Mobile Encyclopedia

Cell phone mobile music ringtone’s annoying little cousin grows up

Ringtones used to have the reputation of music’s annoying little cousin. The frustratingly raw, digitised snatches of songs often recalled the early days of synthesisers and video game soundtracks.

But as the technology has come into its own, so has its range of uses, transforming ringtones into a genuine cultural phenomenon.

Ringtones no longer simply get your attention. With customisation, they tell you who’s calling and where they’re calling from. They also tell everyone about your personality.

“People judge each other based upon what they’re into in popular culture, so there’s some degree of status to ringtones,” said Matthew Donahue, a popular-culture studies lecturer at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. “It’s definitely about highlighting one’s sense of individualism.”

That means having a sense of humour about it too. Say you’re a hotshot Hollywood type who regularly takes calls from the glitterati. Why not program your phone to play the Friends theme when Brad Pitt calls, or Madonna’s Material Girl when Paris Hilton rings? The J. Geils Band’s Love Stinks would alert you to a message from Nick Lachey, while Men at Work’s Down Under would let you know Nicole Kidman is on the other end.

There are some practical uses for the rest of us too. Darth Vader’s theme The Imperial March could be the tip-off that your boss is trying to get hold of you on a weekend, while Chamillionaire’s Ridin would let you know your crew is ready to roll.

“People say the music you listen to is the soundtrack of your life,” Mr Donahue says. “Ringtones are a perfect example of that.”

Polyphonic ringtones, which play more than one note at a time, were a step up from the crude early days of mobile phone technology. But as the complexity of the software and number of download sites increased, these are gradually being replaced by digital samples of actual songs.

Most new phones allow users to download MP3s and song samples onto their phones. Dozens of software applications, such as Xingtone, let users create their own ringtones from digital audio files on their computers or even from scratch.

Ringtones are also a growing revenue source for the music industry which is reeling from the income lost by illegal downloads. The annoyingly ubiquitous Crazy Frog exploded in popularity when Jamster! licensed it for use in Britain two years ago. The ringtone shot to the top of the charts in England, Australia and much of Europe, earning nearly $A35 million in sales.