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Posted by Dave
Rap News Network
8/22/2005 11:16:04 AM
Tags and topics realted to this article include Ludacris.
You call a friend and wait for her to answer. But instead of the familiar r-r-r-ring sound, you hear something strange: Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" or Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender."
Don't be alarmed. You haven't dialed the wrong number. You've simply encountered your first ringback tone.
T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless have both recently introduced services that allow subscribers to select the sound their callers hear while waiting for an answer. Sprint Corp.'s wireless division also plans to start selling ringback tones by the end of the year.
The carriers and record companies hope ringback tones will be as big of a hit as those singsong cell phone ringtones, which have become a $4 billion business. But some analysts are skeptical that consumers will understand or embrace ringback tones.
Julie Ask, an analyst at Jupiter Research, tried out Verizon's service in April and tracked the results on her Web log. Many of her callers hung up without leaving a message, she wrote.
"I'm happy to report that my mother only called four times before giving up," she said after using a ringback tone for nearly two weeks. "She finally left a message at the office and suggested that there was something wrong with my phone."
But once her friends understood the service, many wanted their own ringback tones, Ask said. She eventually ordered two more because friends said they were getting tired of hearing the same song each time they called.
The wireless industry and the music industry both have big incentives to make ringback tones a success. As cell phone minutes have gotten cheaper and less profitable, the wireless industry has been looking for new services to sell over their networks.
Record companies are also troubled by slow growth and could use a new way to sell their music catalogs.
Wireless carriers acknowledge that callers find the tones disconcerting at first, hearing a pop song instead of a ringing sound and thinking they've dialed the wrong number.
"It's still very much in the early days," said T-Mobile content director Michael Gallelli.
T-Mobile gives subscribers the option of recording a short message that plays before their ringback tone, instructing callers to stay on the line. Verizon's ringback tones include a similar message by default, though subscribers can opt to remove it.
"It just lets the customer's caller know that this is what it is, so they're not hanging up," said Bill Stone, a marketing vice president at Verizon Wireless.
Gallelli sees ringback tones as one of the most distinctive, personal ways available to customize a phone. Since the subscriber is selecting songs for callers to hear, the subscriber becomes a DJ of sorts, spreading the word about new music or old favorites.
The T-Mobile and Verizon services allow subscribers to designate specific ringback tones for certain callers. A subscriber could, for instance, select a Frank Sinatra tune for her mother and an Usher jam for her boyfriend.
Like ringtones, callers can select ringback tones that are quirky, catchy or just annoying. Gallelli said he selected Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" for a friend as a joke, since they've long shared distaste for the song.
"When people hear a song like that, it produces a memory. When they hear it, they think of a time they shared together," he said. "It's not just the same experience for every person who calls."
Ringback tones made their first big splash in 2002 in South Korea. About one-third of wireless carrier SK Telecom's subscribers signed up for the service in the first year, according to consulting firm Ovum.
The service has been slower to catch on in Europe and the United States, analysts say.
"Ringback tones have been quite a failure to date," said Andrew Cole, who leads the communications practice at consulting firm A.T. Kearney. "The amount of revenue has been quite small, and carriers are scratching their heads to work out why."
T-Mobile and Verizon say they're pleased with their results so far. They declined to disclose how many subscribers are using the service.
"We're just getting started with the service," said Adam Mirabella, a senior vice president at Warner Music Group's music distribution unit, which has worked with the wireless providers to license music for ringback tones. "We're encouraged by the adoption, and we're encouraged by the potential."
The wireless industry will eventually figure out how to market the service effectively, Mirabella said. As more carriers begin to offer the service, the industry can work as a group to help consumers understand the technology, he said.
Consumers will eventually catch on, Cole agreed. But ringback tones will probably be more of a niche market than ringtones, he said.
Ringback tones have one advantage over other services the wireless industry has introduced: Subscribers don't have to purchase a new phone to use ringback tones.
"That automatically makes it a ubiquitous service for customers," said Stone of Verizon. "And it's not asking customers to do something new or unnatural they haven't done before. Everybody calls other people."
Wireless and recording industry executives envision the ringback tone as a great marketing tool, allowing cell phone users to spread the word about new music.
T-Mobile's service, for instance, includes a free "bonus" ringback tone for subscribers to its Caller Tunes service. The carrier's latest bonus tone, introduced last month, is "Did You Get My Message?" a song from an upcoming album by singer Jason Mraz. It's the first time T-Mobile has offered a song that isn't yet available in record stores.
Thus far, hip-hop songs popular with young people have dominated the ringback tone charts, T-Mobile and Verizon said. But "Sexual Healing" and other older tunes have also done well, signaling that ringback tones might appeal to an older audience, said Gallelli of T-Mobile.
T-Mobile also offers ringback tones that are voice recordings done by celebrities. A recording by rapper Ludacris has become one of the carrier's most popular ringback tones.
"Just wait! Wait, man! They gonna pick up the phone, a'ight?" Ludacris yells in his charismatic Atlanta drawl.
"As many times as you call, I don't even know if they will answer the phone. You just need to let it ring. Keep ringing."
Ringback tones
What they are: A replacement for the standard ringing sound callers hear after they dial a number.
Who offers them: Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. Sprint's service is coming by the end of the year.
What they require: Nothing new. Ringback tones work with any phone.
How much they cost: Verizon's Ringback Tones service is 99 cents per month, and $1.99 per tone. T-Mobile's Caller Tunes service is $1.49 per month and $1.99 per tone. Each carrier's tones expire after 12 months.
How they're controlled: Through each carrier's Web site, subscribers can designate which tones play for specific callers. They can also set tones to play at certain times of day. For instance, they can pick a quieter, more conservative tone to play during work hours.
How many tones a subscriber can use: Verizon allows subscribers to have 20 ringback tones in use at a time. T-Mobile allows eight.
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