Off on vacation

I'm leaving in a few hours on vacation for a couple of weeks (Seychelles).

My good friend Régine Debatty from WMMNA will be taking over as much as she can. Updating will be irregular as Régine will be busy travelling too.

Bear with us! Back on track April 13.

Will musical mobiles hit the iPod's figures?

Mobile phone or iPod? asks The Guardian.

The biggest obstacles to buying music to play on mobile phones are suddenly evaporating. The latest is this week's launch (by mblox, the first 'single price' mobile music download service has the potential to give a huge boost to music and video downloads.

... This does not mean the end of the iPod, but far more people have mobile phones than dedicated digital music players and they are getting very sophisticated, capable of storing thousands of tracks.

Part of the iPod's success is due to mobile operators not providing a decent alternative. But in Japan, says Mobile Entertainment, a staggering 99.8% of digital music downloads are to mobile handsets."

Mobile downloads hit the charts

More people than ever are downloading music on their mobile phones, new data suggests. The BBC reports.

"Nearly 7% of all chart music bought this year has been downloaded through a mobile service, according to the Official UK Charts Company (OCC).

That represents nearly 70,000 chart singles bought every week by people on the move.

... The mobile music business, including ringtones, is now thought to be worth £3.2bn ($5.5bn) . Its growth reflects the continuing trend away from traditional music formats like CDs and DVDs.

Consultants, Deloitte predict that by the end of 2006 a fifth of all music sales will be made digitally. "

Carriers' Pockets Jingle To The Sound Of Music

Worldwide revenue from music downloaded onto mobile phones soared last year, and the trend is expected to continue over the next five years, a market research firm said Tuesday, reports TechWeb.

"People with handsets spent $251 million last year on music tracks, ring tones and ring-back tones, compared with $12.4 million in 2004, ABI Research said. By 2011, mobile phone subscribers are expected to spend $9.3 billion.

ABI expects over-the-air downloads to be more successful overseas, particularly in Asia, than in North America, where there's a high penetration of home computers used to download music. "

V2 offers music fans mini magazine

Record label V2 Music, home to Stereophonics, The Rakes and Paul Weller, has teamed up with Refresh Mobileto launch a new weekly mobile magazine where fans can read the news, enter competitions and download new tracks and videos. Netimperative reports.

"‘Mobizines’ let mobile users receive ‘snack sized¹ versions of magazines, that cost costs between 4 and 8 pence depending on your operator tariff."

The V2 Mobizine is made up of four sections: What¹s Hot, Top Artists, features/competitions and downloads. At the bottom of each story a user will find links to other stories, downloadable content or other relevant merchandising pertinent to that particular brand.

The V2 Mobizine can be read without a network connection and work regardless of mobile operator."

Related: - Mobilezines - Condé Nast mobile content

Listen to Podcasts on your mobile phone

Thanks to Pod2Mob, you can listen to any podcast on your cell phone for free.

Simply sign up with Pod2Mob and you can listen to your favorite podcasts through your mobile phone. Pod2Mob is the world’s first application that empowers you to browse and stream podcasts anywhere and everywhere over your wireless connection. The service has been confirmed on SprintPCS, Cingular, and Verizon but should work on most cell phone providers.

[via Loic Le Meur]

Indian group Elusive's tracks as standard MP3 ringtones on Nokia 91

"We have just been in contact with Nokia who want to use our tracks “Jogi” and “Jawani” as the standard mp3 ringtones on the soon to be released Nokia N91 phone which will be going worldwide. Keep and eye out for it!

A quote from The Asian News columnist DJ Ravi's interview with Elusive - the top Bhangra outfit from the north west making waves across the Asian music industry.

All-Too-Familiar Tune: Ringtones in Mosques

Arab News reports on a recurring and disturbing issue, cell phones ringing out during prayer time in Mosques, sometimes leading to fights breaking out.

"Mini-dramas plays out day in and day out in mosques across the Kingdom, and imams like Khaled Muhammad find themselves in a constant fight against disrespectful mobile owners. And this fight is sometimes taken over by other Muslims inside the mosque, which can occasionally lead to fisticuffs.

