Ringtones: How Much Is Too Much?

Grok Headline matches for Ringtones: How Much Is Too Much?

Ringtones Made Easy- Unwired Appeal
launches ToneGuys Ringtones and the
Adaptive Content Server (ACS)

Ringtones Made Easy- Unwired Appeal
launches ToneGuys Ringtones and the
Adaptive Content Server (ACS) 05/31/2004 01:45 PM
Cutting-edge ACS technology allows cellphone users in North American to easily download ringtones, graphics, and java games at www.toneguys.com. [PRWEB May 26, 2004]

ToneGuys Ringtones USA Launches
TrueTones - Next-generation ringtones
available now at ToneGuys USA

ToneGuys Ringtones USA Launches
TrueTones - Next-generation ringtones
available now at ToneGuys USA 09/12/2004 03:03 AM
ToneGuys announced today the commercial launch of next-generation TrueTone ringtones on www.toneguys.com. The launch follows the recent signing of a distribution agreement with UK-based The Music Factory Entertainment Group, a producer and distributor of TrueTone music engineered specifically for next-generation cell phones. [PRWEB Sep 12, 2004]

Ringtones, yes. Songs, no

Ringtones, yes. Songs, no 03/13/2003 10:20 AM

CNET makes a really good point: all these new music services for cellphones from Sony, MTV, and AOL offer ring tones and music-themed screensavers, but none of them offer downloads of actual songs, something lots of people might actually pay for.
Read

UK to Get Top 20 Ringtones Chart

UK to Get Top 20 Ringtones Chart 06/01/2004 01:53 PM

UK accountancy firm KPMG is starting a 'Top 20' chart to keep track of Britain's most popular mobile phone ring tones. By aggregating data from the mobile companies themselves, KPMG hopes to become the official reference for the burgeoning ringtone market. It seems it's needed, too. Right now Ringtones.co.uk reports 'I Don't Want You Back' by US singer Eamon (who?) is number one, yet Nokia puts Britney Spears' (who?) single 'Everytime' on top.
R ead [BBC via GigaOm]

Related
iTunes Celebrity Playlists: Anything But Ordinary, Please [Gizmodo]

Hack your own ringtones

Hack your own ringtones 05/25/2004 03:43 AM
This week on Engadget's HOWTO section: how to hack your own ringtones for the P900:

I bought a CD and use it in my alarm clock (a lot of alarm clocks have that as a feature)- Should I pay $3 for that? Perhaps, seems weird to me. Sometimes when the phone rings I whistle a popular tune from a CD I bought, do I need to pay for that? America is a great place, we have fair use- it’s why we’re great innovators and heck- making stuff for our phones for our own personal use goes beyond fair use. In this week’s how to we show you how to make your own ring tones, for just your phone, for just personal use, from the CD you just bought.

Link (Thanks, pt!)

Just How Offensive Are Ringtones?

Just How Offensive Are Ringtones? 03/24/2005 05:19 AM
There are plenty of people who find ringtones to be somewhat offensive -- but mainly in the annoying sense. However, it appears that some political group in India has found ringtone s of the Indian national anthem so offensive, that they're calling for it to be banned. Certainly seems a bit extreme. You have to imagine that anyone who has the national anthem (even in ringtone form) on their phone is probably pretty patriotic in the first place. Rosanne (Barr) should be thankful she didn't sing the Indian national anthem at some point. Imagine what they'd do to her?

Your Ringtones Do Not Impress Me

Your Ringtones Do Not Impress Me 04/18/2005 02:26 PM
Dear coworkers, If you're going to leave your cell phone at your desk while you're not there, please disable that loud and annoying ringtone that you're so fond of. Consider using the "vibrate" feature or the silent profile. Or, better yet, take the phone with you. Your ringtones do not impress me. Thanks, Jeremy...

Visual ringtones

Visual ringtones 06/17/2005 03:29 PM

There was a panel on synaesthesia at Eyebeam last week and as I was finishing up some work before heading home, I caught a bit of the introduction. It's a bit different than the standard boilerplate announcement you hear at most conferences/panels:

If you have cell phones or pagers, please leave them on because they might result in some interesting visual experiences for some of us here.

Later, a phone rings:

Ooh, orange!

