In India, ringtones may soon ring in taxes

The state revenue department has recommended that entertainment tax be levied on services like mobile ringtones, caller tunes and mobile. Times of India reports.

State revenue minister Narayan Rane said the recommendation will be tabled before the cabinet in the next three months.

Despite iPods and Walkmen, Rates of Hearing Loss Dropping

Despite all the Walkmen, boomboxes, 8-tracks, iPods and Bluetooth headsets that have delivered raucous noise to the ears of Baby Boomers, hearing loss appears to be declining among adults. Wired Science reports.

This counterintuitive finding from the first study of long-term changes in hearing loss is that for every five years a man or woman was born later in the 20th century, their chance of having hearing impairment dropped 13 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

A key suggestion of the report is that other, positive changes in the last 50 years — reduced noise levels at work and better overall health — are more important than the rise of headphones and other entertainingly noisy new products.

Read full article.

Related:

-- Apple wins appeal over alleged iPod hearing loss

-- Headphones linked to hearing loss?

-- Another warning about earbuds

-- iPod warning: turn it down

-- Mobiles could lead to hearing loss among college kids

-- Siemens phones may cause hearing damage

-- Groups Wants Loud Warnings On iPods, MP3s

Gaza calling: ringtone exports evade blockade

Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip not only restricts imports to the enclave but has also crushed traditional exports like fruit, flowers, furniture and ceramics. Reuters reports.

But a year after a war between Israel and Gaza's Hamas Islamists, some Palestinian entrepreneurs are turning to the Internet to gain access to new foreign markets.

Haitham Abu Shaaban of Tatweer Business Services, working with a local recording studio, has a new contract with Dubai telecoms company du to make personalized cell phone ringtones that he hopes will sell well across the Arab world.

Egypt's mufti says Koran ringtones inappropriate

Using Koranic verses and the call to prayer as mobile phone ringtones is inappropriate and violates the sanctity of the word of God, Egypt's highest religious legal authority, Mufti Ali Gomaa, said on Wednesday.

[via Reuters]

Related:

-- India. Fatwa Issued Answering Cell Phone during Aayat - A Muslim organization has issued a fatwa over using verses from the Koran as ringtones, saying that answering the call while the aayat (verses from the Koran) is going on is a sin.

-- Saudi Arabia. A Fatwa Against Ringtones - An imam at a Mosque in Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa against mobile phones after one rang during prayers on Saturday, playing Arabic pop music.

eMusic Inks deal with Warner

Music from artists on labels owned by Warner Music Grou will be available to U.S. subscribers of digital music service eMusic, the companies said on Tuesday. Reuters reports.

The deal will make 10,000 catalog albums from artists like REM, Depeche Mode and Aretha Franklin available for downloading. But the deal does not include newer hit records.

The new deal is just one of the steps in a concerted plan by eMusic to expand its 400,000 subscriber base.

Thumbplay’s Music Subscription Service

New York-based Thumbplay launched a private beta of its music-subscription service called Thumbplay Music. mocoNews.net reports.

The application will be available by invitation-only on some BlackBerry phones, and is available as an Adobe Air app on the desktop.

The subscription music service provides unlimited, on-demand access to millions of songs from the four major record labels: Universal Music Group, Sony, Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Music.

More in press release.

Ford models to offer HD Radio with iTunes tagging

After announcing that in-car WiFi will be available next year, Ford claims to be the first car manufacturer to offer factory-installed HD Radio with iTunes tagging capabilities.

According to engadget, "the implementation will enable listeners of HD Radio to "tag" songs they like via a single button press, and store them within the radio's memory."

TuneChecker

The dominance of Apple's iTunes store in the music downloads market could suffer a blow after the launch of a new price comparison site from TV consumer champion Martin Lewis, reports The Guardian.

TuneChecker.com shows music fans where they can get the cheapest downloads from a number of music sites and allows them to click through to buy those songs.

Fiddler Tim O'Brien sings about phantom phone call syndrome

Spotted on boingboing, a video of Fiddler Tim O'Brien singing his song about the phantom phone call syndrome.

From the lyrics: You feel it vibrate, you reach for the cell. But no one's there, that's how you tell.

