Ruin someone's day today with nip/tuck personalized voice mail

Have a friend who feels bad about his or her body? Exploit that weakness to comic and/or devasting effect with the latest “Send a personalized message” from TV series nip/tuck.

You pick the part of your friend’s body that needs some work (breasts, butt, calves, ears), and doctors Sean McNamara and Christian Troy will handle the rest in a quick, traumatic phone call.

[via Adfreak]

MTV Networks launches online lyrics initiative

On Monday, according to News.com, MTV Networks is set to unveil an initiative to connect its television, online, and mobile presences by helping music fans answer that crucial question--"Who the (expletive) sings that song?"

"... Curious music fans will be able to text-message inquiries (an artist's name, song name, or snippet of lyric) to a SMS code and receive a link to a mobile Web site containing data pertaining to the song and artist."

Nokia gets into the Asian music scene

Homegrown music talents in the Asia-Pacific region now have a new platform to showcase their latest song creations. The Independent Artists Club site launched recently by Nokia aims to promote local artists in the region by allowing them to upload their songs on the Web for music fans around the world to enjoy.

The IAC program will launched in Singapore and Thailand first, before being rolled out over the next six months to selected Asia-Pacific countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.

With each IAC country launch, selected local artists will initially be invited to upload their tracks. After which the Web site will be open to all artists for song uploading. The Singapore IAC site is expected to open up for the public to upload their songs in mid-December.

[via Crave]

Spock-style ears hear (cell phone) music better

File under fun. A Dr. Lajos Nagy claims that his cosmetic surgery technique of pointing ears Spock-style can actually "improve the experience of listening to music."

[via boingboing]

T-Pain takes crown as king of ringtones

Enter most any dance club and odds are you'll soon hear "Buy U a Drank" by R&B sensation T-Pain before the night is through. Reuters reports.

But the hit single gets most of its spins as a 30-second clip.

"Buy U a Drank" is the best-selling mastertone of 2007, according to Nielsen RingScan, moving more than 2.3 million units year to date.

... The Southern soulster gives credit to ringtones -- in addition to a close relationship with hip-hop/R&B hitmaker Akon -- as a significant factor behind his success. In a May Billboard interview, T-Pain said it was his ringtone sales that forced his label to support his first album."

AT&T will offer Napster Mobile with 5 million songs

According to InfoSyncWorld, AT&T customers will soon be able to download more than 5 million full-track songs over the air from Napster.

"Beginning in mid-November, the Napster Mobile service will enable AT&T wireless customers to search a music catalog with more than 5 million songs, preview samples of each song and purchase and download their favorite music from their wireless handsets in less than a minute. "

Apple, Nokia Face Off in Music-Phone Clash

Nokia and Apple are vying for British consumers in their first major showdown. Nokia is introducing two new music cellphones in London in time for the arrival of Apple's iPhone in the U.K.

[via WSJ and watch mobuzz take on Apple vs iPhone]

Nazi ringtones

Ringtones have a dark side.

World War II Third Reich ringtones and sound effects can be on audiosparx and other websits. Who knew?

[via Mocoblog]

Virgin Mobile Deals "Wild Card' Cell Phone with streaming music

Virgin Mobile USA on Friday unveiled "Wild Card" by Kyocera Wireless, which is the carrier's first cell phone with streaming music capability. Information Week reports.

"Wild Card streams music through an application called Headliner, which works like a jukebox and lets customers listen to individual tracks for 25 cents each. Additionally, the subscription service serves up concert tour updates, music news, artist information, and music charts. Headliner costs $2.49 a month.

The music service is paired with a messaging offer, which includes unlimited text, IM, e-mail, and picture messaging for $20 a month. "

Islamic Militants Attack Mobile Phone Retailers Over Ringtones

At least fifteen mobile phone retail stores were blown up by terrorist attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday night in a plaza in the Inayat Kallay bazaar, and a further 25 stores elsewhere were partially damaged. Cellular News reports.

"The shop-owners say that they have received several letters, asking them not to sell mobile phones pre-loaded with 'musical' ring tones. Many retailers had started offering phones pre-loaded with 'jihadi' ringtones, but this did not seem enough to appease the militants.

So far no group has owned the responsibility for the blasts.

Earlier this year, militants attacked shops which were selling CDs and cassettes or playing music in public areas."

