Out of Tune Ringtones

There seems to be a never ending supply of ringtone offerings available to the ringtone enthusiast. Content providers are constantly in search of the next category winner….even if it means “tuning out”! I recently came across a fun and somewhat amusing category where songs are recorded out of tune creating a comedic spin on popular hits and performances
With Britney Spears once bright shining sun on the west coast (read setting), have you ever wondered how she must be singing “Oops I Did it again”? with a sad tone. These are the Out Of Tune ringtones, albeit not by artists per se but a funny way to listen to these hot songs in a weird manner. Britney is not alone, with her are James Blunt, Mika, Robbie Williams and also some movies. And yes remember Ketchup Song? It is also there. These ringtones are real fun to enjoy & have it on your cellphone.

Future of Music? Mobile Ringtones

Increasingly, musicians are trying to sell their songs via ringtones. With CD sales declining music industry needs phone carriers more than ever.
Even artists are using this route is British pop singer Natasha Beddingfield. She has signed up for Verizon VIP tour, following footsteps of Fergie who did same thing last year.
According to Jesse Jensema, supervising producer for the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio, music industry teaming up with phone carriers is a revolutionary way to bring music back to the world as this (music) industry is going downhill.
Verizon has said that mobile data has accounted for more than 20 percent of its total wireless revenue, an indication that mobile market is maturing

Source: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080607/BUSINESS10/806070411

Top 10 ringtones downloads for 2007

US mobile operator AT&T has released list of Top 10 downloaded ringtones for year 2007. The most popular ringtone is Party Like A Rockstar, also in the list are This Is Why Im Hot, Crank That, Rockstar, Dont Matter, "Buy You A Drank” by T-Pain feat Yung Joc, "A Bay Bay” by Hurricane Chris, “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston, Pop, Lock and Drop It by Huey and “Big Girls Dont Cry” by Fergie. Astonishingly Kiss Kiss by Chris Brown, No One by Alicia Keys, Stronger by Kanye West are missing. Probably because these songs/ringtones were released towards the end of the year.

Big Names jump on RIngtone wagon

According to Billboard article, US mobile operator AT&T has bagged exclusive access to handful of Dave Matthews Band ringtones. This comes on heels of Van Halen also joining the ringtone bandwagon. But why now? According to Industry sources, bands gave into the ringtone craze along with rock regends AC/DC, Led Zeppelin to name among the latest to give in.

Ringtones Galore

With festive season just around the corner, companyies are vying to attract users to them. US Mobile Operator AT&T is giving holiday ringtones free to its customers. Among the ringtones offered are "Jingle Bells", Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" by Cyndi Lauper, Feliz Navidad and others.
According to San Fernando Valley Business Journal, Indiana Jones ringtones see released in time with the release of the new Indiana Jones Film.
And finally, The King Of Spain outbursts against President of Venezuela, "Why Don't You Shut Up?" has been the latest craze in ringtones industry. It has generated approx. $2 million in sales with approx 500,000 peoples have downloaded different versions of "Shut Up" ringtone.

Ringtone Industry

Hunger for ringtone is showing no sign of reduction in sales. Global ringtone market is forecasted to grow at whopping $5.2 billion annually. Last year (2006) alone ringtones accounted for approx. $32.3 billion or over 10% of the worldwide music market.
The hip-hop artists contribution has accounted for more than half of the ringtones downloaded ringtones. No wonder that artists like 50 Cent, Mariah Carey, Red Hot Chilli Peppers are more than willing to compose ringtones It has already been forecasted by professionals that ringtone sales will surpass that of actual CD sales.
Its interesting to see as the battle between Kanye West & 50 Cent was nothing but a publicity stunt Kanye West had dreamed up to sell more records.

Christmas Ringtones

WIth Christmas fast approaching, US operator AT&T has started offering fetsive ringtones free to its customer.
Jingle Bells of course is the most popular Christas Ringtone along with All I Want for Christmas is You. When Rudolh the Red Nosed Reindeer goes for a Sleigh Ride we truly feel The Bells of Christmas ringin, what a fantastic way to you have your Cellphone ringing on that tunes.
On other note No One by Alicia Keys has been number one on Billboard Top 100 chart for 2 weeks in a row dethroaning Chris Brown's Kiss Kiss which had reigned Top 100 chart for approxiametly 3 weeks.

Top Selling Ringtone

Buy U A Drank by T-Pain feat. Yung Joc has become best selling ringtone to date by selling more than $2.3 million units. To capitalize on popularity of such ringtones music companys release more than one version. Buy U a Drank has 6 versions one featuring Kanye West while other featuring Yung Joc which are 2 of the versions.
Ringtones as an industry has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry, even though ringtones are despised by many consumers, in US consumers will pay approx $550 million in the year 2007 alone.
Soulja Boy is not ready yet to give up number one spot on Billboard Top 100. Soulja Boy's song "Crank That" has been on Billboard top for consecutive 2 weeks.

Hit and Miss

It has been a very exciting week in songs/ringtones world.
World, especially Britney Spears fans awaiting in anticipation for Britney's comeback. All Britney's Fan wanted to say Gimme More, but unfortunately Britney's VMA comeback was disaster as she tried to keep up with professional dancers lip synching her way to her latest single.
In other news, competition between Kanye West and 50 Cent is getting exciting. With latest reports indicating that Kanye West's latest CD moving closer to 7 figure mark, 50 Cents latest release is at number 2 spot but trailing by more than 200K.
It becomes more interesting as 50 Cent has mentioned that he will "retire" from making solo albums if Kanye West wins the record sales battle. We will keep an eye on it and keep you posted

Ringtone Sales Go Up

Reports received through newsletter estimates that ringtone sales in China have crossed $360 million in year 2006. With many users buying ringtones on weekly basis. Over 80 percent of the mobile users have downloaded more than one song to be used as ringtone.
Here in North America former Amrican Idol winner Carrie Underwoord became only 2nd Country star to earn platinum status for ringtone “Before He Cheats” for one million purchased ringtones. The first country tune to hit million download mark was Waylon Jennings for theme song Dukes of Hazzard.

Ringtones – Way to Go.

With reports that music industry is loosing millions of dollars every year, thanks to illegal download and duplication, Ringtones are catching up. With young generation interested in personalizing their cell phone with variety of ringtones like Fight Ringtones, Animal sounds. Even hot artists like Beyonce are reported to making big bucks from ringtones.
On the other side of world, Animal sounds like Cows Mooing, Rooster Calls are used to draw stray leopards to capture them and later release them at safe distance in the forests. What a technology instead of using live baits. Simple eh!

Roller Coaster Ride

What a roller coaster ride it has been for
ringtones!.
You had This is why I'm Hot by Mims at the top only to be displaced by Shakira & Beyonce with Beatiful Liar.
Makes Me Wonder being overtaken by T-Pain offering to Buy you a Drank.
Justin Timberlake had Sexyback claiming number one but have to creep up slowly with Summer Love.
These are interesting days for ringtones as every artist be it Avril Lavine or Daughtry trying to get attention with one hits after other.
Don’t forget there are tones like Mosquito Tone that still appeal to students like Bee Buzzing.

Spooky

Spooky feleing eh! why not its Halloween time :D, is it not as scary when you see Blood on the TV ? or that Creaking door opening sound which will definately make you Yell in terror. Wondering where did those Ghostbusters have gone? Well guess what, the Thriller feeling you have will definately be gone when you go out for Trick or Treat.
On another note, remember that Mosquito ringtone, yes that same ringtone which only kids can hear (squeaky or scrathing high pitched sound), guess what an UK based company Phat Tonez decided to pull the plug on that ringtone after receiving complaints.

80’s

Who likes 80’s music? Is it the unmistakable synthesizers or is it the mysterious combination of the keyboard guitar (key-tar) that grabs your attention? From the days when Miami Vice ruled primetime TV and George Michael was with Wham!, the 80’s had a lot to offer.

There were bands that never seem to take a day off, like the Men at Work and the daring Men without Hats, who besides their name dance the safest dance of all, The Safety Dance. Hangin’ tough were the New Kids on the Block to the music scene, showing the man-bands the boy-bands were moving in step by step. Some bands were ready to lay it on the line for the chance to Triumph and be a survivor in the eye of the tiger. There are even bands that have lasted the test of time and had the desire to travel streets with no names and stay united to remain U2. From the days when a Flock of Seagulls ran so far and Madonna was like a virgin, there was always something special about the 80’s.

With so many genres of music, trying to place certain bands into categories is an impossible task – hence the genre: 80’s.

Free Easy Ringtone Maker

Have you ever tried to find that special ringtone you want? Your search ends now! Visit Monstertones and make your very own ringtone! Download and install your free Easy Ringtone Maker, pop in a CD or open a file with your favourite song and in minutes you will be signing to your sweet creation.

Making your very own Realtone ringtone is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1 – Enter your mobile phone number and Carrier.

2 – Select your audio file.

3 – Make your ringtone!

Go to www.monstertones.com and download your free Easy Ringtone Maker application and start making sweet tones!

Mosquito Ringtones

Have you ever wondered how dogs can hear a whistle that makes no sound? Now most adults will wonder how teenagers are hearing their cell phone when there is no sound!

Initially the Mosquito ringtone was meant as a deterrent to loitering teenagers, but now the tables have turned and the teenagers are using it to hear their cell phones while in class - which are supposed to be off. Since you lose the ability to hear high frequency sound as you get older, teachers (mostly) will be none the wiser. It’s the newest craze among teenagers in the UK and its making its way to North America at a rapid pace!

You can get your Mosquito ringtone straight from www.monstertones.com. Catch the Mosquito buzz!

World Cup Ringtones - Follow FIFA World Cup 2006 with personalized ringtones for your team.

FIFA World Cup 2006 is closing in; soon the world is going to switch to soccer mode, are you prepared? Well let’s give all Ringtone and World Cup Soccer fans an early start to get prepared.

We have composed a match schedule that will inform you of the latest games, its location and also provide you with a selection of ringtones for your favorite teams. Surprise your surrounding soccer fans and stand out with your team’s national anthem or the traditional “Ole Ole Ole” ringtones.

Match	Date	Teams and Associated Ringtones			Time/Score
1	9-Jun-06	Germany	GER:CRC	Croatia	18:00	Group A
2	9-Jun-06	Poland	POL:ECU	Ecuador	21:00	Group A
3	10-June-06	England	ENG:PAR	Paraguay	15:00	Group B
4	10-June-06	Trinidad & Tobago	TRI:SWE	Sweden	18:00	Group B
5	10-June-06	Argentina	ARG:CIV	Côte d'Ivoire	21:00	Group C

Thrill Your Phone with Michael Jackson Ringtones

You know the way it makes you feel when you hear that certain song and remember a time? Why not attach a ringtone to that special moment and enjoy the thrill again and again. Featured at www.monstertones.com is an assortment of Michael Jackson ringtones for everyone to jam to. Let your phone out of the closet and release its potential to bring you memories and entertainment and ease on down the road to Monstertones and heal your world with our new classic ringtones.

