The carrier sends the new custom ring to the handset through the same part of the wireless spectrum reserved for short messages.
#Downloadable ringtones for cell phones code
To select a ringtone, the consumer enters the four-digit code associated with the tune, much like picking a song from a jukebox. Consumers go to their cellular-phone provider's Web site and preview the abbreviated musical melodies. It provides the invisible technology that delivers tones for Cingular customers and other carriers. He resolved the rights dispute with EMI, signed distribution deals with all five major record labels _ most recently, Sony Music Entertainment _ and repackaged his budding ringtone business as a backend technology for carriers.
YourMobile chief executive Anthony Stonefield knows a turning point when he sees one. YourMobile's popularity attracted the attention of two groups: domestic wireless carriers, which recognized the potential to cash in on a new fad and one of the world's biggest music publishers, EMI, which filed a copyright-infringement suit. That sparked a Napster-like sensation, with more than 11-million individuals downloading 80-million ringtones over 16 months.
#Downloadable ringtones for cell phones download
In 1999, it set up a Web site (where consumers could download song snippets for free. A Santa Monica, Calif., company, YourMobile, simplified the process and brought customizable rings to the masses. With the approach of the holidays "I'll definitely start sending people Jingle Bells."Ĭreating unique cell-phone ringtones was once a geek art form, requiring a keypad composer and the patience to roll your own rock 'n' roll melodies. If it's a friend's birthday, I'll send Happy Birthday," Oates said. "Once a month, I look at whether there's anything I want to grab from site. The friend's phone rings and they get a message alerting them that an audio message is waiting. Soon, he was sending ringtones to friends, like electronic greeting cards. He discovered his Nokia phone, which comes with several pre-programmed rings, leaves room for five additional tunes. That's what happened with Oates, who went to the Cingular Web site one day to check his bill when he noticed a promotion for personalized ringtones. And consumers can't resist coming back for more. The fees are intentionally small _ 99 cents for a 15- to 30-second musical interlude _ so consumers will experiment with the service. "My Mom called me the week after it launched and said, "How come you don't have American Pie out there?' " said Hull, in what she described as the surprisingly broad allure of a catchy tune. An EMI executive said the songs represent just a slice of the company's music catalog, but the company had to honor the wishes of individual composers, writers and copyright holders who complained that annoying ringtones were not the proper venues for their creations.Įach phone carrier offers hundreds of monophonic melodies to choose from, ranging from the nostalgic _ Theme from Pink Panther, or popular television shows from yesteryear, such as I Love Lucy and Scooby-Doo _ to the contemporary, with such hits as Jay Z's Hard Knock Life or Survivor from Destiny's Child. On the flip side, EMI Music Publishing banned the ringtone versions of 300 songs.
"I think it's going to be a tremendous benefit to us." "It's a great way to get people talking about the songs," said Stephen Rifkind, chairman of the rap groups' label, Loud Records. Rappers Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep recently became the first music artists to release tracks from upcoming albums in the United States as a ringtone before the songs are available in stores. We've tried to keep it simple for the customer, keep the pricing simple, so it enhances the user experience."īut while some artists are embracing the idea of ringtones, not everyone is pleased. "The usage has exceeded our expectations," said Dahna Hull, Cingular's director for consumer product development. Sprint PCS recently joined them, and others are reportedly poised to offer custom ringtones. A trio of wireless carriers _ Cingular, AT&T Wireless and VoiceStream _ started offering ringtone services this summer.
Catchy ringtones are more popular in Europe, where consumers are expected to shell out nearly $1-billion this year so their phones ring with tunes such as the James Bond theme.Īnd that's music to the U.S. It's a $350-million business in Japan, where teenagers race to become the first in their group to download the latest hits.ĭistinctive ringtones are considered an accessory that says as much about the user's personality as the cartoon characters that dangle from the phone, keychain-like, or its custom faceplate. Downloadable ringtones are golden oldies in Europe and Japan, which regularly pass the United States on the early-adopter curve when it comes to cell phone innovation.
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