ZDNet News also notes that ASCAP and other music copyright holding organizations are beginning to crack down on cell phone ring tone downloads. Many of these use popular music, and much of it is evidently unlicensed. This is big business in Europe and Asia, but only becoming popular in America in recent months.
More than $300 million in ring tones were sold in Japan last year. Nokia estimates it will make billions selling ring tones by the end of 2005.
Frankly, this is a pop phenomenon that I really don’t understand. Cell phone rings are already annoying enough. Making them actual tunes sounds even more annoying.
However, I never claimed to understand much of popular culture.
Now, if you could download TV theme songs, that would be different …