May 21, 2004
Lord of the rings
Ringtones now account for 10% of the world's music market, generating a staggering $3bn. So shouldn't they have their own chart? Alexis Petridis for The Guardian reports.
Excerpts:
"Three years ago, personalised ringtones were given away free on websites run by amateurs, who dedicated their spare time to programming mobiles to play Eminem songs instead of merely ringing - a hobby that seemed to rank alongside translating the Bible into Klingon for pointlessness. Nobody would call ringtones pointless today.
Last year, mobile phone users spent $3bn on them. They account for 10% of the world's music market. Over the next 12 months, more and more new phones will play "mastertones" - not bleepy electronic facsimiles of chart hits, but the hits themselves. Unlike the current monophonic and polyphonic ringtones, their sales will generate money for record companies. There is talk of mastertones ultimately replacing the ailing single format.
While James Gillespie of the Official UK Chart Company, is cautious about rumours that sales of ringtones will soon be included in the singles chart -"It's something we'll possibly look at in the next few years, but it's a big 'possibly'" - others are more bullish: after all, the British singles chart is soon to include legal downloads, and their sales are barely a fraction of ringtones.
"It's only a matter of time before someone comes up with a mastertone chart," says Rob Wells, new media director of Universal Music UK, "and before that starts to carry more weight than the singles chart. I absolutely, definitely, believe one hundred percent that ringtones should be included in the charts."
The rise of the ringtone throws up some puzzling questions for the music industry. "One of the things we have to look at is why kids are perfectly happy to spend £3.99 on a ringtone, but they think a similar amount is too much to pay for a single," says Gillespie. One theory is that ringtones are simply easier to buy. There is no need to go to a shop or access a website, simply send a text message and the cost is added to your phone bill. Another is that the onslaught of reality TV has devalued the singles chart in the eyes of its traditional target market.
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