When they first appeared in the consumer market place, ringtones seemed simply like a more inventive way to alert a cell phone user to his or her incoming calls, but as time has progressed, the little ditties that were the original ringtones morphed into something more elaborate. The advancements that occurred in audio technology were coupled with the cell phone, allowing the use of real music for ringtone purposes. This shift has broken down the traditional confines of the music entertainment industry; whereas previously, we purchased music specifically for entertainment purposes, now we are able to put the tunes we love to a practical use. This has opened up new commercial avenues to the music industry of which not everybody approves.



The lines between music and ringtone are blurring, with the terms becoming almost interchangeable. The steady increase in sales of downloaded music contributes somewhat to this trend, as the similarities between obtaining the two sound forms are remarkably similar. The digital age, in fact, makes it far easier for consumers to download a favorite song and convert it themselves into a ringtone sound, much, most likely, to the chagrin of the growing ringtone industry. It is developments of this type that slowly but surely sites the two industries in direct competition with one another.

Recently the cell phone service provider Cingular announced that they had signed up several artists to allow them publish their new musical releases as ringtones before the same songs would be available for purchase as singles. Thus fans would hear the new releases of artists such as the British band Coldplay as ringtones several days before they would be available to radio stations or for individual purpose. One might speculate that this teaser might encourage more music enthusiasts to buy the single upon its eventual release, but the establishment of ringtone music charts, such as the one published by Billboard magazine, seems to place the industries in direct competition.

But there is probably room for both. The question remains though whether the consumer should prefer it that way, as each company steadily increases their profits from the release in two formats of the same piece of music. With the increase of sale of music in downloadable format, the point, perhaps, is moot, but either way, one thing is clear. The face of music is slowly changing forever.