Mobile users drive ‘killer apps'

According to South Africa's IT WEb, in an interview with Shannon Wolfe, Alcatel's deputy director of marketing-communication:

"In Asia, the latest ‘killer application' is the personalised ring back tone (PRBT), which is the tone a caller hears while waiting for the phone to be answered and this can now be customised – much like with ringtones and at a similar cost – to the user's own taste.”

She says PRBT works on any network and with any content, so the user has the choice of any music, message or sound they wish to install on their phone.

“In Korea and Taiwan the service has taken off at an incredible pace, with some 3 000 to 4 000 new subscribers joining every day, and since the users effectively drive the sales for you, it is a genuine ‘killer app',” she says.

Blogger's Theme Song

Special request! We're hoping someone will make a ringtone of the Bloggers' Theme Song. This would be so perfect for all bloggers' cell phones. Here are the lyrics, so memorable. Blog, blog, blog, blog, blog. blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blooog, blog, blogablogabloga, blog. Yeah. via Scripting News.

Downloads of KDDI ‘chaku uta' ringtones top 100 million

KDDI Corp announced Friday that downloads of its "chaku uta" ring tone service for "au" brand mobile phone handsets topped 100 million Monday, reports Japan Today via MocoNews.

"Users can enjoy a 30-second clip of song in the "chaku uta" service, which started in December 2002 for subscribers of third-generation mobile phones capable of high-speed and large-capacity data transmissions."

For related articles on Chaku-uta, check out this category in Ringtonia.com

Ringback Tone Terminology

Along the lines of "Let's Get This Straight!", trying to make sense of ringtone terminology, here's another attempt, this time tracking the various terms used by different countries referring to ring back tones.

A ringback tone allows the mobile user to personalize the ringing sound that your caller hears when dialling your cell phone number.

-- Korea: Ringback tones, called COLOR Ring, were pioneered by SK Telecom. They launched in April 2002.

-- China: Shanghai Mobile announced the launch of a Rungback Service in August 2003 - Please note, this is probably not the real terminology, but just a translation of ringback tone service from Chinese into English (to rungback instead of ringback).

-- Japan: NTT DoCoMo launched a ring back tone service called iMode Melody Call, in September 2003.

-- USA: NMS Communications and Cellus USA, launched a ringback service, MyCaller, in October 2003.

-- Europe: T-Mobile was the first network in Europe to launch ringback tones in December 2003. It is variously called Ring-Tone Replacement or a Ring-Back Tone Service, but T-Mobile have decided to name it Caller Tunes.

-- India: Indian BPL Mobile, launched a Caller Ring Back Tone service in Mumbai, in June 2004.

-- Brunei: launched a ring back tone service, called WondeRing, in July 2004.

For links to articles on Ringback tones, check out this category in Ringtonia.com.

Brunei launches ring back tones

After Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, India, Australia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Germany, the UK, the Czech Republic and North America, now one of Brunei's wireless operators has launched a ring back tone service, which they call "WondeRing", reports Brunei Direct.

"The service enables the caller to hear a distinctive sound such as a favourite song tune or even a unique voice' through the mobile phone instead of the standard ring tones."

Polyphonic spew

Andrew Mueller writing for The Guardian is clearly not a ringtone fan, nor does he think very highly of people who are called when riding the bus : "There is no person more deluded than he or she who has a song programmed into their mobile phone". -- "The reason mobiles have had such a catastrophic effect on workaday manners is that they encourage people to believe that they are so important that nothing they have to say can possibly wait until they're off the bus".

Anyway, he does have a fun anecdote, here:

"It might be grudgingly conceded that there are limited circumstances in which a ringtone could be acknowledged as witty - it is popularly rumoured, for example, that several of William Hague's staff during the 2001 election campaign had their phones implanted with the theme from Mission: Impossible."

KDDI to Offer Full-Song Download Service for Cell Phones

KDDI Corp next spring will become the first Japanese mobile phone company to offer a service enabling music to be downloaded to cellular phones so that they can be used as portable music players, reports NEAsia.

"The inauguration of the service will coincide with the debut of new 3G (third-generation) handsets that can store large amounts of data. The first of these handsets will be able to store five five-minute songs apiece, and 50-song models are under development. Once stored, the songs can be played repeatedly.

