Music executives lament state of industry

Apple, digital rights management (DRM) and the public's willingness to pirate music were discussed, debated and lamented once more by attendees of the Digital Music Forum East conference, reports News.com.

"We're running out of time," Ted Cohen, managing director of music consulting firm TAG Strategic, told the roughly 200 attendees. "We need to get money flowing from consumers and get them used to paying for music again."

The call to arms by Cohen, who was moderating a panel discussion titled "The State of the Digital Union," comes as the music industry suffers through one of the worst slumps in its history.

CD sales fell 23 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2006. Legal sales of digital songs aren't making up the difference either. Last year saw a 131 percent jump in digital sales, but overall the industry still saw about a 4 percent decline in revenue."

Ringtones in the workplace are driving us crazy

The Seatlle Times takes the defense of cubicle workers of the world who have to put up with intruding ringtones from their fellow co-workers.

Apparently, "nearly a third of office workers cite cellphones as their No. 1 peeve, a survey from Randstad USA found.

... The problem isn't the occasional cellphone ring — office phones ring, too — but the sheer number of personal phone calls, which disrupt momentum and become a burden for everybody, says Sue Morem, workplace advice columnist and author.

The problem with disruptive cellphones is compounded because about 60 percent of workplaces do not have policies on personal cellphone use, according to a survey from the Society for Human Resource Management. And among those that do, the policy is often ignored."

Apple To Get Into Ringtone Business

This video on YouTube presents a fairly compelling case that Apple will be getting into the Ringtone business with the release of the iPhone (second half of video).

[via TechCrunch and Gizmodo]

Mobile phones become musical instruments

Régine over at we-make-money-not-art reports on Swedish design duo Unsworn currently previewing their new Ophonine Pophorn sofware at the Ophonines at Museo de Artes at Universidad Nacional in Bogotá, Columbia.

The Ophonine software enables mobile users to turn their mobile phone into different musical instruments, and to record and play sound loops with a simple press of a button.

"The mobile is not just a phone – it’s a powerful and very portable multimedia computer. By downloading a piece of software to your phone everyone could be walking around with a set of musical instruments in their pocket!” says Unsworn representative Erik Sandelin.

Watch demo

Pet Lounge Phototones and Dog Bytes

PetLounge offers pet-themed mobile ringtones such as Feline Exotica, Chihuahua Cha Cha or Horses at the Gate. These are not just sound bytes of animal noises, it's music!

You can sample the ringtones by clicking on the above links.

You can also sign up for Dog Bytes, a daily sms text message service offering the latest and greatest pet lifestyle updates on everything from pet fashion, travel, product reviews, health, training and even pet horoscopes.

Silly or not, this website has great style. I love it.

Press release.

Therapeutic ringtones

Wireless World Japan has the most wonderful post on muPass, a technology that allows you to transfer ringtones from your mobile by bluetooth to compatible everyday devices such as cookers, baby mobiles (the kind that hang over their cots, not phones!) and alarm clocks.

"And now, according to an announcement, they will be releasing new muPass ringtones, developed in collaboration with the Japan Acoustic Lab and the Japan Ringtone Lab, that will have a calming effect: such as “stop the baby crying”, “dolphin therapy” and “wake up feeling great” ringtones. The company claims they are scientifically proven to work.

And more is yet to come in March, including “get motivated” and “suppress that anger” ringtones.

Hey, why not. There have been other ringtones launched before with a purpose (other than annoying the person right next to you) :

-- Pherotones are ringtones with names like Testeroni or El Cuddlero that claim to make you irresistible to the opposite sex.

-- Samsung launched Phone which generated alpha waves that are supposed to enhances memory and concentration.

-- A member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult launched (very successfully) a ringtone which claimed tomake a women's breasts grow larger - just by listening to it

Polyphonic Ringtone Business is over

As lucrative as the global mobile music business is today -- projected to be worth $9 billion by the end of the year -- times are tough for the companies that started it all, writes Reuters

... "The polyphonic business, which used to be thriving, is pretty much dead," says Scott Jensen, vice president of global business development at Zingy. "It's now master ringtones and full-song downloads."

