I do think that ringtones SHOULD be free. I certainly wouldn't pay for one, in any event. But the fact of the matter is that they are NOT free. Playing your stereo really loud and recording it with the RAZR's cheap little microphone is hardly what I'd call a free ringtone. It's a cheesy workaround, which, sadly, produces what some people would call acceptable results. I guess the little speakers on these phones are so lame anyway that it doesn't make much difference.
[/QUOTE]
Yea, it is probably cheesy. But, it does work and it doesn't take very long to do this. I am not an audiofile. I can tell the difference in basic sound quality and I can say that the sound recorded and played back with the RAZR is not great. It is close enough however, since the phone is probably in a pocket and muffled with the small speaker it does have. I only want to hear a variety of tunes depending on the type of call or for some other reason.
The general public is used to paying for ringtones We should protest this somehow and I am by boycotting any purchase of a ringtone and use any cheesy way I can to get my ringtone. It works for me in my little corner of the universe.
Aren't there programs for ringtones on the iPhone for free. I just recently downloaded and read about Funtastic 3.0.3 or something to that affect that allows you transfer .mp3 files to your /library/ringtone directory I take it?
If I call someone, I do not want to hear a compressed cell network rendition of "holler back girl" or whatever crap the z-100s of the world are playing at such a volume that I nearly throw the phone out of natural reaction!
but to your point, I understand why they charge for ringback, you are not using it for personal use, you are essentially narrow-casting their music
do you guys just stay parked at AI all day? I have had a windows based GUI program (no hacks) that I got from a link on everythingiPhone. Not itunes stuff but any track. Being a commercial rap producer in atlanta i can cut a track with say, TI in the studio and assign that rough mix to his contact immediately.
Pardon me but fuck itunes. Its a disgrace. $10 lets me make anything i want and enjoy my instrumentals as ringtones. Forever. Do the math.
I think sitting around waiting for Apple to give ringtones when there is a hack is a waste. Send the money to the wonderful developers who gave us ringtone options. It is an easy process. I think it is wrong for Apple to charge us for things we already own. Not very customer centric I would say.
I would give anything however to have the notification of a text message be a ringtone so I can hear the damn thing. Notifications of text messages, and new emails is way to soft. It is serious frustration with this new phone.
I am a Apple fan but I do not drink the kool-aid so deeply that I will not state their flaws. The phone needs some corrections and additions soon! They have been stated before so I will not belabor the point.
I'm confused Mission. I may be misunderstanding but it sounds as if you are advocating free music.
I'm sure you are not producing rap for free and TI isn't giving away his music away for free. iTunes offers a way to sell digital music for a fairly reasonable price. What exactly do have against it?
You guys also forget that Apple does not own the music on iTunes and does not have the freedom to do whatever they want with it. Apple makes little to money from iTunes and likely does not care about charging for ringtones. All of these choices have to be negotiated with the music industry.
I'm confused Mission. I may be misunderstanding but it sounds as if you are advocating free music.
I'm sure you are not producing rap for free and TI isn't giving away his music away for free. iTunes offers a way to sell digital music for a fairly reasonable price. What exactly do have against it?
Nah, you're not confused...... nor are you misunderstanding.
So what? I don't care whose fault it is, and I don't care what size the industry is, how many suckers will pay money for this stuff, and I still don't care if it's a small fee compared to anyone else. It's still stupid in my opinion.
Oh, I agree. Its stupid and I have never paid for one. I was responding to mostly two lines of complaint:
1) Apple is so greedy, I already paid for it once--I will never buy an iPhone if this is how they run their business (Apple may not have control over this. Which is worse, not allowing ringtones or charging a fee for those who want it?)
2) Greedy bastards--who would ever pay twice for the same music. (Well, the fact is people do. and there is money to by made there, and business tend to want to make money.)
Hell, When I owned a shop I sold bottled water for $1.25 when we paid about $.07 per. That is an insane, almost criminal markup. But I sold cases every day. If someone walked in and said "you bastard, how can you charge that much for water, I won't pay it!" well, they would be right, but I would still throw them out of my store!