Whether you’re a stranger in Moscow, a smooth criminal or just plain bad, there is a Michael Jackson ringtone for everyone!

Don’t stop until you get enough great ringtones!

Ringback Tones – Music While You Are Waiting For an Answer

The world of ringtones continues to change with new terms emerging for ringtone fans. Ringtones, Realtones, and Truetones are some of the popular keywords. The latest buzz revolves around “Ringback tones”.

Confused? Well don’t be. Ringback tones are music clips that callers hear when an outgoing call is being placed. Rather than hearing traditional rings on outgoing calls, you will hear your personalized music clips. In order to use this service, you must subscribe for it from your carrier. The following carriers are known to offer this service in the US

Verizon Wireless
T-Mobile
Boost Mobile
Sprint

Say goodbye to boring outgoing rings.

Keep up your collection of ringtones so you can use your collection for your Ringback tones.

Music Artists Coalition – Against Suing Fans and Digital Locks

A number of Canadian Music Creators have formed a coalition that is focused on voicing their goals to reform copyright laws. When major record labels sue music fans on the basis of piracy, they sometimes do so against the artist’s will. These labels also make it impossible to transfer the music into different formats with digital locks.

The Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) is against the above. CMCC states that government should repeal parts of the Copyright Act to allow music fans to share music and transfer music to different formats for non-commercial purposes.

This is good new for us ringtones fans as one would be able to obtain favorite artists ringtones with ease. Keep posted with the latest CMCC updates at http://www.musiccreators.ca/ .

Ringtones – Staying Cool With Trendy Ringtones

Ringtones come in different formats, monophonic, polyphonic and truetones. Truetones are considered to be the dominant type. Monophonic ringtones are a thing of the past; no one really downloads them unless they are looking to be ridiculed or scheming to irritate someone.

Polyphonic ringtones and MP3 ringtones (Other names for MP3ringtones: Truetones, or Realtones) are able to pack quality and are recognizable in a 30 – 40 sec track.

Polyphonic ringtones are tone based versions of songs that are capable of playing more than one tone at a time. All new phones are able to play up to 40 tones at a time, giving content providers the flexibility to generate ringtones that sounds similar to the original song. On the down side to polyphonic ringtones is the lack of ability to play lyrics.

MP3 ringtones provide a solution for what polyphonic ringtones lack. New phones such as Samsung t509, LG LX350, Nokia N73, Nokia N93 and many others; come with built in MP3 playback support and add-on storage from 32MB to 2GB.

Ringtones have spread through the mobile community. Everyone is now able to have a ringtone for everyday of the week and for every occasion. Ringtones reflect the latest buzz.

The biggest buzz this week is the release of Mission Impossible 3. Get noticed with a Mission Impossible Ringtone. World Cup Soccer is another event highly anticipated by the world for this summer. Support your favorite World Cup team with their National Anthem Ringtones.

Start looking around to find great ideas from TV, Movies, POP Media. Slick up your cell phone with ringtones, wallpapers, games and other mobile content.

Monstertones provides a central location to download ringtones and wallpapers in the hottest categories. Also www.CNET.com has composed a top 10 games list for your cell phone.

IDenity 2.0 - Solutions for easy access to ringtones

Ever wonder what the name of that catchy new tune on the radio is? Ever wonder why you can’t have instant access to this information? Well struggle no longer - there is now a solution for Verizon Wireless customers.

It’s called “IDenity” and the new version, 2.0, was released at CTIA 2006 by Rocket Mobile. This application allows you to identify songs from any source such as a car radio and obtain the associated ringtone.

The song identification application is able to detect over two million songs whether it is classical tunes, rock tunes or various dance tunes with a 10 second sample. It will also display the artist, song and album title after successful recognition. This neat application simplifies the search for new ringtones or calltones.

For more information on this service go to http://www.verizonwireless.com and http://www.RocketMobile.com

Music Artists – Making music available through ringtones and calltones

Over the past few weeks artists have begun to make their music available as a ringtone, mastertone or calltone through carriers and their recording companies.

Virgin Mobile USA and Virgin Records announce that some Virgin record labels will now be available as ringtones exclusively to Virgin Mobile’s members of the “First Dibs” program.

US Carrier Sprint organized a deal with Pearl Jam to make the first single of their new album available as a ringtone through the website Fanscape.

It’s not just the new artists and songs that are being promoted through ringtones, original hits from the past are also emerging. Abba original hit songs are being released as hit ringtones by Universal Music Mobile with approval from the song writers. The ringtone releases include “Dancing Queen” ringtone, “Mama Mia” ringtone, “Waterloo” ringtone, “Money, Money, Money” ringtone and others.

Artists and recording companies are realizing the potential of using mobile media as a launching platform for their music. As the mobile market is growing with the increased number of users there will be more ringtone, real tone, or master tone releases from your favorite artists.

So Readers, keep an eye out as we will attempt to keep up with this trend and bring the latest news on ringtones and mobile content for your favorite artists.

Links:
www.ringingphone.com
www.umusic.com
www.zim.biz

Theme tones that last forever

With the ringtone market exploding in North America theme ringtones are helping lead the way. Who wouldn’t recognize the James Bond theme as your ringer? Same goes for the Super Mario Brothers theme?

That is the appeal of themes as ringtones – they are short enough to be a solid 30 to 40 second song and they are independent of the genre of music you like. Everyone has seen a TV Show or a Movie and once they hear the theme the link between the two is instant.

With the growing popularity of TV and Movie Theme ringtones, this is a great way to personalize your cell phone. There are timeless themes such as the James Bond Theme and Bonanza Theme as well as new themes such as Desperate Housewives.

Themes are so popular that video game themes are a main stay in the Hot Ringtone Chart provided by billboard.com. The Super Mario Brothers Theme from way back, has been on the chat for 78 weeks – that is the longest of any ringtone on the chart. That is the beauty of a theme tone: staying power.

Use your voice to launch applications and find content.

As new technologies were revealed at CTIA Wireless 2006, there was one that was catching attention; the ability to use voice to perform mobile searches, find ringtones, wallpapers, videos, games etc, by simply talking into your phone. The two companies that have commercialized this are Promptu and V-Enable.

The technology allows you to speak commands such as “Find Sean Paul Ringtone” and the result would be a listing of Sean Paul ringtones from the carrier’s store. The same can be done for other content. Supported carriers so far are Altel, Cricket Communications, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless.

Technologies dedicated to helping consumers get the content they want accurately is what will bring up sales for mobile content. For example ringtone sales are estimated to hit $600M in the U.S. this year according to BMI who has been tracking ringtone sales since 2001.

This in turn allows ringtone distributors to bring the prices down. Ringtone sites such as www.monstertones.com have been able to reduce its subscription rates by almost 40% over the weekend. Hopefully this will be a trend that will be picked up by many other ringtone sites.

Cell Phones – Trends in the usage of the full potential of a device

Why have cell phones become a key item in everyone’s lives? Why does one need it? Well, the obvious answer is to stay connected with your friends and with the world. It is a form of comfort knowing that we are not too far from help.

Since cell phones are becoming essential in your day-to-day business, why walk around with a bland/typical cell phone? Spice it up, personalize your phone. Custom features such as ringtones, wallpapers, screen savers, and screen themes are just a few of the upgrades to improve the look and feel of a cell phone.

Even though a vast number of people title their cell phones as “my precious”, latest studies by Pew Research Center’s Pew Internet & American Life Project, the Associated Press and statistics from AOL reveals some surprising results form various scenarios.

1) 6 % of cell phone users play games on their cell phones for example, while 19% wishes they had that feature. 2% of cell phone users watch mobile video or TV, while 14% do not and would like to.
2) Simpler mobile entertainment - 65% of users have customized their cell phones with ringtones or wallpapers and 8% of these users have voted on American Idol with their cell phones.
3) Usage in the different generations - 23% of users of ages 18-29 wanted to watch TV on their cell and only 15% of the 30-49 age groups wanted it. 4% of ages 50-64 and 6% of ages 65 and over wanted to have the mobile entertainment features.

These numbers indicate that users are not fully aware of the full potential of their cell phones. Cell phones,such as the Nokia 6683, N91, Motorola’s Razor, Samsungs SGH-D520, come with sophisticated sound, video, gaming and other media support. One would learn a lot if you were to dig deep into the owners’ manual provided by these cell phone manufacturers.

Signing On: Cheaper mobile content through service providers.

ZIM Corporation has now integrated with CoolRingtones blog and we are thrilled to bring our readers the latest and hottest news on mobile content with our devoted focus on the ringtone industry. In order to start this off, let us talk about what is new in the world of mobile content and what it has to offer.

SMS, ringtones, wallpaper for your cell phone, and other mobile content are in high demand. Fixed rates per content type, regulated by service providers, have kept many cell phone users away from exploring the full potential of the mobile domain. Motorola Inc. and Bytemobile Inc., leaders in IP services for mobile networks, have joined forces to bring about a solution to help service providers increase their revenue per user by allowing ways to personalize selling and charging for content services.

Motorola’s Intelligent Charging Solution allows service providers to charge according to size and content type of every message sent. Thus service providers could offer cost effective packages or services that accurately reflect customer needs.

"The ability to integrate Unison network services with GAMA enables us to help Motorola deliver unified end-to-end solutions that decrease latency, reduce network operating costs, and improve service and capacity for customers," said Adrian Hall, Bytemobile's vice president, Business Development.

About Bytemobile

For mobile network operators and enterprises, Bytemobile enables deployment of true high-value solutions that offer rapid payback, impressive ROI, and increased customer satisfaction. More than 60 mobile network operators around the world have already deployed Bytemobile’s market-leading solutions. Their networks are faster, have greater capacity, and are much more efficiently integrated. As a result, they deliver better value and profitability, enable greater productivity, and provide an enhanced online user experience.
To find out more about Bytemobile, please visit http://www.bytemobile.com .

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by our vision of Seamless Mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you get and stay connected simply and seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment that you want and need. We do this by designing and delivering the "must have" products, "must do" experiences and powerful networks - along with a full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of $36.8 billion in 2005.
To find out more about Motorola, please visit http://www.motorola.com/ .

Signing Off: The Cool Ringtones Blog

On April 1, the Zim Corporation of Ottawa, Canada will be acquiring the Advanced Internet division of Advanced Telecom Services. As part of this acquisition, goes not only the ringtone sites, Ringingphone.com and Monstertones.com, but also the Cool Ringtones Blog.

I am very excited to now be part of a company like Zim that has leadership from such a seasoned and successful businessman as Dr. Michael Cowpland. Under his leadership, I'm sure Advanced Internet's products will flourish and the readers of the Cool Ringtones Blog will continue to read important articles about the ringtone industry here at the blog.

