Music Industry to Bundle Ringtones in "Ringle" CDs
It's no mystery that the recording industry has been fighting an uphill battle to keep people from stealing music on P2P networks and buying single $.99 songs on iTunes. The music industry longs for the days we had to walk to our local record store and buy an entire CD to own our favorite tune. That's why the music executives created the ringle.
A ringle is packaged as a regular audio CD, but only comes with three songs and a ringtone. A ringle CD will include a hit single by an artist, a remix song, an older track from the artist and a ringtone version of the hit. In order to redeem the ringtone you have to pop the CD into a PC for online verification.
Sony BMG coined the new phrase ringle and Universal Music Group says it along with Sony will sell ringles, according to a news report by Reuters. Sony will reportedly release 50 Ringles in October and November. Universal reportedly has 10 to 20 Ringles in the works. Several major retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon and Best Buy say they expect to offer the Ringles at $6 to $7 a pop.
The ringle has been blessed by the Recording Industry Association of America which is working on logo for the ringle format and will work to promote it.
The success of ringles may vary. The in-store single is a dying format, but tapping into the ringtone craze is a good ploy to breathe some life into the format. But again, in the digital age of one-click purchases and ringtone downloads purchased and downloaded through your mobile phone, will consumers be willing to deal the CD to get what they want?
Verizon Wireless charges $4.50 for many of its ringtones. Would I pay a few bucks more for three songs - perhaps. Remixes tend to be a love it or hate it deal, but if quality B-sides and perhaps even demos make their way onto ringle releases, record labels may be striking gold.
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Pathetic. Just google ringtone hacks. Set yourself free. These wipes are the dinosaurs of the technological era. They just don't get it, they don't want to get it, they'll never get it. Greedy & clueless to the end.