KDDI is now negotiating fees for the songs with music labels. Currently, 30-second songs that serve as ringer melodies now cost about 105 yen. The average of 210 yen charged for downloading a full song to a personal computer will probably be used a reference for setting the price for cell phone downloads.

The firm started offering songs as ringer melodies in December 2002, but the short melodies are just the "hook" portions of the songs. Nevertheless, the service has been a hit, and the number of downloads is expected to break the 100 million mark as early as the start of this month".

Warner Music incorporates wireless branding into its CD packaging

Warner Music Group today announced a unique partnership with wireless entertainment and marketing company Mobileway to become the first major music company in the U.S. to incorporate wireless branding into its CD packaging.

Using five digit codes -- known as short-codes -- that will be featured on CD packages, album posters, artist web sites and online banner ads, consumers in the U.S. will be able to directly access ringtones from WMG artists in one simple step from their mobile phones.

Additional content such as screensavers and wallpaper from WMG's world-renowned record labels, including Atlantic, Lava and Warner Music Latina, will be made available by short-code later this year.

Charges for downloads appear on the customer's wireless bill as opposed to a credit card, helping WMG serve the crucial teen market. Online banner ads will also inform music fans about the new service.

Rap, hip-hop most popular SMS downloads

Rap and hip-hop music make up the most popular downloads of short message service users, according to a new survey from ForceNine Consulting and SMS.ac Inc, reports RCRNews

"The survey showed 25 percent of more than 26,000 global respondents said they were most likely to download rap and hip-hop as ring tones. For the United States alone, rap and hip-hop music were most likely to be downloaded by nearly 35 percent of respondents".

“While rap and hip-hop topped the list both in the United States and around the world, we did see some important cultural differences in the survey,” explained Andrew Roscoe, a partner at ForceNine Consulting. “Americans were more likely to download TV and mobile themes as ring tones, while the market for classical ring tones, while relatively small, was more significant outside the U.S.”

Related article: TV tunes top mobile ringtone poll

Music firms warned over ringtones

Mobile ringtones have become a surprise money-spinner for music companies but firms must not become too greedy, analysts have warned, reports the BBC.

"A report published by analysts Baskerville/Informa Media forecast that ringtones would account for 12% of total music sales by 2008.

But music labels must rein in ambitions for unrealistically high royalties. And it added that piracy, which has yet to hit the ringtone market, could also spoil the party."

Some mobile operators have argued that the music labels have become "over-enthusiastic" about the share of revenues they deserve for sample ringtones, with figures ranging between 25% and 55% of the price paid by end users.

There are also worries that ringtones could become the target of pirates.

Numerous websites are offering ringtones from artists without having the necessary licenses to do so, said the report.

Downloading ringtones has become hugely popular. In 2003 the market was worth £1.6 billion and by 2008 it will rise to £2.5 billion, according to the report.

Youngsters like to constantly update their mobile ringtones. One single - Round Round by the Sugababes - sold more ringtones than singles when it was released last summer."

Hip-Hop Artists Gain New Revenue Stream

InfoSpace Mobile a leading provider of mobile content and UrbanWorld Wireless, a leading wireless provider of urban entertainment news, have announced a partnership for the management of artist mobile rights and development of unique mobile content, reports Business Wire.

"The partnership will allow UrbanWorld Wireless to act as an agent for artists who wish to develop mobile content such as ringtones, voice ringers and wallpapers and to assist artists with management of their mobile rights.

UrbanWorld Wireless has opened up an exciting new channel for DJs and artists to monetize their talents and stay connected with fans".

Digital music 25% of music market by 2009 - EMI boss

Digital music - including downloads, ringtones and wireless applications - will make up some 25 per cent of all music sales by 2007 or 2009, the head of UK-based music giant EMI has said, reports DMEurope.

Mobile Music Report

Moco News' Mobile Music Report, covering news for May and June (missed writing up the report last month), is out now…The report covers top news in the sector during the period, neatly categorized and contextualized with plenty of links.

click here to purchase ($ 30.-).

"July, 20004: The report covers top news in the sector during the period, neatly categorized and contextualized with plenty of links.

We have a special section this month on what I call the online-mobile music disconnect, addressing the issues the music industry is choosing to ignore: the pricing disparity between online and mobile music services, and software service like Xingtone which cater to these exact disparities.