I am very appreciative of the many readers of the blog. When I check our stat visitors from the past two years and see regular readers from Japan, Korea, the Phillipines, South Africa, and Australia, I know that we must have been writing something that was of interest to you. It's amazing that a little innocuous thing like ringtones can have such international appeal.

Thanks to all of you who have made the Cool Ringtones Blog a great success! We certainly hope you have enjoyed reading these articles as much as we've enjoyed writing them.


--
Anthony Wayne (Publisher-Cool Ringtones Blog)
Bob Bentz (Co-Owner -- Advanced Internet)

Zim Announces Agreement to Acquire Ringingphone

ZIM Announces Agreement to Acquire US Mobile Content Provider

ZIM enhances its mobile offering through strategic acquisition

Ottawa, Canada - March 28, 2006 - ZIM Corporation (OTCBB: ZIMCF), a global mobile service provider, aggregator and application developer for the mobile market, today announced it has agreed to acquired a U.S.-based mobile content company, Advanced Internet Services Inc., in a combined share and cash deal worth approximately $1.1 million.

ZIM will issue 10 million shares, representing approximately 14% of the issued and outstanding shares of the company, post issuance. The acquisition provides ZIM an immediate entry to the mobile content market and a proven mobile content-delivery platform.

ZIM expects the transaction to be completed by April 1, 2006, subject to the completion of customary transaction documents and closing conditions. "We are further expanding our mobile offering with the acquisition of Advanced Internet Services, as they have two of the top 15 mobile content sites, Monstertones.com and ringingphone.com," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, President and CEO of ZIM. "This acquisition is part of the move into mobile content that we announced in February, 2006. With this acquisition, we hope to leverage our relationships and technical expertise to expand our role in the mobile market. In addition to the Monstertones.com and ringingphone.com portals, ZIM will be providing mobile content through other dedicated portals."

Founded in 2002, Advanced Internet Services was one of the first independent websites in North America to offer cell phone ring tones and wallpapers. The ring tone sites host a large catalog of polyphonic and MP3 ring tones for music spanning from the 1950’s to the most popular current hits. In addition to offering popular music ring tones, the websites offer a wide variety of unique content, including funny and sexy ring tones and a large collection of urban ring tones.

"ZIM and Advanced Internet Services both believe in the potential of the mobile content market," said Bret Dunlap, Founder and CEO of Advanced Telecom Services, the parent of Advanced Internet Services. "We are very excited about this transaction with ZIM, as we believe the mobile content opportunities in North America are still in the early stages. As an aggregator of mobile data services, ZIM is perfectly positioned to capitalize on this burgeoning new market opportunity."

About ZIM

ZIM is a mobile service provider, aggregator and application developer for the mobile market. ZIM’s bridges the gap between data and mobility. For more information on ZIM and its customers, partners and products, visit: http://www.zim.biz/.

BingoHouse Announces New Online Bingo Web Site

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BingoHouse, an online bingo web site, announces that it's new site will soon be debuting on BingoHouse.com. To celebrate, BingoHouse is offering a 200% initial sign up bonus for new online bingo accounts. It's never been a better time to try your hand at online bingo.

Ringtones a Source of Stress?

According to Personnel Today, ringtones are among one of the annoyances in the workplace in the UK. Also sited as annoying was the person who never offers to make tea, the co-worker who eats smelly food at lunch time, and the secretary who spreads unfounded gossip.

Now, having worked with a colleague who used to cook macaroni & cheese every day in the microwave, I totally get the smelly food one And, I also understand you concern over tea as I recall it starting a war in Boston just over 200 years ago. But ringtones?

Ringtones & Premium Content to Hit $43 billion

Cell phone premium content, which includes ringtone sales, is expected to exceed $43 billion by 2010, according to a study by iSuppli Corp. The study says that the 2004 market for premium content was $5.2 billion worldwide.

Mobile music, specifically ringtones and ringtunes, is the largest and fastest growing premium content segment in the wireless world. The market for ringtones made great strides in 2005 as it rapidly grew to a $3.8 billion industry.

At the same time, revenue from mobile games increased by about 80 percent in 2005. Mobile video also shows great potential, but is still in its early stages, even in Asia which has been recognized as the leader in the mobile industry. Mobile TV is still relatively new and the study estimates that only 12% of total phones sold by 2010 will be TV enabled.

42% of Teens Frequently Download Mobile Ringtones

It may not come as a surprise to some, but teenagers are much more likely – about twice as likely actually – to download ringtones for their cell phones.

Pop culture is booming with artists such as 50 Cent, Shakira and Fall Out Boy and teens are scrambling for the hottest ringtones for their cell phones.

According to a recent study by Usable Products Company, 42% of mobile phone users, aged 14 to 17 download ringtones at least once a month. This compares to just 21% of adults aged 25 or over.

Numbers like this are the whole basis of advertising strategy within the ringtone market, and with most other types of mobile entertainment. Companies have learned that advertising on TV shows and websites with large teen audiences can yield significantly better results than promoting to older users.

Top 15 Ringtone Sites Revealed

Top 15 Ringtone Sites Revealed

By Anthony Wayne
Publisher – Cool Ringtones Blog (http://www.coolringtones.com/)

New York – Advanced Telecom Services placed two of its ringtone sites on Top Ten Reviews (http://www.toptenreviews.com/) review of the nation’s top ringtone sites. MonsterTones (http://www.monstertones.com/) and Ringingphone (http://www.ringingphone.com/), were both listed among the nation’s Top Ringtone Sites according to the online ratings service.

Both Ringingphone and MonsterTones received top ratings for “Ease of Use” scoring a perfect four out of four rating. The sites also scored 3 ½ out of 4 in “Features” and “Selection of Ringtones.”

“There are a lot of good ringtone sites out there and I’m pleased to see that we were recognized for providing a no nonsense approach to ringtones since 2001,” said Bob Bentz, marketing manager for MonsterTones. “We spend a lot of time on ringtone content so I was pleased to see we scored so well there.”

Industry analysts project the national ringtone market size to be $600 million and still growing. Just two years ago, the US ringtone market was a mere $75 million. Billboard Magazine (http://www.billboard.com/ ) sees the market as being so significant that it now ranks the Top 40 ringtones each week. “Grillz” by Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp ranks number one on the Billboard ringtone charts this week.

Part of the reason for the continued growth of ringtones has been the profound improvements to the technology. What was once a business of monophonic ringtones that sounded like playing the piano with one finger soon evolved into a business of polyphonic ringtones that sound like an orchestra playing the song. Today, MP3 ringtones, also known as realtones, dominate the industry as more cell phones have the capability of adding actual vocals to their ringers.

Anthony Wayne is publisher of the Cool Ringtones Blog—a blog that has been reporting on the ringtone industry for two years. Wayne has 57 ringtones on his Motorola RAZR phone.

British, Germans Love Ringtones

12.6% of UK citizens with 3G technology purchased a ringtone in fourth quarter of 2005, according to a study just published by M:Metrics. This compares to 14.7% of Germans who purchased a ringtone during the same time period. The study also showed that cell phone customers with 3G technology were nearly twice as likely to purchase a ringtone as those with 2G technology.

Consider these numbers that American companies would surely be envious of. 89.0% of UK 3G users sent a text message compared to 84.1% of Germans. Recent US statistics show significantly less useage of text messaging in America with the youngest demos showing only 64% penetration of text messaging.

The study also showed that 10.2% of UK 3G subscribers purchased a game compared to 7.0% of Germans that did so.

Flintstones Ringtone May Not Bowl Your Boss Over

Cell phone provider Let's Talk provides some tips to the many naughty and inconsiderate cell phone users in the USA and around the world. Here's what Let's Talk has to say about ringtones.

Choose Ringtones You Won't Regret

The Flintstones Ringtone

Personalized ringtones have become a certifiable hit. We love the way consumers can really customize their cell phone experience, but always consider what the ringtone says about you and the environment in which itrings. Your kids may love your Fred Flintstone "YabbaDabbaDoo!" ringtone, but it might not be a hit in the board room.

The Fix: Many cell phones offer environment settings that are designed for specific experiences, e.g. the boardroom. If your phone has this feature, be sure to activate the setting to the right environment before you head into an important meeting. If your cell phone doesn't sport this feature, try selecting environment-friendly ringtones. For callers who call you during the day when you may be in meetings try a more sedate ringtone and breakout the hit song ringtones for calls you're likely to receive on weekends.

Editor's Note -- I have 57 cool ringtones on my cell phone. The one that I use most often is The Flintstones ringtone. And, yes, I do spend time in boardrooms. When my Flintstones ringtone goes off, it shows that I actually have a personality and interests outside of the work environment. I wish Bob in accounting had a Flintstones ringtone rather than that annoying cell phone ring he has. Fact is: Bob's too cheap to pay $1.99 for a Flintstones ringtone.

Movie Themes Make Popular Ringtones

As movie awards season rolls in to high gear, movie themed ringtones are becoming a huge hit.

Among some of the popular “movie theme” ringtones now available are “Scotty Doesn’t Know” (“Eurotrip”); “Halloween Theme Ringtone” (“Halloween”); “Pink Panther Theme” (“Pink Panther”); “Eye of the Tiger” (“Rocky”); “Godfather Love Theme” (“The Godfather”); “Mission Impossible Theme Ringtone” (“Mission Impossible”); James Bond Theme (Intro); “Seasons of Love Ringtone” (“Rent”)’ “Dueling Banjos” (“Deliverance”); and “Tubular Bells” (“The Exorcist Ringtone”).

Monstertones carries new and old movie tones that are capatable with several different cell phones and carriers including, Cingular, Verizon, AT&T, Cellular One, Dobson, Fido, Rogers Wireless, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile.

The silver screen, small screen and PC screen are giving away to that most ubiquitous screen of all, the cell phone,” a press release from Moderati states.

The themes come from a mix of movie genres, including comedies, horror flicks, thrillers, love stories and dramas - including selections from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. “Movie themes make fantastic ringtones because of their familiarity and the mood they evoke,” stated Bob Bentz Co-owner of Monstertones. “The theme from ‘Halloween’ communicates dread and fear - perfect for when your mother-in-law calls.”

Monstertones offers polyphonic ringtones, MP3tones, sound effects, voice tones and wallpapers.

Ringtones are the Mohawks of the 2000's

People have always tried to stand out from the crowd and maybe ringtones are today's way to do it. We all know how important it is to personalize your cell phone with a cool ringtone.

According to a report by Pittsburgh television station KDKA, ringtones are a $12 billion industry with $600 million in US sales alone last year.

Scott Lewis, of Verizon ringtones, said: "I think (ringtones) are for just about everybody who wants to have some fun with their phone." The Verizon ringtones employee went on to say: "People have always wanted to stand out from crazy dress to a crazy haircut. Maybe the ringtone is the mohawk of the 2000's."