Tsunami Relief Ringtones

Tsunami Relief Ringtones 01/05/2005 06:50 AM

ZapToPhone are selling "Tsunami Aid Ringtones," the proceeds from which will be donated to UNICEF's tsunami relief efforts. Different levels of donation are available, with each level (up to $9) netting you a different ringtone, all of which are the national anthems of affected countries. Assuming everything is going to UNICEF (and there's nothing to imply it is not), it's a good way to raise some more money to help out.

Tsunami Aid Ringtones [ZapToPhone via Ringtoni a]

New Motorola mobile has MP3 ringtones

New Motorola mobile has MP3 ringtones 06/22/2004 12:28 PM
Cyber India Online Jun 22 2004 4:33PM GMT

Anti-Drug Ringtones

Anti-Drug Ringtones 04/19/2005 11:04 AM

In an excellent example of how to reach the 'tween audience, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is now offering some hep ringtones for cool cats and hot eats or whatever it is kids in commercials have been forced at gunpoint to say.

What better way to convince kids to stay off drugs than with poorly conceived and highly uncool ringtones and greeting cards peddled through an obviously astroturfed website? Perhaps they should sell t-shirts that say "I Hate Weed and Also Wet the Bed."

Freevibe Ringtones [CoolGov via BoingBoing]

Labels warned over ringtones

Labels warned over ringtones 07/08/2004 10:50 AM
The big record labels should be careful of exploiting the lucrative ringtone business, say analysts.

Presidential candidate ringtones

Presidential candidate ringtones 06/24/2004 09:39 AM
If your phone supports MP3s or WAVs as ringtones, you can download these clips of the three presedential candidates saying "I'm John Kerry and I approve this message," "I'm George W. Bush and I approve this message" and "I'm Ralph Nader, running for president and I approve this mess." Link (Thanks, PT!)

Other News: Real Ringtones

Other News: Real Ringtones 08/05/2004 10:21 AM
John Dvorak says that Apple desire for ringtone revenue may have triggered its surprising attack against RealNetworks.

Nokia exits ringtones

Nokia exits ringtones 09/20/2004 05:12 AM
The bell doth toll for toll bells

Cool ringtones, at what cost?

Cool ringtones, at what cost? 05/25/2004 08:50 PM

Today I thought about the fact that I can legally download the latest hit song for less than US$1 but a sample of the same tune used as a ringtone costs twice as much or more. Who's to blame? The record industry, of course.

According to this Reuters article, mono and poly ringtones bring the original artists and music publishers a 10 percent royalty while the record labels don't get squat. But "sample" ringtones are clipped from studio recordings, requiring a license from the record label. And they're happy to sell those rights to the tune of 25 to 55 percent of the total retail price of each ringtone. As a result, the resellers are jacking up their prices.

I think this will only drive more people to make their own "sample" ringtones and trade them. As a matter of fact, record labels themselves stand to benefit from giving away "sample" ringtones. Talk about infectious grooves! Link

New 'music' chart for ringtones

New 'music' chart for ringtones 06/01/2004 04:03 AM
A new chart is being launched to reflect the increasing popularity of mobile phone ringtones.

Ripping music for Ringtones

Ripping music for Ringtones 05/19/2004 03:14 AM
DIY ringtone software panics record labels.

make your own ringtones from MP3s with Xingtone, user/p ass

Xingtone's desktop software is easy-to-use, legal, and allows you to create mobile phone ringtones using digital audio files on your computer - music clips, sound effects, your child's laugh, your dog’s bark, or any sound you like!

[unmediated]

All I gotta say is right on.  Couldn't happen to a nicer group of fellas.

Phlink gets personalized ringtones, more

Phlink gets personalized ringtones, more 01/22/2004 01:00 PM
Ovolab today released Phlink 1.3, a new version of its telephony software for Mac OS X...