Related:

-- Phantom vibration syndrome

-- Ringxiety

-- When you hear ringing and there's no one there

Mariah Carey "All I Want For Christmas Is You" Ringtone

Mariah Carey and Legacy Recordings are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Mariah's contemporary yuletide classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" with the digital release of brand new dance mixes of the track and new holiday ringtones will be available on Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

"All I Want For Christmas Is You," has been America's #1 holiday ringtone for the past three consecutive holiday seasons (2006, 2007, 2008), reaching cumulative sales of more than 1.6 million copies.

Press release.

Cake Release Second Ringtone of New Music

Alternative rockers Cake, debuted their second ringtone of the recently recorded song titled “Federal Funding” this week. Glide Magazine reports.

The group is currently in the midst of recording their sixth studio album and sharing the results with their listeners first, via a series of six free ringtones.

Each ringtone is based on a song from the group’s upcoming album and is only released to Cake listeners who are members of the band’s mailing list.

Every six weeks, a new ringtone from a recently recorded Cake song will be sent out to all of the group’s mailing list members up until the new album launch during Spring 2010.

Cake’s new project is being written, rehearsed and recorded entirely with solar power.

To sign up and download the new music, visit: http://cakemusic.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/cakeusa2/.

EU cracks down on ringtone providers

Websites mis-selling mobile ringtones and other services have been forced to clean up their acts, following a European Union crackdown. The BBC reports.

Some 301 sites were investigated, resulting in the closure of 54 and the correction of 159.

The biggest problems were unclear pricing and misleading advertising suggesting ringtones were free.

The investigation was a direct response to hundreds of complaints from parents and consumers across Europe.

Over half of the websites specifically targeted children.

Read full article.

Court Approves Ringtone Lawsuit Settlement

A court in Chicago has given preliminary approval to settle 30 class-action lawsuits against companies that charged for ringtones, games and other content that end users thought were free. Phone Scoop reports.

Each claimant will receive either $10 cash award or a $10 refund (via their carrier). Given the number of possible claimants, the companies in question may pay out as much as $63 million. Some of the defendants include Sony Pictures, MBlox, and Lavalife.

Claim forms and other information on the case can be found at mobilecontentsettlement.com/index.html.

UK stamps to feature famous album covers

Next year, the UK's Royal Mail will sell 1st class stamps that feature images of 10 famous British album covers. Interestingly, no Beatles albums were chosen. Artists represented include Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones.

[via boingboing]

Album recored with a cell phone

Soulful singer Saidah Baba Talibah has just released her latest album using a mobile phone instead of a conventional studio. Cellphones etc reports.

Aptly titled The Phone Demos, the collection features songs that will be included in her first full-length album which is scheduled to be released early next year.

Google Launches Music Search

Google has just announced the launch of Google Music available only in the US for now, reports the NY Times.

From Google Blog:

Today, we're rolling out a search feature that does just that by enabling you to search and more easily discover millions of songs, all via a simple Google web search. If you're searching for music, "time to result" is really "time to music."

Now, when you enter a music-related query — like the name of a song, artist or album — your search results will include links to an audio preview of those songs provided by our music search partners MySpace (which just acquired iLike) or Lala. When you click the result you'll be able to listen to an audio preview of the song directly from one of those partners.

For example, if I search for [21st century breakdown], the first results provide links to songs from Green Day's new album. MySpace and Lala also provide links to purchase the full song.

The new musical instrument: Your phone

CNN on the pocket-sized revolution in the music world: Smartphone apps and programs for handheld gaming consoles now let all kinds of people create and remix tunes on-the-go.

... There's been an absolute explosion in [music] production on mobile devices across all kinds of different platforms," said Peter Kirn, editor-in-chief of createdigitalmusic.com.

Professional musicians are taking smartphones on tour with them for their musical capabilities, too. A video of the band Gomez shows the group using an iPhone as an instrument. The Gregory Brothers, the band formed by the siblings who make the "Auto-Tune the News" video series, have used the I Am T-Pain application to add robot-style vocal effects to their live shows.

Click here for 10 cool videos of the iPhone as a music instrument.

Music Stars Demand Records On Bush Administration's Use Of Music For Torture

Not related to cell phones. Just chilling. From The Huffington Post.

A group of prominent musicians are joining a campaign to close Guantanamo Bay and demanding the release of records about what music was used during the potential torture of detainees there and at other facilities.

