Downloading popular songs to use as cell phone ring tones now nets $300 million in the United States and $3 billion globally, according to NPR. Can somebody please shed light on this for me -- why would anyone spend $1-$2 to download a ring tone that sounds no better than the music that was once confined to elevators or department stores? -Leticia Steffen
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I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want to carry a device that is designed to facilitate verbal communication with anyone EXCEPT those in one's immediate company.
Or how about popular music on Ipods? I can understand wanting to download (legally or illegally) ones favorite songs to be able to play while mobile,but I don't get why you'd want to listen to them on the computer? The sound quality can't be that good, and am I correct that one cannot take the Ipod downloaded songs and somehow connect them to one's stereo receiver? That isn't possible, right?
Actually it is possible...come on over to the house and I'll give you a demo. Apple has a wireless solution (Airport Express) that allows iTunes to wirelessly deliver audio from your computer to your stereo/receiver/speakers. It's pretty cool! Although a 5-disc CD player loaded with MP3 files and set to random play can provide a similar experience for less money :-)
... and let's not forget that you can always burn your own CDs from ITunes-downloaded files (although there are limitations on how many, to avoid piracy).
One sign of the times (regarding ringtones) is that they've become so popular that Downbeat Magazine now has a list of top-selling ringtones, as it has done for record sales for decades. And if you look at the top-selling singles over the past six months, the ringtones are generally outselling their corresponding songs by tens of thousands of copies.
My theory is that, like everything else in entertainment, the fastest-growing market for feature-packed cellphones is teenagers who are too dumb to realize that they're paying $3 for a badly copied snippet of a song, when they could just download the whole tune (in near-CD quality) for 99 cents. They'll figure it out when they grow up and are spending their own money.
The growing popularity of ringtones has taken the world by storm, and does not seem to be slowing down. The reason I believe the popularity is soaring right now, is because it allows people to connect with songs on a personal note. By this I mean they can set certain songs to ring for certain people. For example, if your girlfriend calls it is possible to set the couples as her ring tone, which will identify the person. As a person user of ring tones I find this a very convenient way to easily identify people. I must not be the only person who feels this way because over the past year ringtone business generated $200 million dollars alone, and the expected revenue for next year is expected to reach $1 billion dollars. So whether people love music that much or if they are just tired of the same ol’ ringtones offered by cell phone companies, music ringtones are here to stay.
http://www.billingsgazette.com/
I personally think that the idea of buying and downloading ringers is just a fad, and like anything else it will come to an end! People, especially tenns that own cell phones are more interested in how cool they sound when they ring, not how functional they really are! These expensive ringers will keep on selling until a new fad hits the market!
It really is amazing to think about the progression of technology regardless of if it is in terms of iPods, cell phones or any other device. True, cell phones were originally constructed for the sole purpose of verbal communication on the go, but since then phones have evolved to the point that the social norm is a high tech gadget standard with a built in camera, voice recorder, music system, etc. But what is wrong with that? The more advanced technology gets, the more opportunity we have to do the things we love. Technology contributes to the overall enhancement of human life. I know I am happier with my phone that at one point could only make calls, but now also can take pictures, send emails, and let me listen to music. I think a part of this confusion has to do with a large generation gap as well. When the whole online music scene first emerged with the Napster trials, we were in middle school and so after that, buying music that isn’t in the old standard CD version is a norm for my generation. You would be pretty amazed at the sound clarity produced not only on the computer but even some of the mobile devices. Also, the music is more versatile. You can easily make mixed music CDs by burning your songs. If you get tired of the song that been on your cell phone for a month, you can download another one. And 1$ is a very expendable amount for something that we use as often as we use our cell phones. My phone is my primary means of communication; even more so than my home phone. And the music on that phone is for me. You could almost argue that it’s a luxury. My phone doesn’t NEED it per say. But its something that adds to the phone and therefore is something which is appreciated by most in my generation. It’s a step up and as long as the phones keep improving, there will always be a market of people who are ready to receive those improvements and apply them to their lives to enhance their style of living.
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