"Ripping music for Ringtones"

"Ripping music for Ringtones" 05/20/2004 11:30 AM

how to download ringtones in benq m555c

how to download ringtones in benq m555c 08/15/2004 05:12 PM
TechTree Aug 15 2004 8:49PM GMT

Music Labels Focus On Ringtones

Music Labels Focus On Ringtones 08/18/2004 05:22 AM
It appears that the music labels, rather than actually looking to figure out how they're going to deal with this digital music issue, are, instead, simply walking naively into the next mess. Since they haven't quite figured out really how to make downloadable music work yet (though, they keep hoping they have) they're turning to the new revenue source they never expected: ringtones. They've suddenly noticed that kids are paying $2.50 for a fragment of a song they won't pay a $1 to download completely, which leads to things like Warner Brothers actually advertising ringtones rather than the regular music itself. WB is now specifically advertising ringtones from the next Green Day album, including the lovely one with a member of the band saying: "It's your mother. I know. She's with me." It's no surprise that the labels are focusing on this market, given the basic economics, but they seem to be doing so under the assumption that they won't face the same problem they faced with file sharing. In fact, with the release of things like Xingtone, the labels are going to have increasing difficulty holding onto this market. But rather than figuring out ways to deal with it, they're just jumping on a bandwagon while it's hot. It's a short term strategy from the ultimate short-term thinkers.

Cellphones, More Than Calls, Text and
Ringtones?

Cellphones, More Than Calls, Text and
Ringtones? 09/01/2004 02:39 AM
Built-in cellphone browsers break the wap and synchronization barriers to deployment of usable content on mobile phones. A new mobile phone accessible portal site offers quick and easy links to the entire mobile web. [PRWEB Sep 1, 2004]

Use iTunes to create MP3 ringtones for
cellphones

Use iTunes to create MP3 ringtones for
cellphones 05/25/2004 10:14 AM
After discovering my phone can play mp3 files as ringtones, I immediately grabbed some of my favorite songs and tried to crop and convert them. After trying to do so using Quicktime Pro and iTunes (far more hassle then it's...

Mobile Users to Get Custom Ringtones

Mobile Users to Get Custom Ringtones 03/24/2005 01:52 PM
In what Warner Music is calling a first for the mobile phone industry, the record company is offering customers the ability to create ringtones based on whichever part of the song they desire. Normally, ringtones come as preset 30-second clips, but companies are looking for new ways to capitalize on the emerging market.

Ringtones are 10% of the global music
market?

Ringtones are 10% of the global music
market? 03/06/2004 02:06 AM
So says UK research firm ARC Group.  Evidently this is what will replace the revenues bleeding out of CD sales.

Call of the wild: animal ringtones

Call of the wild: animal ringtones 04/07/2005 12:49 PM
Xeni Jardin: This website offers animal sound ringtones for your mobile phone. Respond to the "true tone" of the turkey gooble, interrupted by a rifle blast. Other earthycrunchy options: Barred Owl, Canada Geese, Common Loon, Cougar, Mallard, Elk, Pintail, and Goose. Kinda pricey, though: $2.50 a shot. At that rate, I might just wander out to the woods, grab an unsuspecting duck, and strap it to my Treo instead. Link (Thanks, bonnie)

can someone plz tell me how to unlock my
dwnloaded ringtones coz i cnt send them
out im MMS

can someone plz tell me how to unlock my
dwnloaded ringtones coz i cnt send them
out im MMS 09/12/2004 10:01 PM
TechTree Sep 13 2004 2:52AM GMT

'Escape-A-Date' ringtones help you lie
like an (unwired) dog

'Escape-A-Date' ringtones help you lie
like an (unwired) dog 08/04/2004 01:47 PM
Cingular Wireless recently introduced an odd new tool for subscribers. "Escape-a-Date" is touted as "the perfect service to use when you are afraid that your blind date may not be just right for you." Users schedule a "rescue" phone call at a pre-set time which tells them exactly how to lie their way into speedy escape. Eight randomly-generated humorous scripts are offered, here's a snip from one:

Hey, this is your escape-a-date call. If you're looking for an excuse, I got it. Just repeat after me, and you'll be on your way!

"Not again! Why does that always happen to you? ... Alright, I'll be right there." Now tell 'em that your roommate got locked out, and you have to go let them in. Good luck!"

It's actually not the first, um, wireless falsification enabler. Virgin Mobile USA also offers subscribers the option to set up a "Rescue Ring" to escape any situation -- romantic or otherwise -- by simply scheduling a time when they want to receive an automated system call. "Save yourself from bad dates, boring meetings, or any other situation that needs interrupting," says the Virgin website. Emily's Ringtoni a blog has more on the mobile fakeout meme. Doug Rushkoff has more on the Cingular service over at The Feature. And don't forget the web classic, Rejection Line. But really, people -- WTF ever happened to honesty? (via unwired list)

ToneGuys Launches Gofresh Ringtones in
the USA

ToneGuys Launches Gofresh Ringtones in
the USA 05/31/2004 01:45 PM
Gofresh Mobile Media's next-generation ringtones now avaiable in the USA at www.toneguys.com. [PRWEB May 28, 2004]

Zedge.no: Free Wallpapers, Ringtones,
Etc.