... Complaints from imams are increasing. They say despite warnings and posted signs at mosque entrances people are simply not respecting the sanctity of the mosque. The problem has even led to lengthy Friday sermons during which the faithful are told to switch off their phones."

Samsung Unveils Necklace MP3 Phone

Samsung Electronics onn Sunday took the wraps off an MP3 player-embedded model that users can wear like a necklace, reports The Korea Times.

"The sleek handset, which garnered the prestigious Reddot Design award of Germany earlier this year, weighs just 77.5 grams and is slightly bigger than an adult thumb.

...The built-in camera features a 1.3-megapixel matrix and users of the SPH-S4300 can send text messages or play games while listening to music."

Mobile phone having perfume spraying apparatus

Mobiledia reports that Samsung Electronics has developed a perfume spraying cell phone to release "smell tones" when incoming calls are received.

"According to the recently filed patent application, controls are also available to adjust the type or amount of perfume sprayed. And when the perfume is used up, exchangeable cartridges can be reloaded.

More details and a drawing of the device in Mobiledia.

Related in a silly way:

-- Keitai KunKun cellphone smell tones. - A smell charm to attach to your cell phone, called Keitai KunKun, which will emit a "refreshing fragrance that has a relaxation effect" every time the phone receives incoming email, or calls.

High School Musical made into ringtones

"High School Musical," the tween sensation that began as a Disney Channel movie filmed in Utah, is becoming a merchandising monster thanks to savvy Disney marketers, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

"Apple already has made the movie available for download on its iTunes Music Store. Six music videos and all of the movie's songs also have rocked the digital charts. Versions of the songs for cell-phone ringtones will be available this month.

1956: First ringtone

A blast from the past on MIT Advertising Lab.

"This article from Popular Electronics via Modern Mechanix dated 1956 reads: "Telephone users will welcome the news that the Bell Telephone Laboratories is experimenting with a new device that will eliminate the b-r-r-r-ing of present-day instruments. The gadget, using transistors, will produce pleasant musical tones resembling those of a clarinet.

Sound emanates through the louvred area at the base of the set, shown in the photo with a white background."

Other ringtone related "first":

-- Boy George, first ringtone composer

-- James Winsoar, first ringtone provider

-- Nylon Beat, releases first ringtone teaser

-- Some general ringtone history

Ringtone Helps Girl Identify Kidnapper

In Washington state, despite the blindfold, a 12-year-old girl recognized her attacker by his ringtone when his phone rang. [via Mocoblog]

According to Komo News: "The blindfolded victim apparently recognized the phone's unique ringtone and said, "Jimmy you are scaring me. If it’s you Jimmy, stop it."

The startled attacker ran off, leaving the girl bound and alone in the woods. She managed to free herself and ran home where she reported the attack to her dad, who called police. "

Téléphone Trottoire

In a country where free speech has been censored for over forty years, Congolese people spread information while standing on the pavement – by ‘Radio Trottoire’ (sidewalk radio) or ‘pavement radio’.

Mongrel’s Téléphone Trottoire (sidewalk telephone) is a radio programme that can be passed between telephone users, encouraging London’s Congolese community to share music tracks and news extracts and discuss them over their phones.

... “Telephone Trottoire” randomly phones up radio listeners and plays them tracks from the “Nostalgie Ya Mboka” music archive or news extracts from “Londres Na Biso”. Each listener then has the option of recording a response or passing the call on to another number of their choice. Congolese music and culture will eventually ripple out to anyone with a phone number.

Impressionists Voice Tones

Picked up on USA Today, in an article on comedy careers launched via the Web.

"Downloadable comedy cellphone ringtones that feature impressionists and other humurous material instead of traditional sounds already account for 7% to 14% of the $600 million U.S. ringtone market, according to industry tracker M:Metrics

Their novelty and appeal could propel growth faster than musical ringtones, says M:Metrics analyst Seamus McAteer.