... Hoping to cast further light on the potential illegalities that took place at the detention facility, the group is also working to obtain records about why and how music was used (under laws authorized by the Bush administration) to effectively torture suspected terrorists. The musicians have officially endorsed a Freedom of Information Act request for the declassification of all secret government records pertaining to music utilized during interrogations. At least two members of the coalition, Reznor and Morello, have had their music linked to interrogations.

Read full article

Apple's iTunes Music Store Starts Tweeting

Apple has opened three new iTunes Twitter accounts, iTunesMusic, iTunesMovies, and iTunesTV.

[via Switched]

New Google Music Service Launch Imminent

Google will soon launch a music service, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the company has spent the last several weeks securing content for the launch of the service from the major music labels. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.

Read full story in TechCrunch.

Cake Recording Solar Powered Album

Cake - one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant, and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock - are currently in the midst of recording their sixth studio album, with an entirely green twist: the new project is being written, rehearsed and recorded entirely with solar power. Rock Star Weekly reports.

During the recording process, Cake is sharing the results with their fans via a set of free ring tones--each based on a song from the upcoming album--released via the band’s mailing list.

Starting Oct. 13, the first of six ring tones based on brand new album tracks will be released through Cake’s mailing list. The first ringtone, titled “Long Time,” is only available for download to members of the Cake mailing list; to sign up, visit: cakemusic.com. Every six weeks, a ringtone for a new Cake song will be released via e-blast to all mailing list members up until the new album launch in Spring 2010.

Courtesy call

The things people write...

Ringtones, like flatulence, are best enjoyed in privacy. If you need to share it in a crowded public place, it should be with due embarrassment at what you're making those around you endure.

[via The Observer]

Apple Gets a Green Light to Block Palm From iTunes

Palm receives a response to its complaint about Apple's restrictions on its iTunes software -- though it was not the answer the company was hoping for.

[via The New York Times]

Earphones with capacitive sensing technology

Sony Ericsson has announced a pair of inner-ear headphones that know when you're using them. PC Pro reports.

According to Sony Ericsson, the MH907 headphones use capacitive technology to start the music when you insert both headphones into your ears.

Removing one of the earbuds will pause the music, while reinserting it will cause the music to resume - all without the need to touch the controller, which could be useful for those gasped conversations on the treadmill.

Read full article.

Guruji.com Introduces Ringtone Search

Guruji.com, the Indian searche engine has ventured into finance, music, movie tickets earlier and now its the time for ringtones. Given the huge number of mobile penetration in India this might be a really good service. Guruji also has a search algorithm which they claim can comprehend the user intent; handle attached or detached versions of a word; understand phonetic variations as well as capture more advanced variations of a word which are not captured through the phonetic approach.

Read WatBlog's interview of Anurag Dod, CEO of Guruji.com to know more about Guruji’s plans.

Can Apple Reinvigorate The Ringtone Market?

Apple has changed the way consumers buy ringtones from the company, bringing into question whether the largest digital music-retailer in the U.S. can breathe new life into the ailing mobile content category. MocoNews reports.

... Previously, Apple charged 99 cents to convert songs that consumers already owned on iTunes into ringtones, but experience was clunky and not available on the phone or accessible beyond the U.S., said an Apple executive at last week’s event.

Apple has a number advantages. Not only will the ringtones be integrated directly into iTunes on the phone, it also will be tied to user’s iTunes accounts. Convenience could be key. Price is also a factor. Often ringtones cost up to three to five times as much as a full-track song. In the early days, the prices soared mostly because consumers were willing to pay more, and because they had no way to convert songs they already owned. While that’s changed, prices have stayed artificially high because ringtone royalties paid to artists have been set higher than full-track royalties. At $1.29, you could consider it a bargain.

Apple to offer ready-made ringtones. Yay.

Apple has obtained the rights to offer ready-made ringtones for the iPhone and managers are trying to have them available in time for next week's press conference, music industry sources told CNET News.

Owners of Apple's iPhone have long had the ability to create custom-made ringtones for their devices. The new music snippets are mainly a convenience, as they make it possible for iPhone owners to obtain a pre-cut ringtone instead of having to create their own.

5 ways to listen to music on the iPhone without using iTunes

One of the iPhone's main selling points is its ability to play music. But we don't always want to listen to music from our iTunes libraries, do we? Here are five ways to listen to music on an iPhone without using iTunes.