If my competitors lowered their prices, or if people stopped buying, then I would have had to lower the price. That never happened.
Actually, he was right and you are wrong. He alluded to the well-known ad campaign "think different." You didn't get it and must now suffer the shame of a failed grammar policeman.
I'm confused Mission. I may be misunderstanding but it sounds as if you are advocating free music.
I'm sure you are not producing rap for free and TI isn't giving away his music away for free. iTunes offers a way to sell digital music for a fairly reasonable price. What exactly do have against it?
I don't think that was the point. I thought mission's point was you can get this program to cut any track you already have and make a ringtone out of it rather than pay for a ring tone, which in many cases is paying again for what the buyer might already have.
It sounded like mission had special access to the material so he (guessing here) can cut his own tracks for his own phone, and be personalized to every person that calls him. I think mentioning that was a distraction from the point.
Oh, I agree. Its stupid and I have never paid for one. I was responding to mostly two lines of complaint:
1) Apple is so greedy, I already paid for it once--I will never buy an iPhone if this is how they run their business (Apple may not have control over this. Which is worse, not allowing ringtones or charging a fee for those who want it?)
2) Greedy bastards--who would ever pay twice for the same music. (Well, the fact is people do. and there is money to by made there, and business tend to want to make money.)
Hell, When I owned a shop I sold bottled water for $1.25 when we paid about $.07 per. That is an insane, almost criminal markup. But I sold cases every day. If someone walked in and said "you bastard, how can you charge that much for water, I won't pay it!" well, they would be right, but I would still throw them out of my store!
If my competitors lowered their prices, or if people stopped buying, then I would have had to lower the price. That never happened.
Personally, I've always thought that ringtones were the first sign of the global apocalypse, anyway. The fact that the telco industry managed to wave a shiny object in front of us to distract us from the pitiful state of customer service and call sound quality for this long is surely proof that we're not as smart a species as we'd like to think.
Having said that, I do think that ringtones SHOULD be free. I certainly wouldn't pay for one, in any event. But the fact of the matter is that they are NOT free. Playing your stereo really loud and recording it with the RAZR's cheap little microphone is hardly what I'd call a free ringtone. It's a cheesy workaround, which, sadly, produces what some people would call acceptable results. I guess the little speakers on these phones are so lame anyway that it doesn't make much difference.
A lot of people pay $2.99 and up for ringtones on a regular basis (a statistic that I still find completely astounding) so there's no reason why a company such as Apple or AT&T shouldn't get in on the gravy train. If they offer anything resembling what was described here in the article, it will be a great bargain, compared to what Verizon, the company with which so many wished Apple had offered the iPhone, officially offers (above jury-rigged method notwithstanding).
The record labels will get their cut. AT&T will get its cut. Apple will get its cut. The musicians and the customers will get screwed, as usual. Serves them right for signing up with a record label in the first place, and serves us right for being dumb enough to want our phones to play songs at us from crappy little speakers.
I'm always amazed at how so many people think that things should be free FOR THEM.
I think that you should put in overtime, and DO IT FOR FREE.
So what? I don't care whose fault it is, and I don't care what size the industry is, how many suckers will pay money for this stuff, and I still don't care if it's a small fee compared to anyone else. It's still stupid in my opinion.
It isn't suckers Jeff. People who bit torrent all their files think that anyone who pays for content are suckers. I don't.
If there is a service, and people want it for the convenience, or whatever, that doesn't make them suckers.
After all, how many times have you been called a sucker (or equivalent) for buying a Mac?
If there is a service, and people want it for the convenience, or whatever, that doesn't make them suckers.
Absolutely agree.
In addition, there is the sense of shared responsibility that all of us (should) have to pay for IP, for otherwise, it will not get produced in the first place. It is the seller's prerogative to charge a price. Whether that is appropriately priced or overpriced is in the eyes of the buyer.
