Digital music websites reap most of their revenue from ringtones

The Straits Times has an interesting article on how music download sites are not making money, "but music companies have to try selling music online anyway, because if they don't, those doing it illegally will have free reign, according to a content manager of a local digital music distribution website.

And because of this, he added," local digital music websites have had to diversify, reaping most of their revenue from other services, such as ringtones for cell phones".

Very Interesting:

"Apple has announced that they cannot make money selling songs for US$0.99. This means no matter how many songs they sell, they will not turn a profit,' said Mr Robertson, CEO of Lindows.com.

Last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted during a financial analyst conference that his company makes no revenue from the iTunes Music Store, which is the current leader in digital music sales, as most of the money goes to the music companies which provide the music content."

Different ring tones for individual callers

As of Monday, UK motorists face fines of £30 to £1,000 if caught by police using their mobile phones while driving.

The Evening Post has a few suggestions to help drivers keep their hands on the wheel:

-- You can set different ring tones for individual callers so you can decide whether you want to stop the car and take the call.

-- You can put a message on all mobile phones telling a caller you are driving and that you will be able to call them back later or at a specified time.

And remember, "it is possible to drive without using a mobile phone", according to Sean Sheils, Nottingham City Transport road safety manager.

Mini ringtones

I just found this. I have no idea how long it's been around but it does say "New". Mini Ringtones for incoming text messages. Produced by MediaPlazza and available for downloading all over Europe. Cool!

Mobile tones ring in the changes

The BBC has just published an good article on ring back tones.

"It is going to be huge with those keen to spice up their mobiles when it hits Europe next year, forecasted Simon Buckingham from research firm Mobile Streams.

"I certainly think that the ring-back tone service is going to be very, very popular," Mr Buckingham said. And he should know, because he is the mobile phone guru who made his fortune from text messages and ringtones.

"You have to take account local market requirements, but people want to personalise their mobile and this is a new way to personalise your ringtone inside the phone as well as outside it."

The main difference will be the way that people pay for it. In Europe, most people pay per ring tone download, said Mr Buckingham. But in South Korea, there is minimal $1 subscription per month to pay, then dial tones cost about 60 cents on top.

They are then loaded onto the network rather than the mobile itself so there are no problems with phone compatibility.

Through partnerships with 20 different content providers, and having negotiated the tricky license deals directly with music labels, subscribers can choose from an array of local and global hits from a library of 30,000.

"Unlike ringtones it is real music," said Mr Kim. It is almost like the operator becomes the DJ by picking the tune list. I could pick out the top 25 music hits and put it on a net environment and the user picks what they want."

It could mean new ways of buoying up flagging single sales for music labels, by offering bundles of mobile content for dial and ring tones, as well as mobile wallpaper of particular artistes.

Currently in trials with major European and US networks, the service should be available in Europe by next year."

Gobble gobble ringtone

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to, but well it's out there. Turkey Gobble sound tones can be downloaded from The popular NFU turkey website.

[via politics.co.uk]

Siemens brings music to cell phones with the DRM Music Player

Siemens Mobile has launched the DRM Music Player. No longer will anyone on the move have to depend on the radio to hear the latest hits: With the DRM Music Player, music files can be downloaded directly via a cell phone.

And to ensure consumers can begin downloading straight away, mobile operator O2 has just launched the 02 Music Service. Siemens Press Release via Mobilemag.

Say hello to the 'smart jukebox'

Inspired Broadcast Networks, the digital division of entertainment company, Leisure Link, and Entertainment UK, the Europe's largest music distributor are out to change the jukebox's market decline.

Together they have built a jukebox that can instantly play any of over 2 million tracks. The broadband enabled jukebox can also sell you the album or the ringtone and will ultimately be able to e-mail you the track, according to a company press release.

Cf related article in This is London.

Vodafone creates a Live! mini site for Robbie Williams fans

Vodafone announced that its Vodafone live! service is now the official communications partner of the Robbie Williams 2003 tour of Australia, and reveals exclusive global Robbie Williams content available on Vodafone live!, according to Geekzone.

