ringtonia.com: Ring tones--the new protest songs

October 21, 2005

Ring tones--the new protest songs

News.com writes about ringtones as a political activism tool. [via Moco News]

"A political ring tone could as easily carry a Rush Limbaugh or foot-in-mouth John Kerry quote.

Yet either way, it has the potential of being an explosively viral phenomenon, a modern-day version of political bumper stickers or T-shirts. Music ring tones today are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars a year in sales, and in some cases, they far outsell the music single or CD they're based on.

... Activists say the soon-to-be-released Riot Tones, or other tools like it, will help political ring tones spread more quickly, by making it a simple process to get them onto most phones. Once the infrastructure is in place, nonprofit groups are likely to use ring tones as a standard part of their membership perks, some say.

Political ring tones took root in the Philippines earlier this year, after opponents of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gained access to a wiretapped recording ((dubbed Hello Garcia") of a clandestine conversation between the head of state and a top election official.

Related articles to Hello Garcia / Gloria Arroyo ringtones:

-- It is my voice on poll tape (and ringtone), admits embattled Arroyo

-- From ring tones to car horns? Only in the Philippines

-- Filipinos clamour for scandalous mobile ringtone

-- Ringtones express widespread disgust over (Ms Arroyo's) obvious poll fraud

-- Wiretapped Voice Latest Ringtone Craze

Other examples of ringtones used for political purposes:

-- Riot Tones

-- India. Patriotic Ringtones and Prime Minister Voice mail used in campaign

-- USA. Political ringtones from Ringtone JukeBox (image above)

-- USA. Jabbertones's political voice tones

-- USA. Presidential Voice Tones