Scores of websites dedicated to offering music downloads in the hugely popular MP3 formats, sometimes almost at no cost, have been instrumental in maneuvering the shift in the purchase behaviour of music enthusiasts. As opposed to purchasing bulks of audio CD's or even MP3 format CD's for that matter, consumers today are more inclined to simply downloading from the internet. Several reports published are only attesting this fact over and over again. One of the more recent findings has declared that the gap created within the music sales industry through the decline in the sales of CD's, although fairly large, is being attempted to close in through the slow but sure rise in the sales of digital music. The sale of digital music accounts for only a tenth of the industry's overall music sales, and therefore it seems a while before it surmounts the figures created by the shortfall of CD's sales.
Japan however has already managed to give this trend the slip. Whilst reports have sufficiently proven that the digital music sales has already covered up for the loss created by the decline in sales of music CD's, it may come as a surprise to learn that the Japanese music industry saw a rise of one per cent in the overall sales; clearly spearheaded by the increase in mobile downloads. Add to this the fact that the country, like others in the South ? East Asian region, has a high consumption of mobile phone ring tones. The music industry in South ? East Asia has a lot of local artistes thriving and owing to the fact that these countries form a cluster of non ? English speaking nations; it is quite understandable to note that local artistes enjoy mass popularity within their home countries. Sing tones, the Karaoke counterpart of mobile phone ring tones, according to experts has already taken the nation by storm which is commonly known to have pioneered the concept of Karaoke.
Looking at the value added services available on mobile phones that need to be downloaded, reports indicate that mobile phone games are subscribed to by roughly two per cent of the consumers in the United Kingdom, and a little over three and a half per cent of consumers downloaded ring tones and wallpapers, with only half a per cent opting to watch a paid video and an even smaller per cent of users wanting to download a full song. This clearly points to the fact that mobile phone ring tones is still the undisputable leader in the category of value added services and its latest avatar of video tones is yet to become a popular force to reckon with.
Studies conducted across the United Kingdom to understand the usage pattern and behaviour of mobile phone ring tone consumers have thrown up some very interesting facts. Reports say that consumers are increasingly conscious of the style statement that ring tones make and extremely wary of the perception that others might have of them based on the ring tone played out on their mobile phones. As a result they are constantly in the race of upgrading their knowledge of the latest ring tones and hits to websites that display the ?Top 10 Ring Tones' for the week have increased in the recent past. Several web sites have their own ratings list and offer subscription to users for a small fee. This allows them a regular access to the most popular ring tones and the means to download them. With roughly 80 per cent of the respondents being constantly worried about their choice of ring tones, it is no wonder that at least 10 per cent of them change their ring tones every week.
Times have begun to sound different and the youth or rather their mobile phones are humming a different tune, literally, for almost every call. Ring tones no longer sound like what they did or were meant to. Just like mobile phones are no longer expected to serve the basic purpose of communication i.e. receiving and making calls. They are expected to simulate futuristic gadgets with more than just basic communication available at the touch of a button. Streaming video playback software, high resolution camera, MP3 player, wireless connectivity, and lots of other support software goes into making one of the 'coolest' gadgets of today.
'Coolest' because that's what the youth of today have made this device to be. And industry sources say that to a large extent it is the youth that could be held responsible for alleviating the status of mobile phones from being a simple telecommunication device to a gadget that makes a style statement.
Market researchers have discovered the youth to have formed a separate culture amongst them which has become a distinct yet not clearly spelt out norm within the psychographics of the group. The youth of today are bonded together by the threads of their popular culture and experts say that it is this popular culture that is instrumental in driving the global popularity of mobile phones. The possession of a mobile phone has completely different implications for the youth. They are after a gadget and not a device. A stark difference between a want for something that is cool and looks stylish rather than something that allows them to communication and has a functional purpose.
The youth today are extremely image conscious and strong believers of the fact that everything about their physical appearance says a little story about them. Everything would also include the gadgets that would be found on them. Analysts say that the youth of today, generally slotted in the age bracket of 20 ? 27 years, choose their brands very carefully because it is these colourful labels that speak volumes about a person's preferences. There is a strong desire to belong and the demands of peer pressure have resulted in the youth dictating the 'coolness quotient' of brands around them, as per reports. Accessorizing mobile phones through vibrant casings, colourful logos, flashing wall papers, trinkets and charms, and glowing stickers is the youth's attempt to vocalize their tastes. And mobile phone ring tones are just an extension of this desire to express their taste. With the wide variety of mobile phone ring tones freely available that span across genres, the youth have found a unique tone for expressing.
Everyone wants a unique mobile phone ring tone that allows him or her to stand out from the crowd and 'show ? off' their latest musical acquisition. This leads to satisfying their need to create a separate identity for themselves within the society and mentally alleviates their social status.
Another reason for the increasing popularity of mobile phone ring tones amongst the youth is the fact that with the technology at their disposal, they are willing to experiment and embrace new things more easily than the generations before them. There is an increasing sense of competition amongst them, and there does exist a desire to be the first to try and own things. Once again the ability to flaunt new acquisitions boosts their confidence levels and leads to a feeling of social security amongst peers.