Just don't buy it if is the latter. People who choose to aren't "suckers."
More specifically, on the matter of ringtones, I do not see myself as having hundreds of them, maybe perhaps a couple of dozens at most. If Apple charges me a reasonable price -- which I would, personally, put as being in the region of a $0.50 - $1.00 per ringtone -- and if is simple to create and allows me the flexibility of picking different song parts, I would consider it fair.
Comments
I do think that ringtones SHOULD be free. I certainly wouldn't pay for one, in any event. But the fact of the matter is that they are NOT free. Playing your stereo really loud and recording it with the RAZR's cheap little microphone is hardly what I'd call a free ringtone. It's a cheesy workaround, which, sadly, produces what some people would call acceptable results. I guess the little speakers on these phones are so lame anyway that it doesn't make much difference.
[/QUOTE]
Yea, it is probably cheesy.
The general public is used to paying for ringtones
What about ringbacks?
The FCC should make rimgbacks illegal.
If I call someone, I do not want to hear a compressed cell network rendition of "holler back girl" or whatever crap the z-100s of the world are playing at such a volume that I nearly throw the phone out of natural reaction!
but to your point, I understand why they charge for ringback, you are not using it for personal use, you are essentially narrow-casting their music
Pardon me but fuck itunes. Its a disgrace. $10 lets me make anything i want and enjoy my instrumentals as ringtones. Forever. Do the math.
I would give anything however to have the notification of a text message be a ringtone so I can hear the damn thing. Notifications of text messages, and new emails is way to soft. It is serious frustration with this new phone.
I am a Apple fan but I do not drink the kool-aid so deeply that I will not state their flaws. The phone needs some corrections and additions soon! They have been stated before so I will not belabor the point.
I'm sure you are not producing rap for free and TI isn't giving away his music away for free. iTunes offers a way to sell digital music for a fairly reasonable price. What exactly do have against it?
I'm confused Mission. I may be misunderstanding but it sounds as if you are advocating free music.
I'm sure you are not producing rap for free and TI isn't giving away his music away for free. iTunes offers a way to sell digital music for a fairly reasonable price. What exactly do have against it?
Nah, you're not confused...... nor are you misunderstanding.
So what? I don't care whose fault it is, and I don't care what size the industry is, how many suckers will pay money for this stuff, and I still don't care if it's a small fee compared to anyone else. It's still stupid in my opinion.
Oh, I agree. Its stupid and I have never paid for one. I was responding to mostly two lines of complaint:
1) Apple is so greedy, I already paid for it once--I will never buy an iPhone if this is how they run their business (Apple may not have control over this. Which is worse, not allowing ringtones or charging a fee for those who want it?)
2) Greedy bastards--who would ever pay twice for the same music. (Well, the fact is people do. and there is money to by made there, and business tend to want to make money.)
Hell, When I owned a shop I sold bottled water for $1.25 when we paid about $.07 per. That is an insane, almost criminal markup. But I sold cases every day. If someone walked in and said "you bastard, how can you charge that much for water, I won't pay it!" well, they would be right, but I would still throw them out of my store!
If my competitors lowered their prices, or if people stopped buying, then I would have had to lower the price. That never happened.
differentLY....
Actually, he was right and you are wrong. He alluded to the well-known ad campaign "think different." You didn't get it and must now suffer the shame of a failed grammar policeman.
I'm confused Mission. I may be misunderstanding but it sounds as if you are advocating free music.
I'm sure you are not producing rap for free and TI isn't giving away his music away for free. iTunes offers a way to sell digital music for a fairly reasonable price. What exactly do have against it?
I don't think that was the point. I thought mission's point was you can get this program to cut any track you already have and make a ringtone out of it rather than pay for a ring tone, which in many cases is paying again for what the buyer might already have.
It sounded like mission had special access to the material so he (guessing here) can cut his own tracks for his own phone, and be personalized to every person that calls him. I think mentioning that was a distraction from the point.
