MP3 Ringtones

MP3 Ringtones

Seems like you can barely turn around for someone trying to sell you a ringtone these days, and there is good reason so many people want in on the action. Many in the music industry heralded ringtones as just the ticket to improve waning sales, and indeed, in 2005, ringtones accounted for 40% of all digital music sales.

Not all ringtones are created equal. In their infancy, ringtones meant polyphonic ringtones. Polyphonic ringtones are MIDI recordings in which a series of tones are played in specific order to sound as close to a particular song as possible, though with obvious limitations. The trend now is towards MP3 ringtones. MP3 ringtones are digital records, snippets of actual songs, offering users a much wider selection of tracks from which to choose.

The number of places to find MP3 ringtones online is nearly impossible to count. They include artist’s own Web sites, traditional MP3 sites, and sites dedicated strictly to selling ringtones. You can also find the technology to help you convert your own CD collection into ringtones. There are, however, a lot of fly by night types in the ringtone business, so it pays to do your homework before you download.

Unlimited Ringtones

Unlimited Ringtones offers an unlimited number of polyphonic ringtones for download, and only a limited number of MP3 ringtones – however, their service is notable because with membership, you get a copy of their Ringtone Ripper software free of charge. With Ringtone Ripper, you can use your own CD collection to create ringtones, which the Ripper will automatically cut down to size and send to your phone. The site provides a function through which you can download your own photos to your phone as wallpaper. A word about Unlimited Ringtones – they check all the right boxes in terms of having a clear customer service page, and a clear cancellation page. They even offer free trial periods. But – the price you will pay is dependent on your mobile network, as is the length of your trial period. With some carriers, signing up with Unlimited Ringtones means signing up for a weekly text service for $1.99 per week Read the small print and contact your network before you take the leap.

Mobile 9

Mobile 9 is an online community for mobile phone users. Registration is free, and once a member, you can swap MP3 ringtone downloads free of charge. It is also a good place to go for games, wallpaper, and news on all the latest phones and gadgets.

Things to Keep in Mind

MP3 ringtones can be a lot fun and nice alternative to that tinny version of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy that came with your phone. It is best, though, to keep a few things in mind when doing your ringtone shopping.

Controversy

Because the music industry hitched their wagon to the ringtone star, the prices for ringtones went up and up and up, and for that, the industry is now experiencing a backlash. It is possible to find reasonably priced MP3 ringtones out there, like at the websites above. When you are looking into pricing, remember you are paying for about a 20 second clip of music and that that probably shouldn’t cost more than the entire song downloaded from some other site. Ringtone rippers, like the one from Unlimited Ringtones, are a good one-off investment that allow you to create all the ringtones you like, free of additional charges.

Shady Characters

When something appears as often in a pop-up ad as ringtones do, it is a fair bet that there are some people out there praying on other people’s naiveté. This is a problem for young people especially – you sign up for a free ringtone, suddenly, you have a lifetime subscription to a service that is billing you $20 a month, sending you a barrage of unwanted text messages, and for which you have no idea of how to unsubscribe. Before you sign up for any service, even a free trial, make sure there is a customer service center, an unsubscribe procedure, that they will not be selling your number to marketers, and that there are no hidden fees. And of course, before you give your credit card number out, make sure the site is secure and the people legit.

The Future

Keep an eye out for the new wave in ringtones – text tones, to alert you to incoming text messages.

MP3 Ringtones Links

• Unlimited Ringtones

• Mobile 9