This change in format was a disaster for ringtone companies. In the polyphonic age, they licensed the music and created the ringtones, and sold them on wireless operators' networks and phones in return for a cut of the sale.

But with master ringtones, carriers wanted it all. Operators began striking licensing deals and revenue splits directly with record labels, and sold the new ringtones on their own."

In India, Music is Simply Mobile

GigaOM reports on how in India, the real growing trend is mobile phones as mp3 players,

"... The Cellular Operators’ Association of India estimates that the mobile music industry is around $115 million now (including ring tones, etc.) and is going to be around $170 million by the end of this year and will exceed the legitimate sales of physical music – compact disks and cassette tapes.

... A large portion of these revenues are coming from ringtones of various hues, but music track downloads are being viewed as the next big thing. Large handset makers and carriers are taking note.

Along with Sony Ericsson, Nokia is promoting mobile music in a big way - with full page ads - and is pitching its N70, 5300, and 3250 series as mobile music devices. "

Image from THP.

Sound future for music on mobiles

Music phones are emerging as the quality players in mobile entertainment, reports the BBC.

"The secret of their success is that phones can now become mass-storage devices, using tiny, removable memory chips many gigabytes in size that can take thousands of tracks. Some have embedded memory that can hold yet more.

Music on your mobile is about more than just a phone with room for more than just the top 20. The owners of music phones really want the ability to download songs when they are out and about.

Lots of companies are lining up to offer these sorts of services and while they jockey for position they know there is an elephant waiting in the wings: Apple's iTunes."

'Han' Plan to Revitalize Korea Culture - includes ringtones

Koreans who wear Hanbok or traditional costume may get into museums and other major cultural institutions for free under a grand strategy designed to revitalize Korean style and traditions, reports Digital Chosunilbo.

"Ten ministries including culture and tourism agreed the “Han” plan on Thursday.

It includes strategies to boost the status and global profile of six areas: Hangul (Korean language), Hansik (cuisine), Hanbok (clothing), Hanok (Korean architecture), Hanji (traditional paper) and Korean music - including develop traditional music ringtones for mobile phones."

Dog sings ringtones

According to Ananova, a Chinese woman claims her pet dog can 'sing' along with mobile phone ringtones.

Mrs Zhang, of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, says 14-month-old Dangdang picked up the habit a year ago. "I was in the kitchen and my mobile phone rang in the sitting room. Then I heard Dangdang making a series of strange sounds, which was exactly in the rhythm of the music. "He stopped when I picked up the phone," she told Xi'an Evening Papers.

Sound crazy? In 2001 a German ornithologists claimed that birds had learnt to imitate ring tones as sparrows in his garden were chirping the Nokia classic tone and in 2005, The Houston Chornicle, in an article on our feathered friends, wrote that males birds dance, posture, bluff and sings note from ringtones or doorbells - all part of an elaborate routine to convince females of male prowess.

Mobile music downloads are too complex, execs say

Buying digital music from a mobile phone is too difficult and the music and mobile phone industries need to improve the process to meet demand, the chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group Corp. said on Wednesday. [via Infoworld]

"A study last year found that only 8.5 percent of people who own a phone that can be used to download and purchase music actually did so, said Warner Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr., speaking at the opening session of the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday. "Why? It's expensive, it's complicated and it's slow," he said. "It's amazing that we've generated as much revenue as we have given how cumbersome the experience can be."

... Buying a ring tone is an example of the complexity people can face. On average, users must click 20 times in a process that takes around two minutes to buy a ring tone, Bronfman said. Buying digital music on a phone is similarly complicated, he said.

Apple's iPhone, the combined MP3 player and mobile phone expected to hit the U.S. market later this year, is a step in the right direction, Bronfman said."

Warner signs two mobile-content deals

Warner Music Group announced on Wednesday new deals with two leading mobile operators to deliver its mobile music content across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. [va News.com]

CallToons

Now that musical ringtones have become commonplace, Time Warner Cartoon Network is planning to use the voices and personalities of its cartoon characters to alert mobile phone users to incoming calls, reports Reuters.