Night bird ringtones for Halloween

A company is offering spooky wildlife ringtones to support conservation efforts by donating ten percent to non-profit conservation group American Forests.

"Conservation Calling is featuring spooky nature sounds from their collection of wildlife and bird ringtones that are especially suitable for the night of fright, with each creepy download benefiting wildlife habitat.

Eerie loons and barn owls, cawing ravens, fluttering bats and howling wolves evoke scenes of mist and haunted woods."

[via Press World]

Execs Discuss What Is Wrong with Music on Cellphones

At the College Music Journal conference in New York today, representatives from RCA, Napster, nightt, and the CTIA talked about the problems surrounding the distribution of music on cellphone networks during a panel called "Pocket Jockin': Mobile Music and the Future of Distribution."

Mehta (nightt) – Are there any carriers here? No? We hate the carriers. We don't deal with them if we don't have to. The trend is, everything's going off-deck. 60% of mobile internet traffic is off-deck in Europe.

Rosenberg (RCA) - ... We're trying to figure out whether the mastertones sales are going to translate into music sales. You've got to rethink your whole strategy… indie/alternative bands sell so much through iTunes. With hip hop, are ringtones where you make your money? Your money's going to be coming from diff places, so you have to market it accordingly.

More highlights from Wired Blog.

Universal's 'Total Music' Plan To Challenge Apple's iTunes

Universal Music may be paving another path around iTunes, according to TechWeb.

"The company is working with other major record labels, mobile device manufacturers, and wireless providers to give deliver music in a new way, according to a report on BusinessWeek.com.

The move is the latest in a series of developments by the recording industry to shore up profits and regain control they have lost as consumers transition to downloading music -- both through iTunes and piracy.

If successful, Universal and the other music companies would weaken the dominant distributor, iTunes, and make MP3 players other than the iPhone more appealing."

Led Zeppelin to sell music online

British rockers Led Zeppelin will offer their music online for the first time next month, they said on Monday, reports Reuters.

"... As well as downloads, Led Zeppelin is teaming up with mobile provider Verizon Wireless to provide ring tones and full song downloads.

The band hit the headlines in September with the announcement of a one-off reunion gig on November 26 as a tribute to the late founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, who signed Led Zeppelin in 1968."

UK Music Downloads Reach Record High

Figures released on behalf of music industry analysts Verdict showed a significant growth in the sale of music downloads and ringtones over 2007 compared with previous years, with the prediction that sales could top £163 million by the end of this calendar year.

[via Investment Markets]

Download radios on the way

Radios that let consumers hear songs they like and immediately download them at the touch of a "buy now" button are on the way. The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"The technology - tested in Britain but previously unseen in Australia - will allow people to put money into accounts and then buy music directly through their digital radios, which would also store the tunes.

The system is scheduled to be made available in Britain in December and an updated version using superior radios will launch in Australia in just under 15 months, the Australian representative for radio manufacturer Pure Digital, Graeme Redman, will tell a radio industry conference today.

"It's the first interactive application on radio," he said before the event, adding that the price of the downloads would be comparable with other legal online services such as iTunes.

The Melbourne conference will host the Australian industry's first demonstration of a mobile phone capable of receiving digital radio broadcasts with pictures, according to the CEO of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner.

The images could show a song's artist, album cover or other material. On-air mentions of an advertiser's phone number or product could also come with pictures, she said."

Beyonce Special Edition Samsung B'Phone

I4U reports that Samsung today announced Beyonce Special Edition B'Phone, a limited edition handset exclusive to Sprint.

"As an update to the popular, award-winning UpStage by Samsung, the B'Phone features a dual-sided design.

The Samsung B'Phone is has a burgundy and gold color body. The B'Phone comes complete with a preloaded special Beyonce-styled start-up screen. Consumers who purchase the B'Phone will receive exclusive access to premium video and music content."

Vringo Offers Discovery Channel Video Ringtones

Vringo, the pioneer in video ringtone sharing, announced today the addition of Discovery Channel video ringtones to its offering.

Vringo users can share video clips of volcanoes, bees, skyrockets and any of 20 other videos using their mobile phones.

Subscribers to the Vringo service use their buddy lists to deliver 2- to 10-second personalized video clips announcing the caller to the person being called or to identify an incoming caller.