[via ars technica]

What can music teach television?

What can the television industry learn from the music business as it wakes up to the threat from file-sharing?

If you've got a popular product - whether it's Lady Gaga, Top Gear, or Heroes - it's going to be popular on all sorts of platforms. And that includes unauthorised places where fans go to share what they like.

Does that mean you end up earning less from legitimate outlets?

Maybe, though it's hard to get figures. But all that pirated material floating around and being talked about could also be seen as free marketing, sending paying customers your way.

Read full article in the BBC.

MySpace to acquire music service

MySpace will acquire the popular music discovery service iLike that allows users listen to and share music across social networks. The BBC reports.

iLike reportedly turned down an offer from rival Facebook, where it is the top music application.

The company has 55 million registered users and has been prominent on most social networks apart from MySpace.

Major labels preparing new digital album format

The four big record companies are to compete with Apple's forthcoming Cocktail project by developing their own format called CMX. The Guardian reports.

Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI are reportedly preparing a new digital album format that will include songs, lyrics, videos, liner notes and artwork.

The news comes just weeks after reports of a similar project, Cocktail, being developed by Apple. According to the Times, Apple rejected CMX and instead began work on an in-house alternative. It is not clear how Cocktail and CMX will differ, other than ownership.

... The major labels plan to launch CMX, which is just a working title for the format, in November. It will reportedly be "soft-launched" with a few select releases.

Read full article.

[via Switched]

Apple Streams First Live Concert to the iPhone

Friday night Apple produced its first-ever live event streamed to the iPhone: a concert by the electronica band Underworld.

[via NewTeeVee]

Code name "Cocktail: Apple discloses new information about ITunes

Apple is making use of another technique that will excite mp3 buying customers. The Celebrity Café reports.

iTunes will introduce a way to purchase music under the code name of “cocktail.” Users, when buying whole albums on iTunes, will be able to access artwork and liner notes that would normally be part of a CD purchase, as well as possible ringtones.

Apple executives hope this new addition will encourage customers to spend more on an entire album instead of just buying singular songs—it is hoped to launch in September, along with a new tablet edition of a MAC computer. Reuters states that Apple has further projects in mind, even promoting the idea that the new tablet will be able to connect to a iPod touch. The music companies on board for project Cocktail are EMI, Warner Music, and Sony Music.

Orange offers legal music service with Universal Music

Orange and Universal Music are looking to attract subscribers and reduce piracy with the launch of a music streaming service available to pre-pay consumers. NMA reports.

Pay-as-you-go customers of the new Monkey package who top up £10 each month will receive 600 minutes of music streaming, accessed by calling 247 from their phone.

Ringtones Ringing Sales Relate to Celeb Gossip, Deaths, & Marriages

According to Wireless and Mobile News, ringtone sales are effected by celebrity news and gossip. For example, when it was announced that the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch had cancer, his ringtone sales jumped 64 percent.

Zed, a leading digital entertainment company, analyzed sales of ringtones from a number of its carrier partners and found that celebrity gossip does influence fans' purchasing decisions:

-- when Michael Jackson died, his ringtone sales soared more than 9,544 percent!
-- when T.I. went to jail, his ringtone sales jumped up 19 percent week over week.
-- when Fergie got married and Kevin Jonas got engaged, ringtone sales dropped 10 percent and 16 percent respectively.
-- when Chris Brown and Rihanna suffered domestic issues, ringtones dropped 18 percent and 28 percent respectively.

Palm Pre reconnects with estranged iTunes

Palm Inc. says the Pre can again connect to iTunes — only a week after Apple Inc. shut it out. A software update delivered automatically to the phones re-enables the transfer of music, photos and video from iTunes, according to a Palm blog post made late Thursday.

[via Cellular News]

Music Industry Lures ‘Casual’ Pirates to Legal Sites

Over the past year, however, as sales of CDs have continued to fall and paid-for downloads from services like Apple’s iTunes have fallen short of hopes, record companies have moved to embrace casual file-sharers. Legal services offering free, unlimited streaming of music, rather than downloads, are proliferating. According to a survey published last week, they are taking some of the wind out of the pirates’ sails.

Read full article in The New York Times.

