Apple rushing to release "ready-made ringtones" - report
Apple is rumored to have struck a deal with the music industry and obtained the right to sell "ready-made ringtones," and company officials are reportedly rushing to have them available for next week's event.
Music industry sources reportedly told CNet that Apple will announce and begin to sell pre-cut ringtones at its press event Sept. 9, if they can be prepped to sell in time. In 2007, iTunes granted users the ability to create their own custom ringtones with certain enabled song. The feature cost 99 cents to select a 30-second segment for ringtone playback on the iPhone.
Given that most individual songs on iTunes sell for 99 cents in their entirety, to charge anything above that for just a section of the song might seem odd. However, consumers in the past have shown a willingness to spend up to $3 on a ringtone. The report did not have a final price on ringtones available, but did say the song clips are expected to sell for "far less than $3."
While the pre-cut ringtone feature is technically new, it will not likely be a large announcement for Apple at its Sept. 9 iPod-centric event. Not only are custom ringtones already available on iTunes, but CNet noted that sales of ringtones dropped 24 percent from 2007 to 2008, likely due to the fact that users have figured out how to make their own from pre-purchased songs.
In another music industry-related announcement expected for Wednesday's event, Apple reportedly began collaborating with major labels months ago on a new project code-named "Cocktail," aimed to spur sales of whole albums. Rumors have suggested the new feature would offer lyrics, photos and supplemental material through a separate application that could be viewed outside of iTunes.
Music industry sources reportedly told CNet that Apple will announce and begin to sell pre-cut ringtones at its press event Sept. 9, if they can be prepped to sell in time. In 2007, iTunes granted users the ability to create their own custom ringtones with certain enabled song. The feature cost 99 cents to select a 30-second segment for ringtone playback on the iPhone.
Given that most individual songs on iTunes sell for 99 cents in their entirety, to charge anything above that for just a section of the song might seem odd. However, consumers in the past have shown a willingness to spend up to $3 on a ringtone. The report did not have a final price on ringtones available, but did say the song clips are expected to sell for "far less than $3."
While the pre-cut ringtone feature is technically new, it will not likely be a large announcement for Apple at its Sept. 9 iPod-centric event. Not only are custom ringtones already available on iTunes, but CNet noted that sales of ringtones dropped 24 percent from 2007 to 2008, likely due to the fact that users have figured out how to make their own from pre-purchased songs.
In another music industry-related announcement expected for Wednesday's event, Apple reportedly began collaborating with major labels months ago on a new project code-named "Cocktail," aimed to spur sales of whole albums. Rumors have suggested the new feature would offer lyrics, photos and supplemental material through a separate application that could be viewed outside of iTunes.
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"industry and has obtained the right to sell "ready-made ringtones,""
Apple is rumored to have struck a deal with the music industry and has obtained the right to sell "read-made ringtones," and company officials are reportedly rushing to have them available for next week's event.
Music industry sources reportedly told CNet that Apple will announce and begin to sell pre-cut ringtones at its press event Sept. 9, if they can be prepped to sell in time. In 2007, iTunes granted users the ability to create their own custom ringtones with certain enabled song. The feature cost 99 cents to select a 30-second segment for ringtone playback on the iPhone.
Given that most individual songs on iTunes sell for 99 cents in their entirety, to charge anything above that for just a section of the song might seem odd. However, consumers in the past have shown a willingness to spend up to $3 on a ringtone. The report did not have a final price on ringtones available, but did say the song clips are expected to sell for "far less than $3."
While the pre-cut ringtone feature is technically new, it will not likely be a large announcement for Apple at its Sept. 9 iPod-centric event. Not only are custom ringtones already available on iTunes, but CNet noted that sales of ringtones dropped 24 percent from 2007 to 2008, likely due to the fact that users have figured out how to make their own from pre-purchased songs.
In another music industry-related announcement expected for Wednesday's event, Apple reportedly began collaborating with major labels months ago on a new project code-named "Cocktail," aimed to spur sales of whole albums. Rumors have suggested the new feature would offer lyrics, photos and supplemental material through a separate application that could be viewed outside of iTunes.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
C'mon - the swimming pool needs a refill of Himalayan fog condensate and that stuff is expensive to transport by jet...
Or perhaps it's that the fad is passing as people realize how asinine it is to use a pop song as a ringtone. One can only hope.
My theory: people are increasingly texting instead of calling. People who normally would buy a ring tone are thinking again because a larger percentage of beeps and clunks on their phone are SMS alerts, not phone calls. Simple, really. Why buy a ring tone you rarely hear?
Excellent insight.
I also believe that people have simply broken the code. They know how to do it, even on the PC and on phones other than the iPhone. Every one I know who has a music ringtone tells me they know ways to do it without paying. The same thing is starting to happen with text as more programs are released to get around the charges. I canceled my text plan months ago and have been using a third party app.
iTunes with Blu-ray support yet no Blu-ray hardware.
Ringtones.
Coma.
Likewise with any FLV file saved from youtube.
"...sales of ringtones dropped 24 percent from 2007 to 2008, likely due to the fact that users have figured out how to make their own from pre-purchased songs..."
Or perhaps it's that the fad is passing as people realize how asinine it is to use a pop song as a ringtone. One can only hope.
Agreed, Speaking of 'asinine,' am I the only one that thinks 'high fives' look asinine?
I noticed on itunes that the John Fogerty album, The Blue Ridge Rangers, had a special digital booklet that would download if you bought the whole album. Is that a preview of the bonus features we can expect?
I bought Wynton Marsalis' From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, and it came with a digital cd insert. It's nothing new as I bought it years ago. But I agree, that has something to do with the new announcement.
iPods with rinky dink cameras.
iTunes with Blu-ray support yet no Blu-ray hardware.
Ringtones.
Coma.
Yeah. Sounds like a yawn festival to me, too. But I hope Apple folks have something up their sleeves!
Just make the ringtone in iTunes in about 60 seconds by changing the start/stop times to a file, encoding an MP3 version, renaming it a .M4r, and importing.
Exactly what I was going to say. Since iTunes 8 you can make your own ringtones out of any of your music for free, and it's not very hard and works for both PC and Mac. CHeck out the link and save some money.
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10056954-12.html
While I would never pay for a music ring tone, I would like to find some decent non-music tones that don't sound stupid. Who wants a barking dog or a drunk robot sound for their ringtone?
Yeah. Sounds like a yawn festival to me, too. But I hope Apple folks have something up their sleeves!
Me too. Bring out Steve Jobs and his Fab Tab!