Sprint/Nextel's Comedy on the Go offerings include a 24/7 channel of stand-up comedians and three just-launched humor channels, says Jeff Hallock, head of consumer marketing and strategy."

Cingular to offer American Idol ringtones

Cingular Wireless, said on Wednesday it would begin offering ringtones of live performances from "American Idol" made within 24 hours of the show's broadcast, reports Reuters.

"In previous seasons, customers were able to buy ringtones of the "American Idol" theme song and many of the songs featured on the show by the original artists.

Beginning Wednesday, customers will be able to buy ringtones of finalists' performances from Tuesday's showfor $2.49 each. Ringtones will also be made during subsequent "American Idol" performance shows this season."

Donate your blood for a ringtone!

The Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties is offering blood donors a ring tone from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday at the Simpson Senior Center, Hemet. (800) 879-4484. [via PE.com, News from South California).

Nokia predicts doom of music devices

Mobile phones will deal a final blow to makers of music devices and video camcorders, having already hit the photo industry, a senior executive at handset maker Nokia told the Financial Times newspaper, reports CNN.

""In the next 6-12 months, there will be more of these announcements. The next to disappear will be the makers of music devices and then the manufacturers of video cameras," Vanjoki was quoted as saying.

...Nokia made 40 million music handsets last year and set a target to double that number in 2006."

Musicians vie for mobile success

Fifteen aspiring bands are bidding to have a song released on a national mobile phone network in the US before they even have a record deal. The BBC reports

"They have been selected from a total of 4,033 entrants in a contest being held by US mobile operator Verizon Wireless and online community service MySpace.com.

It is now up to the MySpace community, which totals 37.7 million unique visitors worldwide according to audience measurement company ComScore Networks, to vote for their favourites."

... The winning band will see their song released as a download on the music service on VCast, the third-generation mobile service from Verizon.

It will also be made into a ringtone and a ringback tone. A music video will be made of the song which people can see either on MySpace.com or on VCast phones. "

Related: - Verizon, MySpace Give Bands a Chance

Classical Music: Rings

Everyone from Madonna to hip-hop star Kanye West has been selling portions of their songs as cellphone ringtones. Now, some less likely names are joining them -- like the early 20th-century Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The WSJ reports.

"Orchestras and classical-music publishers want a piece of the increasingly lucrative ringtone business -- which saw about $600 million in U.S. sales last year -- and they're rolling out their own music for cellphones:

-- Boosey & Hawkes, a major classical music publisher, offers more than 300 songs from its catalog as $2.99 ringtone downloads on its Web site.

-- The New York-based American Composers Orchestra is auctioning five exclusive ringtones online that it commissioned from composers like Philip Glass and Danny Elfman.

-- And the London Symphony Orchestra now sells ringtone versions of its concert recordings for European cellphones on its Web site for about $5.20 each, and plans to start carrying ones for U.S. phones this year."

Related articles on Classical Music and cell phones:

-- In celebration of Mozart

-- Missed the concert? Get the ring tone

-- Nokia announces Ryuichi Sakamoto phone

-- Teenage violin virtuoso to launch ringtones

-- The Royal Opera of London offers ringtones

-- Classical Tones

-- Playing classical ringtones are music to his ears

New hopes for soaps

As the days of watching soaps in the traditional sense are long gone, writes Variety, "daytime content is migrating to different platforms as has product found in primetime and other dayparts. From soaps to talkshows to children's programming, it's all about finding the best ways to maximize content.

... "We're going out of our way to let people know what's happening right now on their shows and what's coming up next week, said ABC Daytime president Brian Frons. Also, now they can have musical ringtones and characters' voices from their soaps. The new media stuff, in terms of daytime, has been like the bonus material you find on a DVD. It augments the action and rewards the viewer."

T.I. leaks early listen to 'King'

In an exclusive deal with Sprint, T.I. fans will be able to download tracks from his new album, King, before its release. Sprint customers also will have access to ringtones, photos and a show called "Life with T.I." during the album's launch week.