Kazaa to return as subscription service

One of the most recognizable brands in the history of illegal downloading is due to officially resurface, perhaps as early as next week, sources close to the company told CNET News. Only this time the name Kazaa will be part of a legal music service.

Altnet and parent company Brilliant Digital Entertainment attached the Kazaa brand to a subscription service that will offer songs and ringtones from all four of the major recording companies. For the past few months, a beta version has been available.

The site will open with over 1 million tracks. According to the blog TorrentFreak, the new Kazaa will offer unlimited downloads for $20 a month.

Microsoft Sues Mobile Ringtone Company for Phishing, Spam

Microsoft has sued a Hong Kong seller of mobile ringtones, saying the company used phishing techniques to flood Microsoft Live Messenger users with spam messages. PC World reports.

The lawsuit accuses a company called Funmobile of sending out thousands of spam instant messages over the past four months. The case was filed last month in King County Superior Court in Seattle, but Microsoft did not name the company involved until Thursday. Microsoft is seeking a court injunction to stop the spam, as well as monetary damages.

According to court filings, Funmobile and its U.S. subsidiary, Mobilefundster, have sent out instant messages that included links to phishing sites controlled by the company.

Read full article .

Machine gun ringtone

Spotted on The Cell Freak. a machine gun ringtone. Not a good idea.

China Mobile to Centralize Wireless Music Operations

According to TMC News, China Mobile Ltd. has set up centralized music, video, and mobile payment centers around the country.

Starting from January 1, 2010, it will centralize all its wireless music operations by storing all ringtones in a repository centerd in Sichuan province. From next year provincial China Mobile operators will not be allowed to offer their own ringtones.

... The new business model of the telecom carrier's wireless music will be applied to its video, gaming, and mobile payment units.

The Sichuan music center by far has a selection of more than 1.1 million songs. And the wireless music club under the center has recorded over 90 million members.

Verizon To Refund Millions For Unwanted Ring Tones

As part of an agreement with Florida's Attorney General, Verizon and Alltel (now part of Verizon) will have to deliver roughly $30 million in refunds to consumers for ringtones and other services that customers either didn't want or didn't understand they signed up for. According to a statement by Attorney General Bill McCollum, Verizon is also required to adopt new guidelines preventing customers from getting snookered by such promotions in the future.

[via Broadband]

Universal Music and Virgin Reach a Download Deal

The Universal Music Group and Virgin Media said on Monday that they had reached a deal that would offer consumers unlimited downloads as part of a partnership that steps up antipiracy enforcement. The New York Times reports.

Universal, the largest recording company in the world, said it would offer its entire catalog — which contains works by artists like Amy Winehouse and U2 — to customers of Virgin Media for a monthly subscription.

The music will be free from copy protection, a feature that distinguishes the service from most existing subscription offerings. The cost of the service, which will probably start by the end of the year, was not disclosed.

In return, Virgin Media, the British cable television and broadband provider, agreed to take steps to reduce piracy on its network, something that other broadband providers have resisted.

The measures could include temporary suspensions of offenders’ Internet connections, the company said.

Palm Pre's Zen ringtones

During the 15-month gestation of Palm's new cellphone, the Pre, the company's designers and engineers drew inspiration from Japanese Zen gardens and grassy fields. Forbes reports.

The nature theme extended to the phone's audio sounds as well. Palm commissioned a new set of ringtones and alerts for the phone.

... When recording the audio's base notes, the company opted for actual musicians playing simple instruments like Tibetan bells over synthetic gizmos that generate "electronic blips and bloops," says Matias Duarte, Palm's vice president of human interface and user experience.

"We wanted to have tones that would be part of the Pre's aesthetic whole," Duarte says. "The phone's hardware, software and audio experience needed to be coherent."

Beatles come together for premier of Video Game

The karaoke-style game lets users use adapted game controllers - lead guitar, base guitar and drums - to play along to various songs. The BBC reports.

Both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were at the event - along with Yoko Ono and George Harrison's widow, Olivia.

The game marks the first time any Beatles music has been licensed to a third party.

The game, which goes on sale on 9 September, will feature 45 songs, along with a bonus track - All You Need is Love - which can be bought online via Xbox Live.

Microsoft says all proceeds from the sale of the bonus song will go to Doctors Without Borders, the US branch of the charity Medecins San Frontieres (MSF).