Oh, I agree. Its stupid and I have never paid for one. I was responding to mostly two lines of complaint:
1) Apple is so greedy, I already paid for it once--I will never buy an iPhone if this is how they run their business (Apple may not have control over this. Which is worse, not allowing ringtones or charging a fee for those who want it?)
2) Greedy bastards--who would ever pay twice for the same music. (Well, the fact is people do. and there is money to by made there, and business tend to want to make money.)
Hell, When I owned a shop I sold bottled water for $1.25 when we paid about $.07 per. That is an insane, almost criminal markup. But I sold cases every day. If someone walked in and said "you bastard, how can you charge that much for water, I won't pay it!" well, they would be right, but I would still throw them out of my store!
If my competitors lowered their prices, or if people stopped buying, then I would have had to lower the price. That never happened.
Lemme guess... it was a bagel shop.
Pay twice for my media?
They've got to be joking.
There's probably a licensing problem.
Still, ringtones often cost $2.50 each, and look at the numbers they are generating!
People will do this.
Yeah, doesn't it mean the exact same thing as vain?
People need to be less stupid.
-Clive
No, it doesn't mean the same thing.
And you are right, people do need to be less stupid.
differentLY....
"Think Different" is Apple's slogan.
Personally, I've always thought that ringtones were the first sign of the global apocalypse, anyway. The fact that the telco industry managed to wave a shiny object in front of us to distract us from the pitiful state of customer service and call sound quality for this long is surely proof that we're not as smart a species as we'd like to think.
Having said that, I do think that ringtones SHOULD be free. I certainly wouldn't pay for one, in any event. But the fact of the matter is that they are NOT free. Playing your stereo really loud and recording it with the RAZR's cheap little microphone is hardly what I'd call a free ringtone. It's a cheesy workaround, which, sadly, produces what some people would call acceptable results. I guess the little speakers on these phones are so lame anyway that it doesn't make much difference.
A lot of people pay $2.99 and up for ringtones on a regular basis (a statistic that I still find completely astounding) so there's no reason why a company such as Apple or AT&T shouldn't get in on the gravy train. If they offer anything resembling what was described here in the article, it will be a great bargain, compared to what Verizon, the company with which so many wished Apple had offered the iPhone, officially offers (above jury-rigged method notwithstanding).
The record labels will get their cut. AT&T will get its cut. Apple will get its cut. The musicians and the customers will get screwed, as usual. Serves them right for signing up with a record label in the first place, and serves us right for being dumb enough to want our phones to play songs at us from crappy little speakers.
I'm always amazed at how so many people think that things should be free FOR THEM.
I think that you should put in overtime, and DO IT FOR FREE.
So what? I don't care whose fault it is, and I don't care what size the industry is, how many suckers will pay money for this stuff, and I still don't care if it's a small fee compared to anyone else. It's still stupid in my opinion.
It isn't suckers Jeff. People who bit torrent all their files think that anyone who pays for content are suckers. I don't.
If there is a service, and people want it for the convenience, or whatever, that doesn't make them suckers.
After all, how many times have you been called a sucker (or equivalent) for buying a Mac?
If there is a service, and people want it for the convenience, or whatever, that doesn't make them suckers.
Absolutely agree.
In addition, there is the sense of shared responsibility that all of us (should) have to pay for IP, for otherwise, it will not get produced in the first place. It is the seller's prerogative to charge a price. Whether that is appropriately priced or overpriced is in the eyes of the buyer.
Just don't buy it if is the latter. People who choose to aren't "suckers."
More specifically, on the matter of ringtones, I do not see myself as having hundreds of them, maybe perhaps a couple of dozens at most. If Apple charges me a reasonable price -- which I would, personally, put as being in the region of a $0.50 - $1.00 per ringtone -- and if is simple to create and allows me the flexibility of picking different song parts, I would consider it fair.
Lemme guess... it was a bagel shop.
Damn! I'm not as tricky as I thought.
(actually, it was three...