"In addition to ringtones, Cartoon Networks says the CallToons service will have cartoon characters signal everything from new voice mails to low-battery alerts.

... Cartoon Network stressed that B>CallToons could also be used to help educate children on safety.

For example, the imaginary friend Bloo from the children's show "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" could suggest that children hand the phone over to their parents if the incoming number is unknown."

From ringtones to Horntones

Horntones are a mobile audio system that allows you to personalize your car's horn function, using virtually any standard audio file and stores up to eight different honks at once. [via Gizmodo]

The implications are far reaching, as now car honking could be used not only to express your own personal preference in music, but as an activist tool, as occured in the Philippines in 2005, when a popular ringtone , the excerpt of a sound file of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's alleged "Hello Garci" conversation - where the president is allegedly talking with an election official - was turned into a car horn.

Related: - Ring Tones- The New Protest Songs

The New York Philharmonic Expanding ITunes, Ringtones

Fox News reports that the The New York Philharmonic will offer live concerts, or just a few minutes, to be downloaded through iTunes and five online ringtones also are available _ including Mozart's last symphonies.

Ringtones ruin romance

According to new research, released right before Valentine's Day, ringtones are unappealing to the opposite sex. [via TechDigest.tv]

"Women said that they were most turned off by men who had arrogant songs referring to sexual prowess or good looks, closely followed by songs associated with football."

Will MusicStation be a mobile iTunes beater?

Omnifone, the company behind the new mobile music service, claims MusicStation will be a mobile iTunes beater. TechDdigest.tv reports.

"MusicStation is a music subscription service for mobile phones, where you pay a weekly fee for unlimited downloads of songs to your handset over the air via 3G or 2.5G.

Omnifone announced the service today, but it’ll be offered by mobile operators, with 23 having signed up already, including at least one in the UK, thought to be Orange or Vodafone."

Timberlake Gets Dedicated Verizon VCast Channel

Justin Timberlake will unveil a mobile video channel on Verizon Wireless’ VCast video service called JT-TV at a pre-Grammy party, reports Billboard via Moco News.

"The move will make Timberlake the first artist to have his own branded channel on the VCast service, with content developed exclusively for the service. Timberlake will provide four areas of programming -- fashion, music, movies and lifestyle.

... The JT-TV service will begin airing in March with fashion and music programming, followed by movie and lifestyle content added in May or June."

Signature Song of Game Show with Bollywood Superstar as a Ringtone

The signature song of Indian game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', featuring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, can now be downloaded on mobile phones - much before its official release in music stores.

The song 'Kar Le Kar Le Koi Dhamaal' was launched by mobile content provider Hungama Mobile in association with T-Series here Friday. Shah Rukh was present at the glittering function and was the first to download the song, said a press release.

[via Monsters & Critics]

Get Your "Badonkadonk" Ringing

Trace Adkins received his first Gold certification for master ringtone sales in excess of 500-thousand for his single Honky Tonk "Badonkadonk".

[via ther AP]

According to Wikipedia, Badonkadonk is a slang term for a woman's buttocks that are voluptuously large and firm yet bouncy. Women who possess this feature have a small waist that flares dramatically into round, peach-shaped buttocks with deep buttock cleavage. The term is based on the imagined rhythm of a sexy gait.

Snoop Dogg signs on to Virgin Mobile USA's 'First Dibs' Program

Virgin Mobile USA has added Gangsta rap's legendary father, Snoop Dogg, to its exclusive First Dibs ringtone program.

Available exclusively to Virgin Mobile customers are three instrumental ringtones from the album: "That's That," "Vato" (instrumental beat), and "Vato" (instrumental hook).

In addition, Virgin Mobile customers will be able to download a variety of Snoop Dogg content including more than 20 ringtones from his new album including "Candy (Like Water)," eight voice tones including sound bites of Snoop Dogg himself, and catalog ringtones from previous hot Snoop albums including "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Let's Get Blown."

Helio Music launches

Helio LCC announced today the launch of Helio Music, the newest addition to Helio's line-up of custom-built 3G services. [via Engadget]

"Helio Music features a robust library of the hottest tracks from thousands of well-known artists from major music labels and allows members to browse artist bios and images, preview songs, view community recommendations then download tracks over-the-air via a high speed 3G network.