Mobiles Hot for Sex Search

According to an article in the New Scientist (?), Google search data as analyzed by two academics reveals that some 20% of searches conducted by mobiles were for porn. Interestingly, only 5% of searches from PDAs were for the...

This was posted by mobile-weblog.

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New Cameraphone Statistics

NPD Group has released new global cameraphone penetration data as part of a larger set of data on digital cameras. According to the data: In 2005, 45 percent of all mobile phones sold in the U.S. were camera phones,...

Camera phones are selling more and more.

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Nelly Moves to Top of Ringtone Charts

Nelly now has the # 1 ranked ringtone in the nation, according to the Billboard Ringtone Charts. Nelly ringtone "Grillz" took the top ringtone spot this week from the Black Eyed Peas ringtone "My Humps."

Proving that all the top ringtones aren't necessarily hip-hop ringtones, the # 4 spot on the chart is taken by the Super Mario Brothers game ringtone. The Super Mario Brothers ringtone has been on the Billboard charts for a whopping 71 weeks now. That's about as long as it would take me to rescue Princess Toadstool.

MonsterTones Announces Top 25 Ringtones for 2005

Wayne, PA (PRWEB) March 6, 2006 -- MonsterTones announces its top ringtones for 2005.

1. Sugar We’re Going Down Ringtone – Fall Out Boy ringtones
2. Boulevard of Broken Dreams Ringtone– Green Day ringtones
3. Drop it Like It’s Hot Ringtone – Snoop Dogg ringtones
4. Wake Me Up When September Ends Ringtone – Green Day ringtones
5. Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang Ringtone – Dr. Dre ringtones
6. Like You Ringtone – Bow Wow ringtones
7. Take on Me Ringtone– Ah-Ha ringtones
8. Gold Digger Ringtone – Kanye West ringtones
9. Because I Got High Ringtone – Afroman ringtones
10. Redneck Woman Ringtone – Gretchen Wilson ringtones
11. Faint Ringtone – Linkin Park ringtones
12. It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere Ringtone – Alan Jackson ringtones
13. Friends in Low Places Ringtone – Garth Brooks ringtones
14. Dance Dance Ringtone – Fall Out Boy ringtones
15. Sandstorm Ringtone – Da Rude ringtones
16. Baby Got Back Ringtone – Sir Mix A Lot ringtones
17. Clocks Rigntone – Coldplay ringtones
18. American Idiot Ringtone – Green Day ringtones
19. P.I.M.P. Ringtone – 50 Cent ringtones
20. Cowboys from Hell Ringtone – Pantera ringtones
21. Act A Fool Ringtone – Ludacris ringtones
22. Dirty Little Secrets Ringtone – The All American Rejects ringtones
23. B.Y.O.B. Ringtone– System of a Down ringtones
24. My Own Summer Ringtone – Deftones ringtones
25. If I Ain’t Got You Ringtone – Alicia Keys ringtones

“Our Top 25 list tends to skew more towards rock ringtones than some sites that seem to have rap ringtones as all their top sellers,” said Bob Bentz, co-owner of MonsterTones (www.monstertones.com). “We also sell a lot of Verizon ringtones and many sites can’t deliver ringtones to Verizon customers so I find our best selling ringtones are often not available on the Verizon decks.”

"MonsterTones has done a great job of attracting Verizon ringtone buyers," said Anthony Wayne, publisher of the Cool Ringtones Blog (http://www.coolringtonesblog.com/). "MonsterTones has a great following, especially among rock ringtone buyers.

MonsterTones is a product of Advanced Telecom Services (http://www.advancedtele.com/), Wayne, Pennsylvania. MonsterTones provides Verizon ringtones, Cingular ringtones, T-Mobile ringtones, Rogers ringtones, and many other carrier ringtones.

Pink Panther Ringtone a Big Hit

Steve Martin stars in the new movie The Pink Panther and the updated movie is churning new ringtone sales of the Pink Panther ringtone at ringtone sites nationwide.

"We've seen a great surge in Pink Panther ringtone purchases," said Bob Bentz, of MonsterTones.com. "This is fairly typical when a new movie is released, but the Pink Panther ringtone sales seem to have increased more than usual. I guess it's because the Pink Panther ringtone has always been a great selling ringtone to begin with for us."

Also selling well are Beyonce ringtones with Beyonce's Check on It Ringtone which is prominently featured in the new Pink Panther production. But, while Beyonce ringtone sales have also increased, there's nothing like that addicting sound of the Pink Panther ringtone.

BMI Charts Ringtone Growth

Retail ringtone sales in 2005 are expected to have exceeded $500 million, according to BMI, as reported in Metro West Daily News. This is up from $245 million in 2004 and $68 million in 2003. BMI, which represents over 300,000 songwriters, made its estimates from census-based sales data.

Ringtones Support the Fight Against Cancer

Ring tones are now becoming fund raising tools where websites such as Gottatone.com and Just1.org work to deliver ringtones to mobile phones showing support for Cancer Research.


Ring tones have come full circle from the beginning where simple monotone noises were used. More complex polyphonic beats came into the scene following the monophonic sounds. Next came the currently popular MP3 tones that resemble the sounds of the actual music artist. Now ring tones are becoming a functional tool for raising awareness and money for cancer research.

In 2004, the American Cancer Society predicted that 1 in 4 deaths would be cancer related. The ACS estimates that this year, over half a million Americans will die of a cancer related illness. The time to take action is now!

It's so simple to contribute to this amazing cause and it's a great way to get younger generations involved in a good cause. With just one dollar, participants can help fund the research that is so crucial in finding a cure for this debilatating disease.

Today, Just1.org is a dynamically growing community for information about Cancer, as well as discussions regarding Cancer issues. The most important element, the donations to the ACS, for which the donor is offered their choice of numerous Ring Tones announcing their support for Cancer Research, are taken through PayPal, a popular and simple online payment service.

Users with cell phones that support the followiung carriers are able to purchase the ringtones:
AT&T Wireless
Bell Mobility
Cellular One
Cincinnati Bell
Cingular MMS
Cingular SMS
Cingular SMS Old
Cricket Wireless
Fido Wireless
O2
M-mail
Qwest
Rogers
Sprint PCS
Suncom
T-Mobile
Verizon Wireless

As fundraising techniques and tools evolve, the opportunities to cure horrible illnesses such as cancer become less out of reach. With sites like Just1.org we become that much closer to finding the cure.

Ringtones Continue to be Most Popular

Picture messaging is a growing trend, but ringtones continue to be the king, according to a Mobile Media Monitor study by Harris Interactive.

A fourth quarter, 2005 study showed that multimedia messaging (MMS) use doubled in the USA with 19% of the total mobile phone market using MMS. 22% of men have used MMS and 15% of women. 15% of Americans have gone on teh mobile web.

Ringtone sites scored highest among wireless customers with a whopping 60% of the US mobile internet users accessing ringtones. Ringtones were followed by weather (51%), news (42%), and games (42%).

The Mobile Media Monitor was based on more than 1089 online surveys in fourth quarter, 2005.

X-Rated Content Coming to a Phone Near You

Despite controversy, mobile phone porn is an industry that will generate about $2 billion in global revenue by 2009. While the business is most popular overseas, it is catching on here in America. Recently, a two-day conference on the subject of mobile porn was held in Florida.

In Europe, major companies like Vodafone carry adult content right on the decks of their phones. And, we think we are from the land of the free! Until recently, however, most American carriers have been reluctant to jump on the mobile porn bandwagon fearing backlashes from the religious right and conservatives.

USA sales of mobile phone porn were estimated to be just $30 million last year, but mobile experts are predicting a $500 million industry once age verification is in place to support it.

No doubt, this is a huge potential market if done the right way. Juniper Research says the business will be $2.1 billion by 2009. Countries such as Austria and Hungary have very explicit mobile porn content, but more conservative products are available in countries such as Sweden, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Jeffrey Nelson, of Verizon Wireless, however, says that Verizon has no plans to offer adult entertainment on its cell phones in the USA. "We don't think our customer base wants it."

Doubling Up on Cell Phones

In the UK, there are now more cell phones than humans! How can this be? Well, your office gives you a celly and you happen to already own one that you use to contact your mates with.

Now, the USA is doubling up as well. 16% of cell phone customers now own two cell phones. Unfortunately, however, according to Textually, this doesn't mean twice as many ringtones and other mobile data services. Usually, the two cell phones share the mobile data service budget. Besides, its a bit embarassing when your Iron Maiden ringtone goes off in the business meeting.

Nokia Picks Up Market Share

Handset sales in 4th quarter, 2005.

Nokia -- 35%
Motorola -- 17.8%
Samsung -- 12.1%
LG -- 7.2%
Sony Ericcson -- 6.9%

There were 816 million cell phone handsets sold in 2005. That's an increase of 21% over 2004. The bigger providers are getting bigger as evidenced by their increased sales in 2005 over the previous year. Only Samsung saw a decline in its market share. Motorola's RAZR phone was a big hit in its growth. LG phones now being marketed by Vodafone helped spur its increase, and Sony Ericcson was aided by its new walkman/camera phone.

Nokia's goal is to have 40% of the world market share by next year.

Ringtone providers report that when a new phone is purchased, its sales increase as users load up their new phones with new ringtones. That's why most ringtone providers report that its sales are greatest between Christmas and New Year's when so many new phones are activated.

Ringtone Buyers by Age Group

% of Americans who have purchased a ringtone

Age
12-17 52%
18-24 49%
25-34 30%
35-54 17%
55+ 5%
12+ 23%

(Source--Ipsos 8/05)

How Fast Can You Text This Message?

The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.

Scottsman Craig Crosbie was crowned the world's fastest texter after he took just 48 seconds to type out this 160-character message. How quick did you do it?

Texting Til You are Blue in the Thumbs

The British are text messaging so much that millions now suffer from injuries to their thumbs and fingers, as reported by CNN.

Over 93 million text messages are sent in Britain every day. This has led to 3.8 million reports per year of repetitive strain injury. According to Virgin Mobile, 10% of users text over 100 messages per day.

Top Polyphonic Ringtones of 2005

Top Polyphonic Ringtones for 2005

1. Candy Shop -- 50 Cent Ringtones
2. Super Mario Brothers ringtone -- Video Game theme ringtones
3. Just a Lil Bit -- 50 Cent Ringtones
4. Lovers and Friends -- Lil Jon featuring Usher and Ludacris
5. Halloween Theme ringtone -- Movie theme ringtones
6. Gold Digger ringtone -- Kanye West ringtones
7. Hollaback Girl -- Gwen Stefani
8. Brown-Eyed Girl ringtone -- Van Morrison ringtones
9. Spongebob Squarepants -- TV theme ringtone
10. What U Gon' Do -- Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz

(Source--Moderati)

Ringback Comeback

Last year, there was a lot of talk about ringback tones. For those of you who don't know, ringbacks are songs that play on your phone for the person who is calling you. In other words, instead of your friend hearing that annoying ring, he might hear a Black Eyed Peas song instead.

