Download the sound of silence for $0.99 to honor Steve Jobs. Really?

How do we pay hommage to one of history's great innovators? And also inspire people to help fight the disease that took his life? Moment of Silence Inc. suggests downloading The Steve Jobs Moment of Silence single on iTunes for $0.99.

Download the sound of silence? How bold of them. Put another way, feel free to pay something for nothing.

Add Friends’ Facebook Photos To Your Ringtones With Facetones

Vringo’s app Facetones plays video slideshows of friends’ Facebook photos when you call or receive calls from them. Mashable reports.

Vringo got its start selling video ringtones. Now it’s using a similar technology to give phone calls a social twist. Its new Android app, Facetones, plays slideshows of friends’ most recent facebook photos every time they call you or you call them.

The ad-supported free app automatically matches names of your Facebook friends with the names of your contacts, so set-up is a matter of matching up the names that are inputted differently on your phone than they are on Facebook.

Read full article.

Muppetmodo ringtone. Great!

As a Thanksgiving gift, Gizmodo is offering a Muppets/Gizmodo ringtone.

Great!

MUPPETMODO by kylenw

Apple Now Sells You Ringtones Directly Through Your iPhone

Apple is launching a store for buying tones to use when you receive text messages or alerts.

It’s built into the on-device iTunes app, offering “an incredible spectrum of music ringtones and alert tones that can be assigned to any alert setting on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.”

[ReadWriteWeb via Gizmodo]

Cleartones: The Least Annoying Ringtones Ever

Wired reviews Hugo Verweij's Cleartones, "super-simple ringtones that are minimalist snippets of sound".

There are 50 tones that ca be previewed on Hugo’s Cleartones page, but the website offers something I have never seen before, the option to get a sample for free, in exchange for a tweet or a comment on Facebook. Check out pay with a Tweet.

You can also order a custom ringtone tailored to your needs by sending a message to betterringtones[at]gmail[dot]com

Trick Or Treat: Halloween Is Calling You

NPR tells you where to go for Halloween ringtones.

This link from iTunes: Haunted Halloween Ringtones – Scary Sounds and Halloween Music.

And don't forget to dress up your phone.

Safe for Work ringtones

Now you can receive your calls without disturbing your coworkers. They won't hear a thing.

Safe for Work (SFW) Ringtones are 20 non musical ringtones that are meant to be used in a workplace setting. They blend into the background of a typical office environment by using sounds that are found in most people's work environment every day (such as staplers, keyboards, pen clicks and so on).

The ringtones are free, but unfortunately there is no way to sample them before downloading.

Angry Birds Tones

Can’t get enough Angry Birds? As if the movie and toys weren’t enough to ruffle your feathers, you can also download Angry Birds SMS tones in Cydia for free.

[via iPhone Download Blog]

Read how

Brinked offers latest ringtone hits

It's been a while since I gave directions to a website that allows you to order ringtones. This one came in my mail last week and looks good.

In their own words:

Brinked allows you to send ringtones to your mobile phones. If you are looking for the latest, hottest music to put on your mobile phone, whatever your taste is, Brinked has free ringtones for you. Our featured listings are updated weekly to include the weeks top charted hits.

All the ringtones on brinked are 100% legal, because they are only 29 seconds long (any longer is illegal).

Website publishers can embed the brinked widget. See below.

Vuvuzela ringtone causes sensation

As complaints about the World Cup's trumpets roll in, Dutch designers have produced a smash hit ringtone with the trademark sound of South Africa 2010 - the vuvuzela. Radio Netherland Worldwide reports.

The vuvuzela app for iPhone has already been downloaded 750,000 times, says Amsterdam advertising agency Moblio, creators of the ringtone.

Not only are the vuvuzela ringtones popular - the actual horns themselves are getting hard to come by. Already, more than 1.5 million vuvuzela trumpets have been sold in Europe alone, according to the South African manufacturer.

Listen here.

Related:

-- Anti Vuvuzela Filter

-- Vuvuzela Ringtone

-- iVuvuzela iPhone app

Create Free Custom Ringtones from Youtube Videos

Mobilespin announces new enhancement to its existing popular ringtone tool that converts Youtube videos into ringtones for free. Anyone can now turn their favorite non-copyrighted Youtube videos into ringtones.

Creating free ringtones from Youtube videos can all be done online without any software purchase or download. There are only 3 simple steps to making Youtube ringtones:

1- Entering the Youtube URL of the video in the Ringtone Tool for upload
2- Picking the desired segment
3- Downloading the ringtone

The ringtone tool extracts the audio portion from the Youtube video. Once clipped, the tool turns the audio into popular mobile formats and then it can be downloaded to computer, directly to mobile phone through SMS or WAP page.