Vodafone live! customers can now get access to an exclusive Robbie Williams mini-site on Vodafone live! The content includes exclusive Robbie Williams polyphonic ringtones, backgrounds and MMS greeting cards.

CallTones, the new sound of making a phone call

Another article on ringback tones for the record, this time from TMCNet, written by Marc Samson from Hagemeyer Communications in Australia, who views the new service enthousiastically, even claiming that "CallTones will change the sound of telephony forever".

It's a great article, detailing the technology and how it works independently of the network's technology, over landlines, GSM, CDMA and 3G wireless networks, even over on VoIP solutions.

Samson gives some new examples of how entertainment companies and businesses could apply this technology:

-- Consider an event like a popular television shows where a new song comes out. People might be sitting waiting for the bus to come. There is a billboard across the street announcing the new single and an SMS code to select it as CallTones. The person just enters the SMS short code and instantly they have the new song as the CallTone. This could even be the same day the song is released.

-- Businesses can now use this technology for corporate branding and promotional activities - and yes they have a captive audience as the caller is waiting to have their call answered. The key point to remember is the call has NOT been answered. There are no phone charges occurring while the information is playing out.

A must read!

O2 Offers Mobile Music Downloads

UK mobile operator O2 is offering music downloads with 'O2 Music', enabling customers to select, download and store the latest chart hits and popular music via their mobile handset onto a specially designed 'O2 Digital Music Player', according to 160characters.org.

Vodafone handset to offer stereo sound

A new handset from Sanyo (the V801SA) will feature two micro-speakers to deliver stereo music playback, reports Cellular News.

Alumnus sells fight song ringtones

This is a wonderful success story. A father and University of Iowa alumnus has sold more than 400 high school and college fight song ringtones at $5 each since he started his business last year, according to a story published by the Iowa Press Citizen.

"When his daughter joined the Hawkeye Marching Band two years ago, Charlie Card thought it would be great to show his support by playing the University of Iowa's fight song on his cell phone. Now the self-proclaimed "die-hard Hawkeye fan" has turned his dea into a side business.

Card's initial intention was to only sell the Hawkeye fight song. But he began making arrangements to start his own business after buying several books of music anthologies, each containing a couple of hundred fight songs".

Fans can order school fight song ringtones for their cell phones at SchoolFightSongs.com.

Diesel and Yakuta to collaborate on mobile design and music

Diesel, the leading jeans and fashion company, has partnered with Yakuta to promote high-end mobile content to consumers in Europe.

"Diesel sees personalization of mobile phones as an interesting development in expressing ones individuality and character. Yakuta has created a unique approach to this market and has attracted an exciting line-up of artists from design and music, which makes us happy to support the Yakuta collections", says Bob Shevlin, head of New Media at Diesel.

In the partnership Diesel and Yakuta will promote Yakuta Mobile Visuals - a collection of wallpapers for mobile phones created by leading graphic designers and design agencies, such as Eboy, Genevieve Gauckler, and Deanne Cheuk - and Sounds collections - original and exclusive polyphonic ringtones for mobile phones created by contemporary artists, bands, and DJs, such as Forss, Mr. Velcro Fastener, and Hakan Lidbo.

The collections are available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and UK. Other markets in Europe and elsewhere will be available in 2004.

Yakuta launches Yakuta Mobile Sounds

Yakuta Ltd - a Helsinki, Finland based production company which develops and markets consumer products for mobile phones and other digital media - has just launched Yakuta Mobile Sounds, a continuous collection of exclusive and original ringtones created by leading contemporary artists and DJs.

All the tones are created exclusively for Yakuta Mobile Sounds Collection and are available to consumers from Yakuta's website at www.yakuta.com

The collection is currently available to consumers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and UK. A new collection of ringtones will be published every other month.

Kazaa Rings in Royalties for Artists

The latest update of the popular file sharing software, Kazaa v2.6, includes a pre-installed Ringtone Channel. It will provide revenue to major record labels and artists by offering Kazaa users over 3,500 monophonic and polyphonic mobile phone ringtones for purchase through the Kazaa application, according to a company press release.

