The new CD single "Baby" from rapper Fabolous allows U.K. consumers to choose which part of the song they want to use as a mobile phone ringtone. Until now, the 30-second ringtone clips packaged with singles have been pre-determined by record companies. The Fabolous single from Warner's Atlantic Records includes built-in software that lets listeners isolate any part of the song and load it onto their phones. Other products show the extent to which consumers will be able to manipulate music. A U.S. company, Magix Ringtones, performs similar functions for under $30.
The most aggressive of these products is Umixit, backed by record producer Don DeVito, which allows users to remix a record’s tracks that have been submixed into stems and included on a CD. Aerosmith, Joe Perry and Moby have already signed on.
According to New York marketing firm Consect, ringtones generated $4 billion in 2004 globally – around 10 percent of the world’s music market revenues.
Implications for broadcast are significant: Just as the iPod/download combination allows customized music caches, this next generation of products personalizes that same music and further enables cell phones to used as music distribution devices.
For more information, visit www.Bouncetech.co.uk, www.magix.net and www.umixitmusic.com.
