We tend to take our mobile content for granted nowadays without really appreciating the subtleties of its evolution. There was once a [difficultly-remembered, now] time when mobile phones only had standard beeping or ringing, well, rings, and nothing else. This is, of course, no longer the case, as mobile phones themselves evolved over time – gaining hardware that could handle more features than just calls and text messaging. Now we have so much mobile content that it’s easy to forget how it got there – there are ringtones, wallpapers, themes, and more, and even content that helps us download and install other mobile content.
Change is indeed rife and abundant in today’s fast-moving technological landscape, especially where market forces are concerned. Where ringtones were once king of the hill and top of the heap when it came to making money off of mobile content, things are now shifting toward different pastures developing the proverbial “green” that merchandisers crave. As such, every now and then it’s only wise for industry watchers to take stock of the situation and keep abreast of the current state of things in order for them to be able to judge how things are set to go in the near future, and where things could lead.
Market research firm Frost & Sullivan is one of the industry watchers who constantly stay on top of market trends. Founded in 1961, the firm now has more than 1,800 industry consultants, technology analysts, economists and market researchers operating in more than 40 offices worldwide. Dedicated to tracking and researching new market situations and opportunities for corporate transformation and growth, Frost & Sullivan has established a reputation for excellence in technology research, tracking and recommending corporate best practices, customer research and corporate strategy. One of their most recent reports on industry trends involves ringtones, and the report comprehensively confirms the current state of the mobile content division.
Submitted to Research and Markets on July 30, 2010, the report entitled “2010 U.S. On-deck Premium Mobile Downloadable Content and Applications Markets” focused on paid mobile content and services, which is to mean services and content that commanded a specific fee separate from the existing data plan users pay for. Their findings were interesting, especially in light of the current views on mobile expansion and development as well as current mobile market opportunities. For one thing, it was found that monotones – monophonic ringtones, the original ringtones that approximated a song melody by means of MIDI-style arranged tones – were virtually extinct, barring some “stray” ones still offered and sold.
Master tones, apparently another term used to refer to real or true tones, appear to be the source for the majority of ringtone revenues. Polyphonic ringtones, still available and selling despite their predecessors’ faltering, come in next. Ringtones appear to have greatly reduced in marketability, as self-making and side-loading options for ringtones have made them more accessible for low to no cost. Ringtones are still known to contribute the majority of revenues fore mobile music, but may be overtaken by ringback tones as early as two years from now.
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