The ringtones available include tracks from the Top 10 UK, US and Euro charts.

Time for the New Media Industry to Face the Music

The unregulated ringtones market is holding back growth of MMS, undermining consumer confidence and impacting on revenue streams says Fonedream. They call on the mobile content and music/film industries to work together to create consumer recognition of authorised, licensed products reports Mike Grenville on 160characters.org.

"In 2002 the global market for ringtones was estimated to be worth between $700 million and $1 billion, according to music industry sources.

However, if the music and film industries fail to work with content creators to deliver official mobile content, using digital rights management technology, then the market will be overrun by unauthorised products, affecting brand values as well as revenue streams for all parties, states Graham Baines, managing director of mobile content provider, Fonedream".

Junior Eurovision Song Contest ringtones

Viewers across Europe of last weekend's first ever Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen can download their favourite contestant's song as a ringtone, according to 160characters.org.

"The Eurovision Song Contest has been running for almost 50 years, but this was the first time a version had been held for young performers, who must be aged between eight and 15 years old."

New Version Makes Ringtone Conversion Easier

Russian Unwired Technologies have released version 2 of their multi-platform mobile ringtone conversion engine called Ringtone Creator, reports 160characters.org.

"Compatible with over 200 different cell phone models, it is capable of processing all major monophonic and polyphonic ringtone formats, like (SP-)MIDI, SMAF, IMelody, Nokia, WAVE, to name a few. This version introduces support for SMAF Phrases and flexible means of adjusting ringtone volume.

Priced at 100 Euros, Ringtone Creator can be used as a stand-alone tool or integrated with other software applications".

Ringtonia.com restored

Ringtonia.com experienced a hard disk drive crash 10 days ago. All the content has been retrieved as of today, but the e-mail notification list has been lost.

If you would like to receive e-mail notifications, sign up again online, on the right hand side, under Free Notifications.

Sorry for the inconvenience. And be safe, don't forget to back-up your blogs.

Primetones.com Let's You 'Create Your Own MP3 Ringtones

Now everyone with a phone can be an MP3 Content Developer and Publisher. Anyone can create their own MP3 Ringtones thanks to Primetones product line which includes interactive tools enabling mobile users to post MP3 audio to their blogs from any phone. [ PR Newswire ]

Best True Music Ringtone award

Retro Ringtones LLC picked up The Best True Music Ringtone award at the first annual Mobile Music Conference in Miami, Florida Saturday night.

The award was presented by Devo's Jerry Casale to Thomas Dolby Robertson for his self-produced ringtone 'Sendo Spaghetti'--commissioned for the upcoming Sendo X smartphone--which features Sergio Leone-style horns, orchestral stabs, and a dramatic whip-crack sound effect.

The award was a fitting end to week in which Retro Ringtones launched its premium 'digital' ringtone library on two of Europe's top wireless carrier portals, O2 and Orange. (Thanks Hugo!)

Last month, "Rap Artist 50 Cent of Interscope Records was honored with the first ever «Ringtone of the Year Award» on October 22 in Las Vegas, during the CTIA event. cf First «Ringtone of the Year Award.

Aston Martin engine as a ring tone

A limited edition of Aston Martin and Motorola co-branded handsets, the Motorola V600, are being made. They will be branded with the Aston Martin logo and feature the sound of an Aston Martin engine as a ring tone", according to autofan.com.

Last April, Siemens partnered with the Formula 1 racing series since 1998, and premiered official Grand Prix cell phones in Barcelona. Available as a limited edition, two new models (S55 S and C55 C) were configured with distinctive Formula 1 motifs, the F1 logo as a screensaver, and engine-sound ringtones. cf Formula 1 engine ringtone.

Swisscom Mobile launches Ericsson's and Sony Music's M-USE Mobile Music Service

In a world first, Swisscom Mobile - Switzerland largest mobile network operator - will be launching M-USE, a new mobile music service developed by Ericsson in cooperation with Sony Music Germany.

