Cashboxes resound to
ringtones
Downloads of pop tunes is a booming business
If a catchy tune can make your day, there are thousands
of them floating around emanating from mobile phones
across the city. Ringtone downloads generate huge
incomes for service and content providers and companies
that hold music copyrights.
Business reports indicate that globally ringtones
are a $ 6 billion business and expected to grow by
400 per cent in the next three years. In Bangalore,
ringtone download revenue is anywhere between Rs 5
lakh and Rs 7 lakh per month for many service providers.
The average number of ringtones downloaded is 12-13
per month per user and can go up many times over if
a popular film has just been released. And with sound
quality improving and the introduction of polyphonic
playback and actual music clips called true tones,
ringtones have fast become the fashion statement of
the hour.
Says Biswas B, a young professional, "I can save
upto 2 MB space in my mobile phone which means I can
store around 30 ringtones at a time. I have mono and
polyphonic options. I download ringtones all the time,
sometimes 40-50 songs in a week onto my computer,
and then choose 10 for my phone."
Anshu L, student, says, "I download over 10 ringtones
a week. I wait for the offers from the providers for
the latest songs or I choose from hip hop and Indi
pop tunes."
According to Jacob Perez, vice president, sales and
marketing of a service provider, 2,20,000 ringtones
are downloaded in a month. "Bollywood ringtones
are the most in demand. For Kal Ho Na Ho , there were
1,40,000 downloads and now the demand is for Main
Hoon Na. We now have a scheme where a person can gift
a ringtone to someone and that has become popular."
Samuel Selvakumar, CEO, Karnataka and Chennai of a
service provider, says, "We offer different kinds
of downloads — like ringtones, wallpapers, logos,
games, cricket clips but ringtone downloads are the
highest. Ringtones can be downloaded from content
sites too. The purpose of a phone has changed from
communication to so much more."
People can soon have their own jukeboxes on the phone.
Till then, ringtone downloads will continue to rule
the roost.
