Fellowship of the Ring: Customized Cell Tones Article
IDC estimates that ring tones -- usually a pop or hip-hop song downloaded from Web sites for a fee, from 99 cents to $2.99 -- brought in $316 million this year, up from last year's $98 million.
"The key point here is personalization -- anything you do to that cell phone reflects who you are. It's a statement," says Lewis Ward, senior research analyst in wireless and mobile communications for IDC. In the past three years, cell phone users under 24 years old have been quick in adapting new phone programs, says Ward. "Soon enough, though, everyone else catches on," he adds.
The graphics content on cell phones -- the caller ID graphics, screen savers, etc. -- brought in a little under $150 million this year, he says, and he expects it to grow to more than $1.1 billion by 2008.
An article from Newsday: Getting the Tone to you
There are basically two ways to download a ringtone. From your computer, log onto the ringtone site and purchase the tune you want; you'll be asked to provide your wireless number, and the ringtone will be sent to your phone either as a Web link or a text message. Or you can simply access the Internet via your phone and download the ringtone directly.
Most wireless carriers have ringtones available on their Web sites. In addition, here are a few other sites where you can download. Click on Help or Support to find out whether your phone can accommodate polyphonic ringtones or true tones.
www.mobileringtonez. com - Contains some free ringtones, as well as true tones, wallpapers and games.
www.mtv.com/starmtv/ringtones - Monophonic ringtones are $1, polyphonic ringtones are $2 and DigiTones - actual songs - are $2.50.
www.modtones.com - Thousands of polyphonic ringtones in such categories as "Ringtone Turkeys," which includes such questionable classics as "Maniac" from the movie "Flashdance" and Barry Manilow's "I Can't Smile Without You."
www.3Gupload.com - Asubscription service in which you can download unlimited ringtones for $6.99 for six months, $9.99 for a year.
www.ringtonia.com - Everything you always wanted to know about ringtones but were afraid to ask.
Hi
I am a research student at london university.
I read your article and it is quite good as well.I am doing a project on ringtones named 'Sociology of Ringtones'.I have started doing the literature review and still searching some good articles.Can you plaease suggest which articles are good for me to use and can you please tell suggest me the following question to answer:
6. Why Social Scientific analyses of fashion or trends or customisation
6.1 Psychological Models-gender distinction, age group (downloading ringtones in order to grab other’s attention
6.2 Why it is a social phenomenon – Effect on culture, interaction and attitude of the youth within the society
6.3 Social impact on the economy.
7.Hypotheses about why ringtones are of such interest (and why some
apparently similar things are not)
7.1 Downloading ringtones in order to gain other’s attention. Is that true??
7.2 Considering it as a hobby
7.3 What is appealing ?wide range of cover or wide range of ringtones?
I would be glad if you could reply me with valuable information.I have given my address .
Thanx
Posted by: seeya | December 30, 2004 at 07:34 PM
i'm addicted to revgtv 's mp3 ringtone converter, making my own ringtones from cd's is fuckin addictive. currently slamming alamaba 3's woke up this mornin on my lg 7110 on verizon. it's the soprano's theme!!!!
if yer to lazy to make yer own try matrixm for free ringtones
they got like 60 000 free ones, real music too.
Posted by: chelseacutie67 | April 25, 2005 at 02:48 PM
opps forgot the links. its http://www.revgtv.com and http://www.matrixm.com
one lets you make mp3s into rigntoens free and the other ha slike 60000 free ringtones
yum
Posted by: chelseacutie67 | April 25, 2005 at 02:49 PM
Good article. Ringtones are such a huge business because people grab them not knowing what kind of an offer they are accepting. I strongly recommend anyone wanting to add ringtones to their phone use a one-price, unlimited download plan such as those I discuss at http://www.squidoo.com/onepriceringtones
Posted by: Sam Mancuso | December 16, 2007 at 06:00 PM
Hey havey ou guys tried http://www.ringaholic.com yet. You can literally Download free ringtones. Download 1 or 10000 ringtones all for free. No sign ups, no memberships, no fees.
Posted by: Free Ringtones | July 03, 2008 at 02:19 PM