an excellent choice for
jumping. The advantage here is that you can buy them as interlocking
tiles as shown at the right, or in various sizes of mats. Thus, if
you want a good jumping surface for your home* that has only carpeting, or
hard surfaces, you can purchase rubber tile or a rubber mat to lay over
the other surfaces. Make sure that the mat is 1/2" to 3/4" thick to
provide the right amount of cushioning. There are a number of
companies out there that sell rubber tile and mats and you might find a
fitness or weight lifting supply store that will sell them to you.
One company I found on the web that sell various rubber and plastic
surfaces is 
For
me, good music is a must for a fun jump rope workout. The right music will
challenge you to change your jumping rhythm and skills, while just making
you feel like moving. If you don't have to worry about bothering
other people, any good music system or "boom" box will work fine.
However, I usually workout at a health club or gym where my music might
not appeal to everyone. Therefore, I wear a personal cassette player
as shown by Kathleen to the right. Newer personal digital music
systems work great as well. Just be sure that the music won't skip
while you do. Tape cassette or hard drive-based players should have
a good "anti-roll" mechanism to prevent the music from skipping while you
move. Digital music systems that are stored on memory cards
shouldn't be affected by jumping.