[via The 411 Online]

Alarm bells ring as music downloads go mobile

It's enough to leave record-label executives trembling: researchers in Sweden are developing an application that could allow music to be sent wirelessly from one mobile device to another, writes The Guardian. "It's a concept that threatens content owners' rights and, especially, revenue, just as illicit internet file sharing does."

"The Push!Music prototype being developed at the Future Applications Lab at the Viktoria Institute in Sweden is a mobile, peer-to-peer (P2P) music-listening and sharing application that runs on Wi-Fi-enabled devices. It allows users to "push" music to others in the area. In effect, you are opening your mobile music collection to others. It's a digital rights management migraine in the making.

"There is no reason why P2P will not exist on mobiles - it existed on the internet," says Thomas Husson, a mobile analyst at Jupiter Research."

Israeli election ringtones make a splash

Cellcom, the mobile operator, said that Shas, the small, right-wing, ultra-Orthodox party's ringtone garnered 30 percent of the 3,000 downloads requested since the company made the ringtones available on its Web site last week, according to PhysOrg.com.

"During election season, the Israeli government grants equal television air time to each party running for seats in the country's parliament, the Knesset. The commercials invariably feature jingles, which Cellcom made available as downloadable ringtones.

The win wasn't a total surprise to Cellcom. A musical version of an ultra-Orthodox prayer had already proven a popular ringtone download for the company, the news site said.

Second place in the ringtone race went to Meretz, Shas' polar opposite on the political spectrum. "

More on Political Ringtones in Ringtonia.com.

Teens will only pay so much for ringtones

Media Post Consumers are like to cap the amount they'll spend on music downloads at $1.25, according to a new study by Usable Products Company, reports Media Post via YPulse.

... "The study found that adults aren't particularly interested in downloading ring tones; just 21 percent of consumers 25 and older download ring tones at least once a month, compared to 42 percent of consumers between the ages of 14 and 17. "

Sopranos ringtones keep Tony at hand

Newsday points out that for those who love HBO's "The Sopranos," though the series may end, there are souvenirs to keep - long after Tony takes it on the chin for one last time.

HBO's mobile portal has a geat collection or ringtones, answer tones - with lines from Paulie, Meadow and the crew give - and walpapers.

"Besides the theme, "Woke Up This Morning," there's a bunch of classic lines from cast members Paulie, Meadow and the rest of the clan that can be set as ringers, with sentimental titles such as "On the Can" and "Your Mother."

American Composers Orchestra to Auction Ringtones by Philip Glass and Meredith Monk

The American Composers Orchestra will auction mobile-phone ringtones created by Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson, and other composers as part of its spring fundraiser, reports Playbill Arts.

"Other composers contributing ringtones for the auction include Michael Gordon, Danny Elfman, Marc Ribot, and Randall Woolf.

The auction, to take place online between April 10 and May 5. Bids can be made at www.ACOauction.cmarket.com starting at 8 a.m. on April 10.

London Calling

This new GSM phone aptly named "Londong Calling" in the shape of telephone booth plays Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen ringtones. [via Cellular News]

KTF Djs offers special ringtone advice

KTF, South Korea's second largest mobile operator, is launching a new service where professional DJs recommend ring tone, ring back tone, karaoke on subscribers’ requests, reports Telecoms Korea.

"The service, named Magic ⓝ music DJ, offers one on one advice from professional DJs about mobile music contents. Another service sends out text messages about up to date entertainment news and DJ recommendation weekly to subscribers."

Virgin First With Radio Mobcasts

Virgin Radio is launching a series of mobcasts that will enable listeners to wirelessly download its Christian O’Connell, Al Murray Pub Landlord and Geoff Lloyd podcasts straight to their mobiles, reports Mobile Marketing Magazine.

"The service is available on Nokia handsets, and uses ‘spodradio ’ software from LiquidAirLab.com, a developer of mobile radio and mobile podcasting solutions.

The software will be available as a free download on the Virgin Radio website, and will also enable listeners to tune in to Virgin Radio, Virgin Radio Classic Rock, Virgin Radio Xtreme and Virgin Radio Groove via GPRS or UMTS. The service launches later this month."

[via SMS Text News ]