Press release

Samsung Releases a Trio of Music Phones

Samsung has launched three music phones that are "100 per cent music, 100 per cent phone," according to the Korean electronics giant. Full specs on Gizmodo.

Halloween is this week's Billboard No. 1 ringtone

It seems people are already thinking about dressing up their phones for the upcoming holiday season.

The theme song to Halloween is this week's Billboard No. 1 ringtone.

[via Crave]

Ringtones reach from behind bars

Foxy Brown has launched FreeFoxyBrown.com in hopes of staying connected with her fans while serving a one-year prison sentence for violating her probation. Foxy's camp maintains that she is personally involved in all content on the site.

In a pre-written statement Foxy said, "I devoted my career to building an affinity with my fans who have supported me unflinchingly and no barbed wire fence or prison wall will stop that. I am in great spirits and very focused, and needed a forum to communicate with the people."

The site features ringtones, licensed merchandise and a link to write to Foxy at the Rose M. Singer Women's Facility in East Elmherst, NY.

[via HipHopDX]

Orba Squara is the Artist behind iPhone Song

In case you wondered who is behind the iPhone song in the commercial, the answer is: An unknown singer named Orba Squara alias Mitch Davis.

At the time when Apple picked the song "Perfect Timing (This Morning)", Orba Squara had no deal with a record label.

Now Universal Music Licensing will publish four songs before the album's October 9th release date. The album is called sunshyness.

... Orba Squara sunshyness is available on iTunes.

[via I4U]

Music industry wins song-download case

A jury has handed a victory to the music recording industry, which had claimed a Minnesota woman infringed song copyrights by using online media to illegally download and distribute music, according to court documents. Reuters reports.

"In the civil case, a jury in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota on Thursday found that Jammie Thomas infringed copyrighted song recordings, according to documents. The jury awarded damages of $9,250 for each of 24 recordings, or a total of $222,000, according to documents.

The companies included EMI Group's Capitol Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Arista Records, Interscope Records, Warner Bros Records and UMG Recordings.

Media reports described the case as the first such file-sharing lawsuit brought by the music industry to go to trial."

Courtroom interrupted by 'orgasmic' ringtone

The sombre atmosphere of a packed courtroom was shattered when an embarrassing ringtone of a woman moaning "Oh, yeah ... yeah ... oh, yeah ... do it to me" sounded out. Metro reports.

"Lawyers and people in the public gallery struggled to contain their laughter as the voice of a woman experiencing heightened sexual pleasure rang for up to 20 seconds.

The owner of the mobile phone was lucky not to find himself facing contempt charges as the gallery had been asked to turn off their cell phones while in court.

Related links:

-- Moan Tones

-- Orgasm Tones

Samsung's Beat Phone

Samsung's "Beat" for T-Mobile -- the SGH-T539 -- launched yesterday.

The midrange, music-friendly flip comes bundled with a 1GB microSD card, two preloaded songs and stereo Bluetooth, along with a 1.3 megapixel camera and the now-standard myFaves support.

[via Engadgetmobile]

Serenata: Bang & Olufsen New Music Phone

Spotted on Tech.co.uk, a Bang & Olufsen's music phone, called Serenata.

"The phone can store up to 1,000 MP3 tracks in its 4GB, plus 25MB of memory, and can handle AAC and WMA audio tracks too. The phone's high resolution also enables it to display album artwork, B&O says."

At Starbucks, Songs of Instant Gratification

New technology that allows coffee patrons to download the music playing in Starbucks stores to their iPhones is just the beginning of a wave options for impulse purchases. The New York Times reports.

Starting tomorrow at certain Starbucks stores, a person with an iPhone or iTunes software loaded onto a laptop can download the songs they hear over the speakers directly onto those devices.

The price will be 99 cents a song, a small price, Starbucks says, to satisfy an immediate urge.

“For the customer it’s an instant gratification,” said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. “You’ll hear the song, be able to identify what it is and download to the device.”

... The concept is being introduced in around 600 cafes in New York and Seattle only, though Starbucks, based in Seattle, and Apple, of Cupertino, Calif., plan to offer the service in other major cities late this year and in 2008.

Impulsive music lovers will have to sign onto the cafe’s Wi-Fi network to discover what song is playing over the Starbucks speakers. With a few taps, users can download the song onto their iPhones (which double as an iPod), or the new Apple iPod Touch with its wireless connection. The 99-cent charge will appear on their phone bills."