Helio members can be notified when a new song from their favorite band or artist drops in Helio Music with Artist Alerts. By signing up for Artist Alerts, Helio members automatically receive updates via text message to their devices letting them know when new music from that artist is available. Members can then go to Helio Music and preview the new track or download it over-the-air for on-the-spot gratification so their music library is always up to date."

[via Engadget]

Sony retractable headphones

This makes so much sense, no more tangled wires: retractable headphones from Sony. Spotted on Engadget and full color palette on Gizmodo

Vodafone PR says 12 too young for mobile

A Vodafone spokesman has advised parents not to give cellphones to children under 14. He was responding to concerns raised by a Wellington parent who found his son's pre-pay account had been emptied by signing up to a ringtone site. [via Stuff]

Sprint Super Bowl Commercial highlights "crime deterrent" feature

Check out Sprint's Super Bowl Commercial on YouTube boasting Sprint phone features like live TV, wireless music downloads, email and crime deterrent.

The clip is funny at first, but in truth, throwing a phone at someone's head (even if he tries to steal your wallet)- that's the "crime deterrent feature"), could lead kids watching to set a new trend.

UPDATE Monday I checked out all the Super Bowl commercials courtesy of CBS, who has listed them by quarter, and the above Sprint ad is not included. So it must be a spoof. Well done!.

There were actually two mobile phone related commercials, one entitled "Connectile Dysfunction" by Sprint and the other by T.Mobile entitled "Duane Wade and Charles Barkley", both viewable on CBS or on Moco News.

SuperBowl ringtones

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday where The Indianapolis Colts will be playing the The Chicago Bears.

You can dowload Colts' ringtones from their official site, or check out modtones for The Chicago Bears' tones as for some reason, the official website no longer offers mobile content.

Thumbplay inks ringtone deal with EMI

Mobile entertainment retailer Thumbplay announced an agreement with EMI Music, one of the world's leading music companies, to sell music from EMI’s extensive portfolio of artists to mobile users.

Members who sign up for Thumbplay’s direct-to-consumer mobile content offering will have access to ringtones from EMI’s vast catalog of current and catalogue artists, including 30 Seconds to Mars, Babyshambles, The Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Dierks Bentley, Bubba Sparxxx, Coldplay, Dem Franchize Boyz, Fat Joe, Gorillaz, Norah Jones, Lenny Kravitz, OK Go, Pink Floyd and Keith Urban.

[via Fierce Mobile Content ]

Vringtones or video ringtones

USA Today writes up a New York company called Vringo.com , "that is offering a new way to share videos by mobile phone, by choosing what video ringtone plays on your buddies' handset when you call them.

"You record your video greeting (with a webcam) at the Vringo.com website, send it to your phone, and tell your friends to sign up for it. When you call their cellphones, they'll see your video. The free service will open to the public by late March."

Video ringtones have been around for quite a while, check out the video ringers category in Ringtonia.com.

Cell Phone Ringtones Not Music to Ears of Publisher

EMI Music Publishing has filed a $100 million copyright infringement lawsuit against one of the leading providers of ringtones, reports New York Law Journal, just three months after the U.S. register of copyrights issued a controversial administrative ruling about the licensing of ringtones.

"The EMI suit is the first significant copyright action taken by a music publisher against a ringtone provider.

The administrative ruling found that the royalties paid for the use of music in ringtones should be based on government licensing rates, as is the case with compact discs, rather than current market prices, which are nearly double.

... In the Jan. 11 suit, New York-based EMI Music Publishing alleges that Bellevue, Wash.-based Infospace Inc.and its subsidiaries withheld millions of dollars in unpaid royalties owed as part of a license agreement between them.

... When EMI attempted to audit InfoSpace's books and records, the ringtone provider restricted access to some materials and provided incomplete documentation, the suit alleges.

In addition, some of the songs InfoSpace has sold were restricted from the license agreement, such as John Lennon's "Imagine," the suit said."