The modern mobile media world is one of continuous expansion. Much like the universe itself, which after some time in a hot dense state exploded and started a chain reaction of expansion into galaxies, stars and planets that still haven’t stopped moving, the mobile media landscape of today is a product of various factors interacting to create an environment of unabated growth and continuous movement. Indeed, technology and society alike have all but conspired to make sure that mobile media – after it erupted into being when mobiles became all the rage – continues to grow and evolve as the years go by.
Mobile media includes, but is not limited to, ringtones, which collectively are one of the most interesting stories to be told in mobile media. Ringtones are essentially sound clips set to announce incoming calls or messages, and have been around for almost as long as the mobile phone itself. Beginning as simple and plain rings or monotone beep chains intended to simulate the ringing of a landline phone, the ringtone was eventually tweaked into a melodic approximation of an actual song, and things exploded from there – soon ringtone composers were pre-installed on phones, and pre-composed song-based ringtones were everywhere to be bought, sold and downloaded. As everyone knows, this has gone on until the current age of the realtone, an MP3-format actual sound clip, and things are still set to continue from here.
However, one thing many haven’t really known for some time – or haven’t gotten around to finding out more about – is who to thank [or blame, for those who sometimes rightly see the ringtone as noise pollution] for the concept of popular music being used to announce your incoming call or message. That man, some would say, is the humble but brilliant Ralph Simon, who would typically downplay and demur in response to having the title “father of the ringtone” bestowed upon him, but was more influential in the process of ringtones’ rise than one might think based on this reaction.
Simon realized that pop songs could be used to personalize mobile phones, just as modern mobile phones were beginning their rise in the mid-90s. However, this idea didn’t play too well with the American record industry, where companies feared they would “lose control” of the music. Simon proceeded to work with the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to secure licenses to use pop songs on mobile phones. This became a precedent that he was then able to use to persuade American record labels to do the same, and the rest is mobile media history.
Simon quickly realized that they’d made the right choice, saying, “When we first started doing those ringtones, it became clearly evident that people under the age of 25 wanted to have something that was a personality badge.” He continues, explaining that “if you want AC/DC Back in Black then that tells something about you, more than if you had a Kylie Minogue hit.” Even annoying ringtones along the lines of Crazy Frog are fair game, as such things are “a key point in widening the acceptability of ringtones.”
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