I've always said that the amazing thing about ringbacks is that it's something that the consumer pays for that they'll never hear or use. Youth?

Oh well, at least it's pretty cheap. Only 99 cents per month plus $1.99 per ringback tone on Verizon and $1.49 per month plus $1.99 per ringback tone on T-Mobile. To date, these are the only top carriers to offer ringback tones, although other third tier carriers such as First Cellular of Southern Illinois, Eloqui Wireless and Panhandle Telephone Cooperative have jumped into the ringback fray. Just another way for smaller carriers to differentiate themselves versus the advertising budgets of the giants.

We hear Sprint Nextel will be the next major carrier to begin offering ringbacks.

According to Telephia, 10.7 % of downloads in November were ringbacks. Not bad, considering many of the giants haven't yet jumped on the ringback bandwagon.

T-Mobile offers one of the coolest features among the ringbackers. You can put the ringbacks on random so that your friend doesn't always hear the same song--much like your ipod. Subscribers can also designate a certain song for a certain time of day and have special songs for holidays and birthdays.

According to Verizon, one of the great things about ringbacks is that they work on all carriers, although some ringtone companies like MonsterTones have already licked this problem with Verizon's walled garden network. Verizon also states that ringbacks have been most popular among African Americans and Latinos.

Cool Ringtones Blog is Back in Action

Talk about frustrating. About a month ago, the Cool Ringtones Blog started experiencing technical difficulties. Numerous emails to Blogger went unanswered and numerous tips on internet help sites just didn't seem to work. Hence, our most important fans went without their daily dose of ringtone information. It's a wonder how you survived.

This morning, while in the shower, I had a thought on how to fix the blog since I realized that getting support from a free service was about as likely to happen as the Jamaicans winning a medal in bobsled. I came up with an idea. And, as you can now see, it worked.

The Cool Ringtones Blog apologizes for the lengthy technical problems that it had with Blogger, but assures you that things are now under control and you will receive your daily dose of articles about the cool ringtone industry from now on.

American Idol Pounds out the Text Messages

American Idol received 41.5 million text messages during the 12-week run of the show in its fourth season last spring.

Ringtones Build Hype Prior to Music Releases

If you want to build hype with an emerging artist, one of the best ways to do so is to release the ringtone before the album and then brag about how many ringtones your hot new artist has sold.

It all started with D4L and Laffy Taffy. D4L made headlines by announcing that it sold more than a half million ringtones prior to the release of the actual single.

Now, Virgin Records has announced that Dem Franchize Boyz have sold more than a million master ringtones of four different tracks from their new album On Top of Our Game prior to its initial release on February 7. Meanwhile, Jive Records is also getting into the act. Jive reported that T-Pain sold 1.5 million ringtones with its hits "I'm Spring" and "I'm in Luv With a Stripper".

By way of comparison, Billboard reported that 50-Cent's "Candy Shop" was the top selling ringtone of 2005 with 1.9 million ringtones sold. Based on this, is it likely that an artist can sell a million ringtones prior to releasing the album? I doubt it, but it's certainly good hype.

Olympic Hockey Game Debuts

IPlay, a mobile games manufacturer, has launched a US Olympic Team Ice Hockey game to be played on the mobile phone. It is the only mobile game to be approved by the US Olympic Committee (USOC). The game features the USA hockey team and the eleven other hockey teams that will participate in the Torino games.

South Asian Mobile Music Trends

Ethnic Mobile Media Leader Masttones.com Presents First-Ever South Asian American Mobile Music Trends

Bhangra and Bollywood dominate South Asian American market, similar to hip-hop and Hollywood on global charts; Masttones increases monthly downloads 31% in 2005

(SAN DIEGO ) - Masttones.com , the first global channel of Indian mobile entertainment created by eMbience Inc., a leading developer and publisher of wireless software, presents the first-ever, South Asian American ringtone popularity trends.

Ringtones comprise over 10 percent of the $32.3 billion worldwide music market and will grow to $5.2 billion in 2006, according to the Hindu Business Line.

The booming demand for music on mobile phones has nearly offset the decline in sales of other formats, according to the International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers (IFPI), which reports that global digital music sales in 2005 tripled, to 6 percent of retail revenue. This is a good indication that digital music, like ringtones, will grow considerably this year.

As the global market grows, Indian-themed ringtones are becoming big business at portals like Masttones.com, which currently sells mobile media in the United States, the Middle East , India, Australia , Thailand, and Latin America . Masttones reports a more than 31 percent increase in ringtone sales from 2004 to 2005, due to greater distribution and consumer adoption of ethnic mobile media.

Surprisingly, four of the top five downloaded ringtones were from albums released by labels with no connection to Bollywood, and three of the top five were Punjabi Bhangra songs. Due to its popularity as dance or party music, Bhangra is often called the hip-hop of South Asia. So it's no surprise that these rhythm-based polyphonic and platinum ringtones sell globally just as well as hip-hop ringtones. Film-related songs also have become winning ringtones.

Top Selling U.S. Ringtones
Song/Artist
1.2 Dons and a B*tch / Sandeep Chowta
2.Dil Luteya / Jazzy B
3.Aim So High / Kami K.
4.Boom Shackalak / Apache Indian
5.2K3 Nagina Remix / Labh Junjua ft. Metz and Trix
6.Aa Dil Kya Mehfil / Kishore Kumar
7.Aag Lag Jau / Sukshinder Shinda
8.Another One Bites The Dust ringtone / Queen ringtones
9.P.I.M.P. ringtone / 50 Cent ringtones
10.Hollaback Girl / Gwen Stefani
11.Ghostbusters ringtone / Ray Parker Jr. ringtones
12.Baby Baby / Sunidhi Chauhan
13.Belly Dancer / First Light
14.Thank You / Dido
15.Kal Ho Naa Ho / Sonu Nigam
16.Lose My Breath / Destiny's Child ringtones
17.Lose Yourself / Eminem
18.Feel Good Inc. / Gorillaz ringtones
19.Kaho na Kaho / Amir Jamal
20.Aaja Piya / Sunidhi Chauhan

Masttones also is developing a strong network of niche artists and distributors, and in January signed its 600th artist and 30 th publisher.

This is significant because much of the global South Asian music market is fragmented, with artists recording for independent labels and distributors located in the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Pakistan, Thailand, the U.S., Poland, Germany, Kenya, Jamaica, Trinidad, and the Middle East. For North American cell phone owners, the service is available on Verizon Wireless ringtones, Cingular, Cricket, U.S. Cellular, Alltel, Cellular South, and Metro PCS.

eMbience CEO Nimish Srivastava notes that, "Artists and publishers are finding new revenue and marketing opportunities through mobile content, which in turn is creating a new market for consumers, artists, carriers, and publishers alike."

Ringtones for Your Car are in the Near Future

Do you have a hard time finding your car in a parking lot full of look-a-likes? Well in the near future, this won't be a problem for you any longer. Ringtones for your car are coming to a retailer near you very soon. With the click of a button you will be making your way to your car as it plays 50 Cent's Gold Digger or Nickelback's Photograph.

With the way technology is advancing, consumers can practically do anything and everything. The guy who dreamt up the idea of adding ringtones to your car is expanding on the ever popular ring tone market and has even won an award for his ingenuity. By 2007 at the Consumer Electronics Show, Jack Conrad's idea will have become reality.

The whole goal beghind the invention is to provide a vehicle with a distintive audible identification - just like a cell phones ringtone. Users will be able to download MP3's and voice files for their car just like they currently do for their cell phones.

Conrad, the inventor of this amazing idea, won the first annual Design, Originality and Creativity (D.O.C.) award (sponsored by Digital Innovations) for his entry. Initially the product will be turned into a shippable item which Digital Innovations expects to distribute through its 35,000 retail outlets worldwide.

Obtain X-rated Content Via your Cell Phone

Cell phone customers will soon enough be able to get adult content on their mobile devices. With pornography being a mutli-million dollar industry, the use of cell phone porn is quickly becoming a lucrative business.

Europeans can currently receive the sexual content on their phones and spend tens of millions of dollars annually to get it. Leading American cellular carriers, however, have been reluctant to engage in the cell porn business fearing backlash from the conservatives and the religious rights activists if they provide U.S. consumers easy access to hand held X-rated materials.

Americans can purchase orgasm sounding ringtones and other sexy sounds from current ring tone providers such as MonsterTones.

"There is a huge consumer demand for a product such as this, following up on the huge success of Internet poronography. It is a sizzling and serious business", stated James Walz of West Management.

If all goes as planned, U.S. sales of erotica and porn distributed via cell phones are estimated at roughly $30 million a year and by 2009 could reach a whoping $2 billion worldwide.

Campus Fight Songs Lighting Up Cell Phones

School spirit has never been easier to exude. In 2006, campus football and basketball stadiums aren't the only place you'll hear a school's fight song. At many colleges and universities across the U.S. anyone with a cell phone can now share in their schools anthem of victory.

Thanks to a new lucrative form of content delivery, fight songs can be heard from cell phones themselves, as a special poly-phonic ring tone. Students can purchase the tone and program it to play every time their cell phone rings.

Students purchase the ring tones anywhere from $2 to $3 a peice and download them from a variety of internet sites. College students are eating it up and ring tone providers and universities are cashing in.

College officials are scrambling to get signed up for mobile content especially before football season ends and basketball season begins. Most of the deals are built on ringtones, wallpapers, and video clips. The skys the limit when it comes to mobile content and colleges and content providers alike will be ready for the endless possibilties in the cell phone market.

Profits Sky Rocket from RingTone Sales

Ring tone sales are off the hook. As compact disc sales decline, ring tone sales are going through the roof. Now consumer's can hear not only ring tones with incoming calls, they can hear there favortie tunes when calling others as well.

In 2005, ring tones made an estimated $600 million collectively, which was 20% ahead of estimates and more than double the 2004 take. The top leader in sales, 50 Cent with Candy Shop sold 1.9 million in downloads which surpassed Gwen Stefani's HollaBack Girl with only 1.2 million in digital song downloading.

As cell phone options build, growth in the industry is inevitable. Newer cell phones can support MP3 tones (actual song recordings) ; a huge improvement over the popular polyphonic ring tones. With hip hop music dominating the ring tone downloads, master tones (MP3) will be the catalyst for expansion.

Top 2005 Ringtone Honor Goes to 50 Cent

"Candy Shop" by 50 Cent was the largest selling polyphonic ringtone in the US in 2005.