Full press release.

Half-a-Million Ringtones created by AutoRingtone users

AutoRingtone app from No Tie Software gives users the ultimate flexibility in creating their own unique ringtones for the iPhone, as well as other non-Apple phones.

Users can combine about 200 sound effects with dozens of quality voices to announce their uncensored message. In fact, iPhone owners can use ringtones as alarm clock alerts, such as “Chris, it is time to take your medicine.”

Read dull press release on Appmodo.

Download Bing Ringtones

Microsoft has made available for download a collection of Bing ringtones designed for Windows Mobile phones, but not only, reports Softpedia.

The collection of Bing ringtones, essentially MP3 files can be set to play on any mobile phone with support for the file format. “Bing isn't just a search engine, it's a decision engine. Download these Bing-branded ringtones to your mobile device, then make www.bing.com your new default search engine today,” Microsoft revealed.

[via Softpedia]

AT&T Media Net offers college and university fight tones

Through AT&T Media Net, fans can download fight song ringtones from more than 150 college and universities.

Press release

Make Free iPhone Ringtones Using iTunes

While Apple would prefer that you buy ringtone versions of music you've already purchased, you can still make ringtones for your iPhone using only iTunes and songs that don't have DRM (such as the ones you've ripped from your old CDs).

Check out how on Switched.

Best of Twitter tunes album released

Musical twitterers have found a way to condense entire compositions to fit in single, 140-character tweets. New Scientist reports.

The trend started earlier this year when Dan Stowell, a composer and computer scientist at Queen Mary, University of London, encoded the sound of waves crashing on the shore using the programming language SuperCollider and then tweeted the results.

Other users of the micro-blogging site responded by devising and posting their own compositions. Now a free to download, best-of album of 22 Twitter tunes has been released, entitled sc140.

Sony's 1000 ringtones for your iPhone

Sony has launched a CD with 1,000 ringtones for the iPhone.

In their own words:

Personalize your iPhone with custom ringtones. 1,000 Ringtones for iPhone has the perfect sound for every caller in your address book. So simple—just load the disc, pick your ringtone, and synch to your iPhone—no downloading or fees! From Hollywood sound effects to great music clips to a wide variety of spoken ringtones, you're sure to find just the right sounds to fit your style. 1,000 Ringtones for your iPhone—there's no better, cheaper, or faster way to get great ringtones on your iPhone.

[via TUAW]

Hail to the Chief ringtones

Stumbled on this this morning, Hail to the Chief ringtones. Most of them are free.

Astral Radio launches ringtone superstore

Canadian ringtone lovers now have another store from which to purchase and download ringtones. Astral Media Radio has just launched 61215.ca - The Mobile Superstore, a multi-operator mobile downloads site.

Compatible with Bell, Rogers and Telus, ringtones selected and promoted on the air at Astral Media Radio stations - 82 across Canada - are available for purchase (at the cost of $3.50 through SMS), including an exclusive "Answer your phone!" messages produced by Astral Radio hosts.

[via Media in Canada]

Vringo, Marvel team-up on super hero-themed video ringtones

Vringo and Marvel announced a partnership to create and distribute mobile videos and video ringtones based on Marvel’s superheroes. IntoMobile reports.

Initially, the online store features footage and pre-cut video ringtones from newer Marvel properties like the animated Wolverine & The X-Men, theme songs from the animated 1966 Marvel Super Heroes series, and the new content will be added every month.

The first mobile video is available for free, while additional clips could be yours for $2 each.

Verizon turns up exclusive Pearl Jam ringtones

Verizon Wireless continued its long-running collaboration with alt-rock stalwarts Pearl Jam, announcing a series of exclusive ringtones previewing songs from the band's forthcoming album Backspacer, due at retail Sept. 20. FierceMobile Content reports.

Verizon's VZW Tones service will offer one new ringtone and ringback each week leading up to the disc's release, with "The Fixer" and "Got Some" available now--"Amongst the Waves" follows on Aug. 6, with eight more ringers scheduled.

More in press release.

BlackBerry users to be able to pick up tunes on impulse

According to The FT, BlackBerry owners will soon be able to download music wirelessly thanks to an application that will help the smartphone compete with those made by Apple and Nokia.

A UK-based music download provider, 7Digital,, will in September launch a service that lets owners buy songs and albums direct from their handsets.

