Ringtones -- $75bn industry

Zehava · #1 10-26-2006, 08:53 PM

WTF?

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Register

The ringtone business, for example, grossed $75bn for operators last year - double the global revenue of the music industry.

DVD Jon at it again

OK it is an article about somebody cracking the DRM protection of iTunes downloaded music but the above statement floored me.

FFS it is a phone, is the world really so vain/insecure/at a loss as to what to spend their cash on, that we need to spend $75bn on fucking ringtones?

I guess this amazed me as I pretty much find all ringtones to be extremely annoying.

wei yau · #2 10-26-2006, 09:20 PM

About $5.00 of those dollars are mine. I have two ringtones on my phone. "A Little Respect" by Erasure and the "GI Joe: A Real American Hero" theme from the 80s cartoon.

I can't provide a good reason for this, but I know enough not to get any more ringtones.

curses · #3 10-26-2006, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wei yau

I can't provide a good reason for this, but I know enough not to get any more ringtones.

Cause it beats the hell out of the polyphonic ringtones that are supplied with the phone. I'd be happy with just the sound of the phone ringing, but since Cingular saw fit to not have one of those, I have the theme song to Shaft on mine.

Shut yo mouth.

lisarea · #4 10-26-2006, 09:46 PM

I think a lot of their money comes from conning kids with recurring fees. They used to have those ads where they'd offer one or two relatively inexpensive ringtones by sending a text message, but the small print would mention something about automatically signing you up for some $5 a week subscription plan or something. It makes it a quick impulse thing, it targets gullible kids, and if it's as simple as just sending a text message, they couldn't have been informing anyone all that clearly.

IIRC, there was some kind of legal action--maybe a class action suit or something--over that a while back.

I just have a hard time believing that people are intentionally spending more on ringtones than they are on music.

Ymir's blood · #5 10-26-2006, 11:47 PM

Someone should come up with a way to pirate ringtones.

JackDog · #6 10-27-2006, 12:45 AM

I'd like to see where this guy got his numbers. Not that I don't believe him, but...

Thankfully, I can count myself out of whatever the number actually is, because my phone had the option of the old-school telephone ring. It really throws people off to hear a phone that actually "rings."

Ensign Steve · #7 10-27-2006, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

I just have a hard time believing that people are intentionally spending more on ringtones than they are on music.

I believe it. I spent something like $7 last year to get three System of a Down songs that I now use as ring tones. I was playing around with my new phone, seeing what features it had to offer, and I was like "$7? No biggie, if I only do it once," which I totally did only do it once, and I still use those same 3 ring tones. OTOH, I have only spent $2.97 at iTunes in the same amount of time (3 songs at 99c apiece).

Long, boring story short, I think it's easier to get "free" music online than on the phone, so people are more willing to pay to get the music on their phone? :shrug:

Although I did actually buy some CDs this year, too, the old-fashioned kind that you buy in the store, so that blows my whole point.

lisarea · #8 10-27-2006, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

I just have a hard time believing that people are intentionally spending more on ringtones than they are on music.

I believe it. I spent something like $7 last year to get three System of a Down songs that I now use as ring tones. I was playing around with my new phone, seeing what features it had to offer, and I was like "$7? No biggie, if I only do it once," which I totally did only do it once, and I still use those same 3 ring tones. OTOH, I have only spent $2.97 at iTunes in the same amount of time (3 songs at 99c apiece).

OK. Yeah, but you're crazy. You don't even count.

Anyway, maybe I just do not understand the young people these days. I just find the least odious sound already on my phone or else make one myself, which I used to could do on this one phone I had once, but I dunno if any phones do that anymore, plus it is all crappy sounding no matter what, but ANYWAYS.

Shouldn't it also be easy to get ringtones for free?

Ensign Steve · #9 10-27-2006, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

Shouldn't it also be easy to get ringtones for free?

Probably. But I love America.

lisarea · #10 10-27-2006, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

Shouldn't it also be easy to get ringtones for free?

Probably. But I love America.

Gross.

