The Ringtones FAQ
Introduction
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What's the buzz about Ringtones
exactly?
In the last years, Nokia, Ericsson and Siemens -- and recently, most other phone
companies -- have introduced a new feature in their phones:
the possibility to compose one's own ringing tones directly on
the phone or to send them to the phone, from a computer, using a
data cable or SMS. Many web sites now offer pre-coded ringtones
for their phone?
That way, phone users can have a broader variety of ringing tones to choose from, thus easing the growing problem of multiple phone owners being in the same room: everybody wonders whose phone is ringing. With a very unique ringing tone, it's easier to recognize one's own phone.
In addition to that, some users value the possibility to personalize their phone, inter alia by changing the background logo for a picture that represents their personality and by using one of their favorite songs as their ringing tone.
Ringtone, Ringer Tone, Melody, Tune, what's the proper
term exactly?
It depends on usage by each company. Some manufacturers, for
instance, make a distinction: ringer tones or ringtones being
those meaningless tones produced by your phone to alert you of an
incoming call, and melodies or mobile melodies being musical
tones composed using a melody composer.
Do all phones allow programmable ringtones?
Absolutely not, and there is a lot of confusion about that. Older
phones, and most phones manufactured for the North-American
market don't offer that feature. But most european GSM phones
increasingly do offer that feature so ringtones are much more
advanced in Europe than in North-America. For example, the most
recent and popular Motorola phones only have fixed ringtones, but
most new european models have a Motorola melody composer. A
source from the company recently told me that new phones in 2001
will also carry that feature in North-America. Other companies
that offer melody composers in SOME of their phones include:
Alcatel, Audiovox (US), Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sagem and
others. For the most recently updated list of ringtone-compatible
phones, see the link below:
• Find out
if your phone is able to accept ringtones with this compatibility
list
Where can I get ringtones for my
phone?
You can find plenty
of links to ringtones here.
Why do some sites ask me to pay in
order for them to send a new ringtone to my phone?
Not all sites ask you to pay for ringtones. Depending on their
business models, some sites are financed only by selling
advertising banners and providing affiliate links to stores where
you can buy a CD of the original music of the ringtone you are
interested in.
Sites that ask you to pay do it partly for profit, but also to cover the fees associated with sending a "Smart Message" to your phone or to cover copyright payments made to the copyright holder. However, don't necessarily assume that a site that charges you for ringtones necessarily pays copyright fees to the copyright owner - in fact, many don't.
So, is there a copyright issue
with Ringtones?
Apparently yes. According to Matthew Courtney, of Nokia:
"Every reproduction of a musical excerpt involves payment of
copyright fees to the copyright owner". An exception to that
is for ringtones consisting of excerpts of old classical pieces
or others public domain works.
• For
more on the public domain license, click here
The issue of copyright with regards to ringtones has not yet been widely raised by the music industry (which is probably busy fighting off Napster and clones), but there are chances that, as customizable Ringtones become more popular, lawsuits will emerge. At least one lawsuit was launched in the year 2000 by the EMI music group against Yourmobile.com. Yourmobile.com, however, is one of the sites claiming that they pay copyright fees.
To comply with the principles of copyright, use public domain melodies as your ringtones or, if you prefer using pop music, make sure that the site does pay copyright fees to the relevant copyright holders.
You may ask a question that is not covered by
this FAQ. Please do review the whole FAQ before asking a
question.
cellphones.guide@about.com
Glad you found that information? Have friends who need better ringtones? Let them know, email them our ringtones page!
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