About 6m songs will be available to download in the US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Verizon launches 4th of July ringtone catalogue

Verizon Wireless customers can choose from hundreds of patriotic tunes to customize their phones for the Fourth of July, including:

-- "Stars and Stripes Forever"
-- "God Bless The U.S.A.,"
-- "American Pie," by Don McLean
-- "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.," by John Mellencamp
-- "Born In The U.S.A.," by Bruce Springsteen
-- "American Girl," by Taylor Swift
-- "Summertime," by Herbie Hancock

Press release

Bing Tones

To further publicize Microsoft's Bing search engine, the company is offering branded ringtones for your cell phone called, you got it, BingTones.

[via MalekTips]

Coal-positive ringtones

Something for Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs: The West Virginia Coal Association has launched a series of cell phone ringtones touting the greatness of coal.

Listen here to all five ringtones.

[via The Huffington Post]

Mobile Streams launched Ringtones.com in the US

Mobile phone users in the US will now be able to access directly Ringtones.com and over 20,000 ringtones available from music industry stars such as Katy Perry, Coldplay, Flex and J. Holiday.

[via SmallCapNews.co.uk]

Springfield Symphony offering free ringtones

Beethoven's ninth is now a ringtone — brought to you by an unlikely source of ringtones, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Springfield News-Sun reports.

"Symphony orchestras can be relevant in the 21st century," said operations director Robyn Zimmann, "and are relevant."

What started as an idea by the symphony's audience development committee is now a reality. The SSO is offering free cell phone ringtones — short clips of the orchestra in concert — on its Web site.

The SSO is offering four ringtones (plus two phone wallpapers) to start with, but let's be brutally honest here — Mozart isn't Lil Wayne, and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusic" ain't "Lollipop."

TED conference ringtones

If you want your ringtone to say something special about you, than this is for you. The famous TED Conferences, an annual event that defines its mission as "ideas worth spreading", has launched it's own TED-themed ringtones.

The catchy music that introduces every TEDTalk is now available as free ringtones.

Both the current "TEDTalks Phase II" theme and the familiar "TEDTalks Classic" jingle are available.

And, very soon, TED may add a few priceless TEDTalks sound clips.

TEDTalks themes were composed and recorded by Michael Montes.

How to make iPhone ringtones with iTunes for free

ITWorld's step-by-step on how to make iPhone ringtones with iTunes for free.

Valentones

Singtone lets users record their own Romantic (or other) pop song clip on line via their computer, Karaoke-like, and when it's played back, it's been much improved – so you sound great. It's wonderful.

RCP Tones offers "Pay what you want" Electronic Ringtone album

To coincide with their website relaunch, RCP Tones is offering their latest ringtone album with a "pay what you want" price structure. This means you can download the album for a few bucks or even for free. Electronic Ringtones Volume 1 is a collection of 45 unique and sophisticated "normal" ringtones mastered for the iPhone and many other popular mobile phones.

[via Press release]

RingtoneFeeder offers Christmas on your iPhone theme

RingtoneFeeder.com has announced their "Christmas on your iPhone" theme. 24 unique iPhone optimized Christmas ringtones.

The subscribers will be receiving 6 iPhone ringtones every week for 4 weeks in December via iTunes. All the ringtones will be made available in two versions, with and without a ringing sound embedded.

RingtoneFeeder is a new and innovative approach to ringtones offering a subscription model which automatically installs new original ringtones on the iPhone via iTunes every week.

[via Press release]

Sprint Launches "Rock The Phone" Ringtones

Rhino partners with Sprint to launch RockThePhone.com which offers over 100 ringtones from some of classic rock's greatest bands, including The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, ZZ Top, Ramones, and more.

Wireless consumers nationwide can visit www.rockthephone.com for access to over 100 classic rock ringtones for $2.99 each. For a limited time, the website will offer a free ringtone of The Doors' "Love Me Two Times," and Sprint customers will have exclusive access to eight ringtones until December 11.

[via e-mail press release]

Mondadori claims to sell ringtones for Apple iPhone

Mondadori Ship (a new online music store by Mondadori, the biggest Italian publisher) is selling ringtones for Apple's iPhone. MacDaily News reports.

In September of 2007, Apple launched iPhone ringtones for the U.S. iTunes Store. No other country has since then been added to the list of those who can extract 30 seconds of music for iPhone use, despite the iPhone now being sold in all 22 nations with a national iTunes Store, Zambelli reports.

Sony BMG inks UK ringtones deal

Visitors to Ringtones.com can now download tones from the Sony BMG UK back catalogue, encompassing both local and international artists.

The deal will also see Mobile Streams offer the content though its other channels, including mobilewallpapers.com, mobilebikinis.com and mobilecomedy.mobi.