Zedge.no: Free Wallpapers, Ringtones,
Etc. 06/02/2004 01:38 PM

Reader Tom Amoy asked me to forward a link to Zedge, a free wallpaper, themes, and ringtone site run by mobile enthusiest Kenneth Sundnes. I hear some of you people are into customizing your phones and what not, so I thought I'd pass it along. Free is much better than not free, usually.
Read [Zedge]

The Return Of The CD Single... This Time
With Ringtones

The Return Of The CD Single... This Time
With Ringtones 06/21/2004 05:27 PM
The music industry has quite an amazing track record lately in misreading what the market is telling them. Their latest move is to reintroduce the mini-CD single -- a format that failed to capture much interest the first go around. The industry seems to think that now that people are getting used to buying single tracks at music download stores, they want single (or up to three) track CDs. Pricing isn't disclosed, but it's unlikely to be of interest to most people assuming it's over the $3 or so it would cost most users to just download those songs from a download store. The other part of the deal, though, is that each CD will co ntain codes to let users download matching ringtones, jumping on what the industry incorrectly believes will be the next big thing, when anyone could just take the tracks on that CD (or any other CD) and create a ringtone using Xingtone. Realistically, this is just the first (of many, most likely) attempts by the industry to try to tie ringtones more closely to CD sales, ignoring that what happened for music on PCs is just as likely to happen on phones as well.

Music firms warned over ringtones

Music firms warned over ringtones 07/08/2004 05:15 AM
BBC Jul 8 2004 9:40AM GMT

U.S. Ringtones Market Slow to Connect
(Reuters)

U.S. Ringtones Market Slow to Connect
(Reuters) 09/10/2004 11:46 PM
Reuters - With a possible billion-dollar windfall at stake, U.S. music companies are eagerly awaiting the full-blown development of the stateside ringtone market.

Jamster sued over claims that free
ringtones weren't

Jamster sued over claims that free
ringtones weren't 04/07/2005 12:05 AM
Xeni Jardin: Ringtone company Jamster is being sued in San Diego, California, for false advertising. Jamster ran ads promising users a free ringtone, but the suit claims their "free" ringtone really costs $1.99.

Jamster is the U.S. name of Jamba, a German mobile content provider that VeriSign acquired in June 2004. VeriSign is no stranger to consumer wrath. T-Mobile USA and Cingular Wireless are also named on the suit, presumedly because they allow Jamster to bill for "free" services.

Jamster advertises on TV and other media that mobile customers can get a free ringtone if they send a text message to the number displayed on the ad. In fact, those who sent the text message got multiple messages back notifying them that content was available for download, according to the complaint. The customers had to pay for all those messages (premium SMS).

Link

Ringtones sidestep digital-music price
drops

Ringtones sidestep digital-music price
drops 05/26/2004 06:17 AM
ZDNet UK May 26 2004 9:54AM GMT

I just used bluetooth to transfer
pictures, ringtones and games. Didn't
try to chat. However, even if you try

I just used bluetooth to transfer
pictures, ringtones and games. Didn't
try to chat. However, even if you try 07/13/2004 11:55 PM
TechTree Jul 14 2004 4:46AM GMT

Cingular to Debut Songs as Ringtones
Before Radio (Reuters)

Cingular to Debut Songs as Ringtones
Before Radio (Reuters) 04/12/2005 11:50 AM
Reuters - Cingular Wireless will debut new music singles from top artists as cell phone "ringtones" on its network before those songs make their traditional radio debut, the company said on Tuesday.

Jeffrey Veen: Ringtones and Torture
Pictures Want to be Free

Jeffrey Veen: Ringtones and Torture
Pictures Want to be Free 05/24/2004 09:56 PM
Jeffrey Veen: Ringtones and Torture Pictures Want to be Free

veen.com/jeff/archives/000542.html
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Grok Description matches for Ringtones: How Much Is Too Much?
GrokA matches for Ringtones: How Much Is Too Much?

Ringtones: How Much Is Too Much?

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