M-USE is an integral part of Swisscom Mobile's Vodafone Live! portal which was launched at the same time. The M-USE service offers the latest in mobile music content including artist pictures, ringtones, mobile music clips, artist news, and an advanced music recommendation service according to Business Wire and Ericsson press release.

Moviso Prepaid Ringtone Cards Available at Best Buy stores nationwide

Moviso prepaid ringtone cards are available today at more than 590 Best Buy stores nationwide, and are compatible with two major handset brands, Nokia and Motorola. Additional handset support for prepaid cards sold at Best Buy will include Samsung and Sanyo early next year.

The prepaid ringtone cards - for $7.99 each - are available alongside other wireless accessories at Best Buy stores. Moviso's prepaid ringtone cards let consumers personalize their mobile phones to ring with favorite songs and, unlike ringtones purchased on the Internet or via telephone, do not require a credit card or charges to the phone bill to purchase.

Since Moviso introduced the product last year, the company has distributed more than one million ringtone cards. [ Business Wire ]

Cell Phone Ringtones

This article by News Channel 3 is the article I have been waiting for. A simple short story on how ringtones work on your cell phone with a listing of some good sites for downloading ringtones online.

"A ringtone is simply a computer program stored in your cell phone's memory and with most phones, you can change it. By downloading online or in some countries, sending the name of the desired ringtone to a short code by text messaging.

The article also links to a useful and more detailed chapter on ringtones from How Stuff Works.
Of related interest, a post on Ringtonia published several months ago with regard to a company called (at the time) "My Nokia" (and since renamed Phat Tonez). It was the world's first commercial ringtone service launched in 1999 by 23 year old British national James Winsoar, who first realised that a feature built by Nokia into their cell phones -- allowing mobile phone companies to add their logo and ringing sounds -- could be exploited by others, and allowing anyone the freedom to customise their mobile phone with graphics and music. cf James Winsoar, first ringtone provider.

MMC : 2003 The Miami Mobile Music Conference

The place to be for anyone interested in mobile music content. The Mobile Music Conference (MMC 2003) which will be held in Miami November 14. Industry leaders will be discuss the producing, protecting and monetizing of music for the mobile market.

The MobileMusiCon agenda is designed to give attendees access to new technologies, products and services, as well as high-level networking, dialogue and discussions with top mobile, music, artist management and technology industry executives.

Leading music and mobile industry visionaries, technologists, solution providers, handset manufacturers and content owners will be featured throughout the event.

Operators seek retail outlets for mobile services

Mobile services will be packaged and sold in supermarkets across Europe in the next few years, as mobile distribution expands into the mass market., according to a new report by ARC Group. Ringtones and football alerts will soon be available, with games to follow, as operators seek alternative distribution networks. New Media Zero via Moco News.

Video ringtones

This is wild, video ringtones. Psiloc VISION is a new application which brings ring tones to a next level - videos! Vision allows mobile users to assign videos to contacts that are then played when that contact rings them. You effectively have video ringtones. The software also supports display of full screen pictureson an incoming call.

Psiloc VISION works on Symbian Series 60 smartphones: currently many Nokia models and Siemens SX1. A trial can be downloaded from Psiloc website. [ All About Symbian ]

Music Download Surcharge

Rock band Linkin Park are to release a download only single with a Premium Rate SMS payment option that will cost fans one third more than by credit card highlighting the poor pay out from operators.

"NME reports that the track called 'FROM THE INSIDE', a live version taken from the band's upcoming 'Live In Texas' album, will be available from fromtheinside.co.uk and a number of other selected websites from 10th November.With a credit card the download will cost £1.99 and £3 by Premium Rate text message". [ 160characters.org ]

Yamaha European Ringtone Launch

Yamaha Mobile will launch a ringtone service across 24 European mobile operators, with about 1,000 ringtones with both global and local hit songs, music box sound tunes, original club music, classical music, jazz, and various sound effects. Already a major mobile content provider in Japan, with more than 3.4 million subscribers, this is the company's first venture into the growing European ringtone market. [ 160characters.org ]