According to Nielsen Mobile figures 1,891,000 units of the hit ringtone "Candy Shop" was sold in US during 2005.

50 Cent beat out Lil Jon and East Side Boyz by more then 500,000 units. Their "Lovers and Friends" registered 1,339,000 ringtone sales.

Number three download went to the Super Mario Brothers game theme ringtone with roughly 1,095,000 units sold.




The US Top 10 Polyphonic Ringtones were:

1. 50 Cent - Candy Shop (1,891,000)
2. Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz- Lovers and Friends (1,339,000)
3. Game Theme - Super Mario Brothers (1,095,000)
4. 50 Cent - Just a Lil Bit (1,074,000)
5. Snoop Dog - Drop it Like its Hot (1,018,000)
6. Ying Yang Twins Wait - The Whisper Song (1,000,000)
7. Ciara- 1,2 Step (951,000)
8. Movie Theme - Halloween (892,000)
9. Kayne West -Gold Digger (843,000)
10. Mariah Carey - We Belong Together (839,000)

Ringtones Vs. Realtones - Aiming to Minimize Consumer Confusion

Amidst a sea of confusing ringtone terminology, companies are aiming to create less chaos by creating a naming standard. The initiative has been launched by European digital services provider DX3 Technologies and the Mobile Entertainment Forum who have come to the definition of a "realtone".

Many of those from the industry have a working knowledge of the concept. However for those who don't the companies define a "realtone" as "a ringtone that is licensed by the rights holder, produced from an original recording, with the performer clearly identified in its marketing material."

Using the same terminology has helped to increase sales by minimizing consumer confusion and industry in-fighting. In the case of the realtones clarification, the attempt is partly aimed at reducing the influence of ringtones that are actually cover versions of the original material. "The whole history of popular music has, of course, been littered with imitations, cover versions and tribute bands, but at least they have been marketed as such," said DX3 CEO Andy Baker.

The ringtone clarification attempt has attracted support from the major record labels. MEF has also begun working to create the first accredited realtone chart, which may become a barometer of singles chart success. That chart could become increasingly important, especially as more ringtones debut ahead of official release dates. Ringtones now account for one-third of mobile download revenues, according to research from Mintel.

Do It Yourself Ringtones

The age of the Do-It-Yourself ringtones has finally arrived. A product known as Easy Ringtone Maker is redefining the ringtone market and doing it an EASY manner. This is by far the best ringtone program on the market. Not only can you turn any sound or music into a real tone ringtones but now you can do it within minutes. From birds chirping and motors revving, to personal recordings of singing or speaking, this program allows ringtones to become as limitless as your imagination. Personalizing your mobile phone has never been more enjoyable!

The experience begins with a FREE program download at www.easyringtonemaker.com. In just a few minutes you will be introduced into a whole new world of customizing your phone’s ringer at the small cost of $1.99 per wireless transfer to your mobile phone. There are no subscriptions, contracts, or commitments. Create as few as one ringtone or as many as you like for each contact in your mobile phone.

The heart of the program is within the ripper. This extraordinary tool allows the user to pick and choose the exact segment of the audio track that will become their ringtone. You can fine tune the start and stop points within a tenth of second, and choose the total length of your ringtone up to 28 seconds. In addition, an automatic looping function has been included for any audio less than 12 seconds to become a full length ringtone (such as gaming sound effects or classic one liners). In five easy steps and less than 3 minutes time, the user will be able to select their original audio track, edit, and send it wirelessly to the phone.

“This wins the collegecodex.com seal of approval and is definitely our favorite. This is by far the simplest and straightforward of all of the software we tried. Once you have downloaded this wonderful program to your computer you will be creating your own ringtone from your favorite part of any song that you can lay your hands on in a matter of about three minutes total. Very simple, no advertisements, no pop-ups, no spyware, no viruses, just the exact ringtones you want on your phone.”
CollegeCodex, December 8, 2005

The program is simple, it’s safe, and it works. Over 25% of our “ringtoners” are creating more than one ringtone per use. Once you see how fun and simple creating your own ringtone can be, having one is just not enough. Consumers can download the FREE program directly at www.easyringtonemaker.com, and web sites interested in revenue sharing partnerships can contact the company for details on their Easy Revenue Maker business model.

Mobile Bartender

Drinknation raise the bar on mobile drinking content

(SAN DIEGO, CA) — Be the hit of the party with Drinknation, a new mobile application which brings the breadth and depth of a Bartender’s Bible tothe palm of your hand. Whether you’re in a bar or planning a house party,mixology 101 is only a flip (phone) away.Drinknation is available through U.S. mobile carriers like Verizon, U.S.Cellular, Alltel, Cricket, MetroPCS, MidWest Wireless, Cellular South, andNTelos, and will be available next month on Sprint. It’s also availablethrough international carriers like Tata, Telefonica Moviles, Telstra, andHutch. The mobile service offers suggestions and special tips, andfeatures drinks that turn ingredients into innovation.Thinking before drinkingRevelers can now create their own speed dial of drinking by customizing arecipe file of favorite concoctions that will always be with them. Theservice also offers party games, like guessing a drink based on itsingredients, and a search function allows easy retrieval of popularrecipes by name, ingredient, theme or category, as well as browsing forideas and finding out what drinks are popular."What's fun about Drinknation is that the content is constantly updatedwith new recipes," said Dr. Nimish Shrivastava, president and CEO ofeMbience. "In addition to new drinks each week, subscribers can also findrecently-added seasonal cocktail ideas for unexpected ways to wow friendsand family."eMbience will be adding additional features to the application, includinga directory of happy hours and other events, new games, and a “littleblack book” for any keepers you may meet on your way.

Ringtone Sales Vary by Region

Modtones Rings in the New Year, Rings Out 2005 with Top Ringtones ListRegional shows the East and West really ARE different, at least when it comes to ringtones

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Mobile entertainment firm Moderati proudly presents itsyear-end wrap-up of ringtones, with some regional flavor this year.Moderati provides ringtones for all major and second-tier wirelesscarriers in the U.S. under its consumer brand Modtones or the carrier'sown brand. This distribution network uniquely positions Moderati tohighlight ringtone trends across the country.Hip-hop dominated the top ringtones list again this year, with 60% of thesongs from hip-hop artists. Video game themes (Super Mario Brothers) andevergreen movie themes (Halloween) made their mark this year as well, withtop five finishes. Cracking the top 20, a bit out of left field, was"Scotty Doesn't Know" by Lustra, a song from the 2004 movie Eurotrip.Just for fun, Moderati compared the top download lists for the East vs.West Coast, using area code as a proxy for region. Although far fromscientific in an age of number portability, some interesting trendsemerged. Dr. Dre's 2000 release, Still Dre, remained on the top of theWest Coast charts, ending 2005 as the #4 most downloaded tone, comparedwith an East Coast ranking of #19. Those back East seem to prefer themob-drenched theme of the Godfather, bringing it in at #3, compared with a#14 ranking from Angelenos.Oddly enough, the O.C theme song California came in at #16 in the 917area, but did not make the top 20 in the 213 area. Perhaps Angelenos area bit jealous of the popularity of their orange neighbors to the south?Comparing downloads of Northern Californians in the 415 area code toSouthern Californians in 310, Moderati found yet more differences,reinforcing the theory that the two areas really could be separate states.The top ringtone for the 415 area code was the video game theme SuperMarioBrothers, not surprising in the land of Electronic Arts, Sega andLucasArts. That same ringtone landed at #6 in the 213 area code.Without further ado, the Top 20 polyphonic ringtones of 2005 fromModtones. Moderati officially proclaims these tones as "so last year."Song title / Artist1. Candy Shop, 50 Cent2. Super Mario Brothers (Theme) -3. Just a Lil Bit, 50 Cent4. Lovers and Friends, Lil Jon featuring Usher and Ludacris5. Halloween (Theme) -6. Gold Digger, Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx7. Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani8. Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison9. Spongebob Squarepants Theme, SpongeBob SquarePants10. What U Gon' Do, Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz11. We Belong Together, Mariah Carey12. Lonely, Akon13. Let's Go, Trick Daddy14. Ass Like That, Eminem15. PIMP, 50 Cent16. 1, 2 Step, Ciara featuring Missy Elliott17. Wait (The Whisper Song), Ying Yang Twins18. Don't Cha, Pussycat Dolls19. Some Cut, Thrillville20. Scotty Doesn't Know, Lustra

Sox Fans Text Crazy

Fans watching games from the World Champion Chicago White Sox at US Cellular Field or on the local Fox television station can answer a question via text messaging that is displayed on the stadium Jumbotron. Fans answer the initial question and then are sent a series of questions via text message. For each correct answer, the fan gets a chance to win prizes that include Sox tickets, merchandise, and even a chance to deliver the lineup card to home plate prior to a game.

This is just another example of how innovative sports teams are using text messaging to reach their fan base. It is especially important with baseball as younger fans have moved away from baseball in recent years and text messaging makes a baseball team seem more relevent to the lifestyles of teens and young adults.

Dating Goes Cellular

by Anthony Wayne

First there was dating by telephone. You remember the system. You still see newspaper dating services in many daily newspapers like the New York Times personals and others. Most are 900 number based services and also use credit card processing via IVR--Interactive Voice Response services.

Then, came online dating services. Internet dating services have grown tremendously and are now a $550 million industry. There's no shortage of potential dates when you go online. Whenever I check them out, I see hundreds of available dates in my area that I'd welcome the chance to go out with.

Now, there's cell phone dating. Surely, the dating method of choice by most young adults, dating by cell phone just makes a lot of sense for today's mobile society, especially among the 18 to 28 year old crowd.

MatchLinkMobile is offering free text messages to be sent to prospective dates. Just send the keyword LINKUP to 53733 (5FREE).

College Students Seek Ringtones that Take them Back

In today's digital age it's no wonder why we are all addicted to our cell phones, mp3 players and computers. As a 22 year old college student I am constantly using some form of technology,whether it be for work or pleasure. With the hectic-ness of our everyday "adult" lives it's nice to kick back once in awhile and reminisce about our long last nostaglic youth.

I recently purchased a TV themed ringtone for my phone that takes me back to those easy days when life was all about what I was going to wear to school the next day. I saw the Saved by the Bell theme song and with the sound of the ringtone, I was hooked. I couldn't believe how much it sounded like the original theme song. I also found ringtones from Fraggle Rock and some more of my favorite 80s and 90s TV shows.

If TV show theme songs aren't your deal however, there are plenty of other ringtones that can take you back. 80s ringtones were really awesome including one of my personal favs "Hanging Tough" from the original boy band NKOTB!

Now when I wake up in the mornin' and the alarm give out a warnin', and I think I'm not gonna make it on time, I grab my phone and head for the door knowing that throughout the day I'll have a little bit of my youth tucked in my pocket all day long.

