Nothing Lasts Forever: Ringtones

Longtime Underbelly loyalists will recall our affection for that great staple of the American industrial behemoth, the telephone ringtone. But apparently nothing lasts forever. Here, the folks at TheDeal.Com consider how Steve Jobs is once again driving and defining the entertainment biz (link):

Take, for example, two of the more important drivers in the industry's brave new world: ringtones and social networks. Apple's iPhone stands poised to upend both models.

In a recent conversation with an entertainment lawyer, I remarked what a surprisingly large source of income ringtones has become: $4 billion, $6 billion, $9 billion each year, depending on whose figures you trust.

The lawyer scoffed. Limited shelf life, he responded, no future. Then he added:

"You have the new iPhone, right?"

I nervously fidgeted my Motorola before admitting I wasn't one of the
cool kids.

With the iPhone, he patiently explained, it's easy to convert any MP3 into a ringtone. "Talk to any 15-year-old," he advised. I did, well, at least, indirectly. It's happening, I was told. Sure enough, the Web's full of advice on free - and perfectly legal - ringtone creation, using iTunes and the iPhone.

Ringtones, we hardly knew ye. The p oint about "social networking," BTW is that the iPhone has broken the barrier between the telephone and the on-line sharing operations. As one who just this month got a Facebook monicker, I suspect this one is way above my paygrade. But it's not about me, anyway.