But hey. Go ahead. If you really need to pay money for your ringtone of "Horse with no name," don't let me stop you.

quiet bear · #11 10-27-2006, 02:13 AM

Let me get this straight...

with cell phones, you not only have to pay for each call, which may or may not go through, because of bad cells, outo of network, yadda yadda, sometimes pay for the call when someone calls you, but you have to pay for your phone to ring, as well?

Wow. I am so not ever owning a cell phone.

MonCapitan2002 · #12 10-27-2006, 03:52 AM

You don't own a cell phone either? I thought I was the only one here with the sense not to own one of the devices.

quiet bear · #13 10-27-2006, 03:58 AM

Well, there's two of us. Give me a call. I assure you, the call will get through. And at a minimal fee.

LOLOLOLOLOL.

lisarea · #14 10-27-2006, 04:03 AM

You don't have to pay for ringtones. That's totally optional. Cell phones come with default ringtones, and you can usually make your own custom ones and such, I think. You only have to pay if you want one you have to pay for. And even then, I'll bet you don't REALLY have to pay.

I'm pretty sure some of my kid's friends have ringtones of stuff like them screaming and burping and things like that.

NOW I'll bet you want a cellphone, huh?

Ensign Steve · #15 10-27-2006, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

You don't have to pay for ringtones. That's totally optional. Cell phones come with default ringtones, and you can usually make your own custom ones and such, I think. You only have to pay if you want one you have to pay for. And even then, I'll bet you don't REALLY have to pay.

Yeah, like if you want a ringtone that is an actual recording of a copywrited song by a living artist, you aren't just "paying for a ringtone" but you are purchasing a recording of said song. These artists are losing their shirts to the music stealers on the internets, and they have to pay the bills somehow.

quiet bear · #16 10-27-2006, 04:08 AM

That's interesting. I mean it.

I'm just poking you guys with a stick.

viscousmemories · #17 10-27-2006, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

I just find the least odious sound already on my phone...

Yep, that's me; which has been Bach's Badinerie for the year or so I've had this phone.

lisarea · #18 10-27-2006, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

I just find the least odious sound already on my phone...

Yep, that's me; which has been Bach's Badinerie for the year or so I've had this phone.

For me, it is something called "Lowrider." It is not the "Low-ri-der, ride a little lower..."* one, though.

It is a different one. By BACH.

* I think those are the wrong words.

Ensign Steve · #19 10-27-2006, 04:42 AM

You must be shrooming.

lisarea · #20 10-27-2006, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

You must be shrooming.

If that is how you young people say "speaking the truth" these days, then yes, I am "shrooming."

Ensign Steve · #21 10-27-2006, 04:48 AM

Word.

viscousmemories · #22 10-27-2006, 04:48 AM

IRON MAN · #23 10-27-2006, 07:20 AM

$75bn

Yes I know, my daughter is responsible for a significant percentage of that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisarea

I think a lot of their money comes from conning kids with recurring fees ...

Am I the only one who has teenagers than don't think for a single nanosecond before signing up for that sort of shit - or is it a normal part of the human lifecycle or something? I sure as hell don't remember going through it.

Quote:

Get this cool Britney Spears tone for only $2.99*
*Plus Tax + Additional delivery fee + $50 monthly subscription + Your mother's wedding ring + Your parent's house + Your first born + Your human rights + Your immortal soul.
Not refundable. Cooling off period: 3 microseconds.

Comes with bonus iPod carry case, (shocking pink), valued at $19.95 !!!

You know, I think that teenagers are blind to small print the same way that adults are deaf to their silent ring tone.

I guess it all balances out. We can't hear anything above 18KHz and they can't see anything below 18pt type.

Adam · #24 10-27-2006, 03:54 PM

What's a ringtone? I can't remember the last time I had my phone on anything other than vibrate. You crazy kids with your rock and roll devil music blaring out of your phones in public all the time... :shakefist:

Also, stay off my lawn!

Dingfod · #25 10-27-2006, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonCapitan2002

You don't own a cell phone either? I thought I was the only one here with the sense not to own one of the devices.

I have one of those Google cellphones I bought at Walmart. It comes with a 90,000 iTunes ringtone catalog and direct dial buttons for Halliburton and Exxon.