80's Ringtones

80's RINGTONES

Ever watch MTV's Remember the 80's shows on television? Well, there's a lot of nostalgia out there for the 1980's. And, it's no surprise. When it comes to music, there were some hot sounds in the 1980's.

That's why when it comes to period music, 80's ringtones seem to outsell any of the other decade ringtones--even among today's youth market. Why are 80's ringtones so popular? Well, for one, the songs of the 1980's translate well to ringtones, whether you are seeking mp3 ringtones or polyphonic ringtones. It's tough to make rap ringtones sound good on a polyphonic ringtone. Rap was simply not made for prime time when it comes to ringtones, despite the fact that they are the overwhelming best sellers of ringtones today.

How would A Flock of Seagulls ringtone sound on your phone? Retro, but still hip. Then, there's classics like the B52's ringtone, especially the Love Shack ringtone. That doesn't work for you young lady? How about the precursor to the official party girl ringtone--the Cyndi Lauper ringtone, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ringtone.

So, if you're looking to add a cool 80's ringtone to your new cell phone. Just Whip It. Whip It Good.

Ringtones Create an Interesting Value Proposition

A Newsday article notes that Billboard magazine representatives were shocked when they first released their initial ringtone chart. What caused the shock?

During the first week of tracking its sales, the Alicia Keys "My Boo" ringtone outsold the number one downloaded complete song, U2's "Vertigo" by 97,000 units to 30,000 units.

Said Billboard's Geoff Mayfield: "The Number 1 ringtone outsold the number 1 download by more than 3 to 1. Considering the economics of it, and the value proposition, we were stunned that it was so big."

Hip-Hop ringtones have always been the most popular and rap artists like Eminem are quick to promote his Eminem ringtones. Eminem offers a free ringtone of his single "Just Lose It" for consumers who purchase the double disk collector's edition of his new album "Encore."

Ludacris, Kanye West, and The Game have also joined forces to produce an original song that is just for the ringtone market -- "Anthem."

New For 2006!

Check out these hot ring tone and ringtone related links:

West Coast Wireless

3G Phone Deals

UK Cell Phone Deals

Ring Tone Accessories

Affiliate Program Development Resources

Cool GSM Rings

Information about Mobile Content in French
Crawdads Baseball Club
Online bingo information
900 Numbers
Internet dating
text messaging services
radio dating services
Play bingo online
Radnor baseball
Cool Cell Phone Wallpaper

Santa Claus Wallpapers and Christmas Ringtones for your New Cell Phone

by Anthony Wayne

Santa Claus Wallpapers -- Christmas Ringtones -- Seasonal Ringtones

First of all, thanks to all of you for your support of the Cool Ringtones Blog. During this past year, our readership has quadrupled and obviously, this would not be possible without you.

Now, that you've received that new cell phone for Christmas or Hannukah, it's time to personalize it with your own Christmas ringtone or Santa Claus wallpaper. There's nothing that says you are in the holiday spirit than when your new cell phone rings with a Christmas ringtone and your family and friends can laugh at your new cell phone Santa Claus wallpaper.

My personal favorite Christmas ringtone is the Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer ringtone. As for Santa Claus wallpapers, there are all kinds of cool Christmas wallpapers out there from sexy girl elf wallpapers, reindeer wallpapers, or the more traditional Santa Claus wallpapers.

Now, get our your new cell phone and put a Santa Claus wallpaper and a Christmas ringtone on it.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah from the Cool Ringtones Blog.

Which Ringtone Should You Put on Your New Cell Phone?

Which Ringtone Should You Put on your New Cell Phone?

This holiday season, more people will receive new cell phones than at any other time in history. Of course, you'll want to personalize your new cell phone with a new ringtone, but which ringtone is right for you?

(PRWEB) December 22, 2005 -- Jonathan Bentz is an Associate Editor of the Cool Ringtones blog (http://coolringtones.blogspot.com/) and has downloaded 39 ringtones in the last month on his new Samsung camera phone.

So you know you want to buy a ringtone, but have no idea what kind to look for? Many sites offer a wide variety of different ringtones for numerous cellular carriers, including Ringing Phone (http://www.ringingphone.com/) and MonsterTones (http://www.monstertones.com).

Take the following quiz to help narrow down what type of ringtones you should shop for:

1. I listen to music like _____:

a. cheetahs run after prey.
b. cats drink milk.
c. dogs bite mailmen.
d. cows eat grass.

2. The kind of music I like listening to when working out is:

a. danceable pop music
b. head bobbing hip hop
c. aggressive rock
d. whatever is on the radio

3. My Ipod:

a. has thousands of songs from all different styles.
b. has a good variety of songs, but I don’t download often.
c. has only my favorite songs.
d. I don’t have one yet, but I’m hoping to win one from RingingPhone (http://www.ringingphone.com/contests/nano.cds).

4. A night on the town must include:

a. dancing at a night club
b. dinner at an elegant restaurant
c. bellying up to the bar at a watering hole
d. tossing out $10 for a flick

5. I think dancing:

a. is the best way to express yourself
b. is good fun if the time is right
c. is for those who like it, not me
d. looks stupid and is silly

Scoring for questions:

A: 5 pointsB: 3 pointsC: 2 pointsD: 1 point

If you scored:20-25 points: You are club royalty. You don’t go to the party, the party comes to you. Your personality is very outgoing, and you know that you only have one life to live. The music you like to hear is danceable, fresh, and always tearing up the hottest night spots around the world. Recommended Ringtone: “Disco Inferno” by 50 Cent, Rap ringtones, Dance ringtones

15-19 points: You enjoy being out and about, but as a change of pace rather than as a standard. Dancing and being out with your friends is fun if the mood is right. While you can be a major extrovert, you first have to adjust to the surroundings. You like listening to music and have an eclectic collection, but you don’t always follow the latest trends. Recommended Ringtone: “U Don’t Have to Call” by Usher or other R&B ringtones

10-14 points: Although you don’t hit the town often, it is a blast when you do. People see you as a quiet type, but those who really know you see a bit of a wild streak. You have a strong opinion and aren’t afraid to express what you think. While you listen to music frequently, you have a small list of favorites that you play again and again. Recommended Ringtone: “One Step Closer” by Linkin Park or Rock ringtones

5-9 points: You’re the type of person who does their own thing, is very opinionated, and has no fear of telling people what you think. You like being around people, but sometimes doing something solo is cool, too. The type of music you tend to listen to is a little under the radar to your friends, but you enjoy being on the cutting edge of what is out there. Recommended Ringtone: “Take It Away” by The Used or Alternative ringtones

Ringtone Hall of Fame Enshrines 10 Songs

The Top 10 Ringtones of All Time

The Cool Ringtones Blog reports on the Top 10 Ringtones of all time.

by Jonathan Bentz
Associate Editor
Cool Ringtones Blog (www.coolringtones.blogspot.com)

Morgantown, West Virginia. (PRWEB) December 21, 2005 -- If you want to stand out in a crowd, the ringtone you choose can be a big step in the right direction. So you want a great ringtone, but have no idea what makes one great? Follow the advice below and learn where the bar has been raised by the top 10 list below, dubbed the first class of the Ringtone Hall of Fame.

Separating great ringtones from the rest of the bunch requires a series of judging criteria. First and foremost, a great ringtone must come from a great song. While it is possible for great songs to yield disappointing ringtones, the opposite is impossible. The ringtone must also be easily recognizable to many people. Everyone wants that ringtone that makes people smile and say, “I love that song” when your phone rings.

From a musical standpoint, the ringtone must be created from one of three song portions: the intro, the hook, or the solo. The success of these three parts to the musical equation are make or break for hit songs, making them essential to the success of a ringtone. Because of the technology format, songs that make great ringtones also need to have simple layers. Songs with dueling drums or guitars cause a ringtone to sound cluttered, making it difficult to identify by ear.

The intros to songs like “Stairway to Heaven” and “A Thousand Miles” make great ringtones because they are catchy and easy on the ear. In addition to coming from a particular section of a song, great ringtones must also feature a strong, repetitious percussion line. Whether that persistent pulse comes from the bass line of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” or from the synthesizers in “Take On Me,” the ability for many people to recognize a specific song comes from that repetition.

While the final keystones are being cemented into the ringtone shrine, here are the first ten inductees into the Ringtone Hall of Fame:

1. “In Da Club” – 50 Cent Besides being Billboard’s inaugural Ringtone of the Year in 2004, 50’s first #1 hit has a bass line built for making heads bob. The strings section adds suspense to the song and puts high notes on top of the gutter base line. Having “In Da Club” as a ringtone means the party is never farther away than your phone.

2. “Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin The calming woodwind that accompanies Page’s slow guitar picking makes for rock – and ringtone – heaven on earth. Several portions of this song have been made into ringtones, but the tone depicting the song’s introduction is truly a classic.

3. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd Music fans of all ages get a smile on their face at the first sound of this southern-rock classic. Change a party’s atmosphere from get together to jamboree by a simple “ring-ring.” The MP3 version is a required tone for country and classic rock fans.

4. “Super Mario Brothers” Game Theme The essential ringtone for gamers. The polyphonic tone is an exact replication of the track from 16-bit Nintendo.

5. “Halloween” Movie Theme Perfect custom tone for friends named Michael Myers. One of the most popular ringtones of all time that can outsell pop hits year round.

6. “The Next Episode” - Dr. Dre While many hip-hop ringtones sound poor due to the overuse of dull bass lines, “The Next Episode” features thumping bass and a pulsating G-funk guitar lick, creating the bench mark for multi layered ringtones.

7. “Mission Impossible” Theme Song Another incredibly popular ringtone despite its age that will only get more popular as the third installment of the movie franchise begins filming. Perfect as a custom tone for those over-demanding bosses in the workplace.

8. “Sandstorm” – DaRude Like “Super Mario Brothers,” a distinct song replica is created by the polyphonic ringtone. A must for fans of techno music and another, sure fire, party-starter tone.

9. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Theme Song The only hip-hop song your father can rap over is one of the most recognizable ringtones available. The beat is so contagious that setting it as your default ringer in a public place will cause a room to begin rhyming along as if they were Will Smith.

10. “The Jetsons” Theme Song While the Jetsons had a lot of great things in their future world, one thing they don’t have is their own song as a phone ringer. We don’t have flying automobiles yet, but show off the evolution of cell phone technology with the upbeat polyphonic ditty.

Getting ringtones for your cell phone from websites like MonsterTones (http://www.monstertones.com/) or Ringing Phone (http://www.ringingphone.com/) has become one of the hottest ways to set yourself apart on today’s scene. Any of these ten ringtones will do the trick.

Journals Reports on Cell Phone Stats

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported on several statistics regarding cell phones.

