May 22, 2006
Oldies dialling up nostalgia as ringtones
Although current hits remain the most in-demand material, European labels increasingly are exploiting back catalogue as master ringtones for mobile download services, writes Scotsman.com News. That trend recently hit its stride when Universal issued 16 ABBA hits as ringtones for the first time.
"... The Swedish act joins a number of artists within Universal's catalogue whose tunes are available as master ringtones, including U2, Eminem, the Rolling Stones (the ABKCO/Decca era) and Bob Marley.
While the availability of catalogue for master ringtones increases, the overall ringtone market reflects today's tastes. The Mobile Entertainment Forum compiles weekly ringtone sales charts in the United Kingdom and Germany, which, London-based MEF global chairman Patrick Parodi confirms, "tend to be influenced heavily by current chart hits."
But Parodi adds, "As more mature users start downloading to handsets, we're seeing a revival of back catalogue for mobile music products."
... One challenge facing labels looking to exploit material by classic acts as master ringtones remains the fact that their original contracts did not cover any form of digital distribution".
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