Billboard Magazine started listing the top 20 ringtones a or two month ago. Their top 10 list is available at this link, with the rest of the list only available to subscribers. This week’s top three ringtones according to Billboard are:
- Drop It Like It’s Hot, Snoop Dogg
- 1, 2 Step, Ciara
- My Boo, Usher And Alicia Keys
No word yet if they also plan a separate list of the most popular ringback ringtones.
Ovum has a good article on the ringtone business and mobile phone content and personalization in general, and how they expect the market to grow quickly. Projected trends include:
- Monophonic ringtones will be replaced by polyphonic ringtones
- Polyphonic ringtones will lose ground to Mastertone/Real/True ringtones
- Ringback tones will gain wide acceptance
- The introduction of reverse streaming video ringtones
Gadgetmaniac Backgrounder: A good article on the Ringback phenomenon is entitled “Ringback Tones Help Carriers Dial Up New Profits.” An excerpt is:
South Korea’s SK Telecom, the first carrier to launch ringback tones in spring 2002, is reporting revenue that exceeds that from its ring tone offerings.
SK Telecom’s Ringback product is called COLORing®. A good overview of COLORing can be found at this website. The site provides a description of the main components and the system architecture. The service appeals to the following demographics:
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Someone should make a list of the most annoying ringtones, if such a feat is humanly possible.
I think part of the fun of a ringtone is finding something unique to call your own, something that isn’t so popular.