Wireless games sold that are based on TV shows -- 14%
Ringtones based on Hollywood properties -- 15%
Cell phone game users -- 32 million in 2005 (up from 18 million last year)

Dogs Playing Poker Wallpaper

by Anthony Wayne

Did you ever have something happen when you were a kid that freaked you out and now you can't figure out why it ever did so? As a kid, there was a print of dogs playing poker in my basement that, for some strange reason, always scared me. I think half the homes in America had the cheesey print of dogs playing poker in their basement. You remember the dogs playing poker print hanging near the pool table, don't you?

So, when I went searching for a dogs playing poker cell phone wallpaper, I was pleased to find one. I promptly downloaded the dogs playing poker wallpaper to my cell phone. Why, because the dogs playing poker wallpaper no longer scares me. I'm still afraid of heights, and I'm not too wild about snakes either, but being frightened by the dogs playing poker is a thing of my past. It no longer keeps me up at night. Now, when I look at my cell phone at the dogs playing poker, I snear at the dogs playing poker and say: "bring it on."

Wireless Is Big Business

Here's some interesting facts about just how big the wireless industry has become.

* Americans used 1.1 TRILLION minutes in 2004.
* 4.5 billion text messages are sent each month.
* 225,000 jobs are in the wireless industry.
* 56% of all American teens have a wireless phone.
* 30% of Americans age 75 to 84 have a wireless phone.
* There are 200,000 calls per day from cell phones to 911.
* Taxes on wireless are high. The average consumer pays an additional 14% of his cell phone bill on additional taxes. In Florida, this percentage exceeds 20%.

Cell Phone Use in Cars Offers Concerns

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that nearly a million motorists in the United States are talking on a cell phone at any given time during the day. Over 10% of all vehicles are piloted by someone using a cell phone.

The NHTSA took the easy way out on the potential danger that talking on the cell phone may cause. It added that "the primary responsibility of the driver is to operate a motor vehicle safely." There was also no mention of how the "Just a Gigolo" ringtone might startle you into a potential accident.

Why Are We Paying a 107 Year Old Tax?

The IRS is continuing to collect a 3% luxury tax on wireless users that was created in 1898! Yes, you read that right! 1898!

This tax, imposed by President McKinley in 1898 to finance the Spanish-American War was originally a luxury tax imposed on all owners of telephones. At the time, as you might imagine, this wasn't a whole heck of a lot of people, only the very rich.

Today, that 3% tax imposed to finance a war that lasted only four months is still in place. It is added as an additional excise tax to your cell phone bill every month. It is even added to your auxiliary purchases of things like text messages and ringtones. Unlike other excise taxes, the "tax on talk" is not used to help build the telecommunications infrastructure of the country. In fact, it helps prohibit many people from getting telephone service.

Recently, nine federal courts have ruled the tax unlawful, yet the IRS continues to collect this 107-year-old tax! Currently, wireless users may seek a refund for up to 36 months of past taxes. The process, however, is cumbersome as only three months can be applied for at a time. Go to the IRS web site and ask for form 8849 to request your refund of this outrageous tax.

Then, take your refund and buy some cool ringtones.

More Wireless = Less Land Lines

9.4% of US wireless subscribers use their cell phone as their primary phone. More than half of all Americans are considering eliminating their land line phones and go exclusively mobile. By 2009, it is anticipated that 23 - 37% of US wireless subscribers will use their wireless phone as their primary phone, according to a study by Research and Markets.

Certainly, such a shift will help the market for text message promotions.

900 Number and Text Message Voting Decide Figure Skating Challenge

900 Number and Text Message Voting Decide Figure Skating Challenge

Figure skating fans voted via 900 number, text message, and the internet for the champion of the Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge in Boston on Sunday.

900 Number and Text Message Voting Decide Figure Skating Challenge

By Anthony WaynePublisher -- Cool Ringtones Blog (http://www.coolringtones.blogspot.com)

Boston – If you don’t like the new scoring system recently introduced into the world of figure skating, you could make up your own on Sunday and help choose the winner of the Marshall’s Figure Skating Challenge.

Presented by ABC television, fans from all over the country were able to pick the winners during the first-ever live, interactive, fan voting during a nationally-televised ice skating event. Fans were able to vote via a 900 number, cell phone text message, or online voting at The US Figure Skating Association web site (http://www.usfigureskating.org/). The 900 number and cell phone text message costs were .75 per vote.

In addition, 2000 fans at Boston University’s Agganis Arena were able to vote from their seats with a handheld device. But, the Marshall’s Figure Skating Challenge did not totally abandon traditional judging. The ABC panel of experts—Peggy Fleming, Dick Button, and Peter Carruthers—were there to offer their expert commentary based on more than just who wore the cutest outfit.

In the men’s preliminary, Michael Weiss thrilled the crowd with a back flip he dubbed a “tornado” and advanced to the championship round. Favorite Johnny Weir, whose 900 number message indicated a vote for him was a vote for the fact that he was “hot,” also advanced to the final round. Interestingly, however, the panel did not agree with the public. It unanimously named Matt Savoie, a late replacement for the injured Evan Lysaceck, as the overall best. Savoie finished last in the public voting just behind third place Tim Goebel.

On the women’s side, Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan advanced to the final round by easily outdistancing Alissa Czisny and Emily Hughes. The panel of judges voted Cohen the best, although she finished behind the veteran Kwan who was skating for the first time since a September injury sidelined her.

In the men’s championship round skate-off, Weir overcame a fall in the first round to receive 64% of the vote over Weiss. For the ABC panel of experts, it was the only time that it agreed with the 900 number, text message, and internet voters who also gave Weir the title and $50,000 in prize money.

The ending of the show seemed similar to most of the women’s figure skating competitions that we’ve witnessed over the past decade when Kwan has copped nine national titles. Kwan won the event, but it was bittersweet, because the panel of experts all voted for Cohen who is still looking for her first national title.

In all, according to the New York Times, 104,418 votes were cast via the 900 number, text message, and the web site. Advanced Telecom Services (http://www.advancedtele.com/), Wayne, Pennsylvania, handled the 900 number voting. Spark Network Services (http://www.sparkns.com/), Des Plaines, Illinois, provided the text message voting through its PromoTXT (http://www.promotxt.com/) system. WinnerComm (http://www.winnercomm.com/), Tulsa, Oklahoma, tabulated the online voting.

One thing is for sure, with over 100,000 votes, each costing .75, it was pretty difficult to rig the judges.

College Students are Cool with Cell Phone Ads

Advertisers have a hard time reaching students, especially college students. So, what better way to reach them than with cell phone advertising?

A survey of 669 students at Ball State (the same college that matriculated David Letterman), foudn that a third were ok with receiving advertisements by cell phone, according to a study conducted by Michael Hanley, a professor of advertising at Ball State.

The study found that 96% of the Ball State students had a cell phone and 76% had internet access.

Figure Skating Embraces Text Messaging

Tired of the judging of the Bulgarian judge? Yesterday, the US Figure Skating Association added a new wrinkle to figure skating when it allowed fans to text message in to vote for the best male and female figure skater at the Marshall's Figure Skating Challenge.

According to a New York Times article, the competition received over 100,000 votes from both online, 900 number, and text messaging.

Advanced Telecom Services handled the 900 number voting, Spark Network Services handled the text message voting, and WinnerComm handled the online voting. There also was a panel of celebrity judges including Peter Caruthers, Peggy Fleming, and Dick Button. Moreover, 2000 fans inside Boston University's Agganis Arena had a chance to cast their votes via a hand held device as well.

US Gaming Market Hindered by Carrier Short-Sightedness

by Anthony Wayne

According to a recent report from M:Metrics, 90% of mobile gamers initially received information about games from the carriers and not the publishers of the games. Why should this be important to you?

Well, because it's different than the model used on other continents. the European mobile industry's growth has far outshined that of North America's in part because of government-mandated standardized technology. This has led to more than half of the mobile games and ringtones in Europe being purchased off-deck or from third party businesses. Since carriers still get a cut of the revenues, the European model appears to have led to stronger growth.

Compare this to the USA where there are multiple technologies and platforms. Hence, publishers are limited to what they can do on their own, having to rely on the carriers for their primary choice of distribution.

This decision by carriers continues to stifle their own growth. M:Metrics October survey indicated that only 3% of mobile users had purchased a game during the month of October. Add to this the fact that only 8% of mobile users had ever purchased a game, yet 30% had, in fact, played a mobile game on their cell phone. In other words, mobile game afficianados are playing the free games--at least, 3 out of 10 are. Yet, less than 1 in 10 has actually ponied up the cold hard cash to purchase a game!

It would seem obvious that the carriers would look at such statistics and say: "we'd rather have a piece of 30% of the users rather than nearly all of 8% of the users." But they don't. Hey, nobody ever said the carriers thought things out correctly.

Mobile Continues to Expand

In July, 2005, the United States passed a mobile milestone when there became more wireless phones that land line phones. The total amount of wireless phones hit 189 million and just six months later, it is anticipated to pass 200 million this holiday season.

Another way of looking at this is that 70% of Americans now have a wireless phone. Strangely, this ranks the US just 27th in the world in wireless penetration, according to a Merrill Lynch study.

In another category--minutes used per subscriber--the US ranks first at 641 minutes of use per subscriber. Hong Kong is a distant second at 385 minutes per subscriber followed by Canada at 360.

Wireless data services, including ringtones and text messaging, represent only 4% of the American total cell phone bill thus ranking it 40th in the world. In the Phillipines, wireless data totals 44% of the overall cell phone bill. Japan, the leader in use of wireless data services, has 25% of its overall billings from mobile data.

When it Comes to Cell Phones THIN is IN

Just like on the runways of New York City, when it comes to cell phones, THIN is IN. There is a dramatic change in cell phone designs to make cell phones look more like Nicole Richie than J. Lo.

Motorola upped the ante of waifness with its new RAZR V3 flip phone back in 2004. This size 2 cell phone measures just a half inch wide when folded into your pocket. Its weight: a lithe 3.4 ounces of dynamite.

Cameras Are Everywhere

Cameras are everywhere any more. Some estimate that the average American is photographed fifteen times per day--even on bad hair days. Such pictures are taken when entering convenience stores, at ATM's, and by traffic cameras.

But, not until recently, has everybody had a camera in his or her pocket nearly all the time. That was, until the invention of the camera phone. What started as a novelty has turned into a must have for many people. I know I like the idea of always being able to take a picture. It can especially come in handy at times when I can't remember somebody's name and I can skillfully take their photo and bring it home to my wife to recall the name of the mystery person.

But, camera phones are causing problems for some. The military has banned them thanks in part to those lovely photos taken at the Abu Ghraib prison last year. Many involved in the London subway bombings took the time to take photos of the victims rather than actually helping them. One of my friends likes to sneak his camera into gentleman's clubs and then use the photos for his cell phone wallpaper.

But, one thing's for sure. With more and more people carrying camera phones, it is sure going to increase the number of times your picture is taken next year!