We also have a special section on ringtone charts...some frenzied activity in the market, especially in UK.

Also, sections on mobile music technology and ringbacks...

And then, regional news from UK and Europe, the hotbed of technological innovation in this sector, and Asia, the place where it is really happening.
Companies Covered in This Report: Xingtone, Primetones, Loudeye, Virgin Mobile, EMI, AG Interactive, Chaoticom, Verizon Wireless, SmartServ, Zingy, Shazam, O2, T-Mobile, Monstermob, UNiversal Music, Sony Music, and others....

UK's May Ringtone Charts

‘I don't want you back' is Top Of The Ring Tone Pops again in the May Ringtone charts published by the MDA from UK operators… via Moco News.

Greek National Anthem Ringtone

I was rooting for Portugal, but the Greek team won last night's Euro 2004. They played a fabulous game, well done! So in all fairness, here is the Greek National Anthem ringtone!

And Greek citizens can download the Greek national anthem ringtone by sending "ELLAS" to 4525. (Thanks Constantine!)

Portuguese National Anthem

Euro 2004 Portuguese soccer fans can download the Portuguese national anthem ringtone, for tonight's victory against Greece!

Women download ringtones more than men (?)

Women made up more than half the 5.9 million people who downloaded a ringtone to their phone in the three months up to June 2004 (!), reports the BBC.

TV tunes top mobile ringtone poll

I know this sounds like old news, but it comes from the BBC and there is nothing more reliable in my books. So here goes.

"Television theme tunes were the most popular mobile phone ringtones of last year, according to a survey.

The chart is based on information given by 80 licensed ringtone providers to the copyright societies.

Top Ringtones of 2003

1. Where is the Love - Black Eyed Peas
2. Muppet Show - TV theme
3. Mission Impossible - TV theme
4. In Da Club - 50 Cent
5. Pink Panther - TV theme 6. Roobarb and Custard - TV theme
7. Ignition - R Kelly
8. Addams Family - TV theme
9. Lose Yourself - Eminem
10. Happy Days - TV theme

Cell phones heading into iPod territory

Jingles on cell phones are going beyond ring tones, calling up a day when wireless devices might double as mini MP3 players with the potential to replace stand-alone products such as Apple Computer's iPod, reports News.com.

"As cell phone makers edge back into the market, analysts say, they will need to make an aggressive push if they hope to make any headway. But real convergence--the kind where customers might forgo an iPod because they're buying a Motorola phone--is still some ways off, they say.

Someday we'll get to the miracle iPod phone, but that day is not happening in the next 18 months," said Mark Mooradian, senior director for MusicNet, a large digital music service.

Some stumbling blocks are purely technical, having to do with details such as battery life and the storage capacity of phones. In addition, the ambitions of the wireless carriers and record labels to turn mobile phones into a wholly separate music market may also keep the devices apart for some time.

[...] "For people that really want to carry around 5,000 songs, I don't know if cell phones will ever have enough memory, Nokia spokesman Steven Kanuff said. "For people who don't want to carry two devices around, this is a good alternative."

Let Them Sing It for You

Let Them Sing It For You, is a sound art project created by Swedish musician and composer Erik Bünger.

By typing in your lyrics then on clicking on "Let them sing", some of the world's greatest pop icons will sing it back for you. The song is meant to be e-mailed to the person of your choice who get's a message asking to click on a link, which plays back the song.

For the single phrase I typed made up of 10 words, each word was sung back by a different singer with a different melody. The result was uh, surprising.

Fun though. And only relevant to this column if someone decides to make these tunes downloadable onto a cell phone.

«Divine Calling»

Faith West has announced the launch of «Divine Calling», a mobile ringtone service offering top hits of the contemporary Christian music, gospel and worship genre.

Divine Calling will be introduced first to U.S. Cellular customers and will roll out on additional carriers throughout the year, according to Business Wire.

Related stories:

-- To inspire users into contemplation, the Roman Catholic church in Holland a couple of years ago, launched a religious ringtones service, enabling users to select from 15 different ringtone-hymns, including Ave Maria and Salve Regina.

-- A Taiwanese handset maker designed a limited-edition model that comes with a Matsu holograph on the back of the phone, ringtones featuring religious chants and Matsu wallpaper for the display pad. Matsu is the Chinese goddess of the sea.