[via Mobile Entertainment]

Startup Sets Out to End the Age of Annoying Ringtones

Startup company Hladecek, llc has set out to rid the world of a seemingly endless proliferation of annoying ringtones. How? By creating better ones of course. So the company has today introduced a new ringtone category called "Luxury Ringers" with the launch of its new webstore, iRing Pro.

These aren‘t some 11-year-olds’ “ringtones.” You’ll find no top 40s hits, barking dogs, or Mozart Classics. The Zen Collection consists of short, attractive, livable alerts engineered to ensure universal appeal, and provide a high tolerance for routine use and repetition.

Press release.

Ministry goes mobile

Ministry of Sound has launched three branded handset bundles, featuring pre-loaded Ministry of Sound/Hed Kandi music tracks, videos, wallpapers and ringtones.

The Samsung E250, Sony Ericsson V640i and Nokia 5310 will each feature a unique Ministry of Sound or Hed Kandi bundle, which will be available from launch partners Grattan, Vodafone and DataSelect.

[via MusicWeek]

Local musicians eye cards as new way to sell tunes

A new card-driven download system is what Soundtrax backers hope becomes as ubiquitous as CDs for sale at concerts and coffeehouses across the country. Deluth News Tribune reports.

The idea is to create something tangible musicians can sell after performances, as increasingly music becomes bought and sold as MP3 downloads.

... An artist can pay $500 for 1,000 cards, and space on Soundtrax servers for their songs. ... This method provides a cheaper alternative for selling songs, Volna said.

And because there is no digital rights management — unlike with iTunes — the song can be downloaded and copied or burned onto CDs or MP3 players.

The shift away from CDs continues growing, as new generations accustomed to computers and songs on MP3s become buyers."

Olympic Team USA Soundtrack from AT&T

To inspire and support the U.S. Olympic Team at this year’s summer games AT&T will record a soundtrack with some of today’s top talent.

Team USA Soundtrack will include music from 3 Doors Down, Army of Me, Colbie Caillat, Clique Girlz, Sheryl Crow, Flipsyde, Lady Antebellum, Mere, Nelly and Kate Voegele.

Music can also be accessed at att.net and through NBCOlympics.com. Proceeds from the tracks will benefit Team USA.

[via Mobile Crunch]

Rhapsody to challenge iTunes by embracing the iPod

Digital music seller Rhapsody is launching a $50 million marketing assault on Apple's iTunes, offering songs online and via partners including Yahoo Inc and Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody said on Monday, reports
Reuters.

"The songs will be sold in MP3 format, which means users of the Rhapsody service will be able to play them on iPods and cell phones.

... Rhapsody will be available on mobile phones via the Verizon Wireless VCAST Music service. Buyers of a song over-the-air directly from phones also will be able to download that song to their computer.

‘Vulva String Orchestra’ ringtone

toneShared bills itself as “The world’s most interesting collection of mobile phone tones” and features downloads in MP3 format from a selection of alternative/electronica artists. Pocket Picks reports.

"Best of all, you can afford to experiment - all the tones are downloadable for free. Now you have no excuse for not trying out a tone by the wonderfully named ‘Vulva String Orchestra’."

Thumbplay GET goes

Thumbplay has launched the beta version of an SMS-based search app called Thumbplay GET.

The service allows mobile users in the US to instantly search for and purchase ringtones, games, videos and wallpapers when they send a text message with the word "Get" plus any artist or song name to THUMB 84862.

[via Mobile Entertainment]

LiveWire Mobile’s Ringtone Service Launches on 3 UK

The 3MusicStore currently features more than 1.5 million tracks and 10,000 music videos. LiveWire Mobile’s service will add an additional 25,000 ringtones -- all available for purchase on customers’ mobiles or online.

Press release

UK Woolworths launches digital download site

The Woolworths group will axe the CD single from its shelves as of August as demand for the format has plummeted in recent years amid the soaring popularity of digital downloading.

It is instead to focus on offering customers music tracks to download, with a revamped site launched today at www.woolworthsdownload.co.uk, covering music, games, video and mobile content.

[via The Press Association]

iTune or Custom iPhone Ringtones, Your Choice

It's not a bad deal to be able to go to iTunes and download ringtones for your iPhone without the hassle for about $2, $1 for the song and another $1 to convert it to a ringtone. But of course the moment that cost becomes involved, hackers set out to find out a way around the cost.

The last few days, Apple has been involved in an attempt to block iPhone users from installing free ringtones on their handsets, only to find the hackers come up with workarounds just hours after the patches release.

[via gameSHOUT]