Apple to Offer Ready-Made Ringtones on September 9
2009-09-07
Apple plans to roll out pre-made ringtones During a confirmed press event on September 9, Apple is expected to add pre-made ringtones to the iTunes music store, hoping to cash in as a growing number of phone owners seek custom ringtones. Ringtone pricing varies depending on wireless provider, but most ringtones cost between $1.99 and $2.99, though analysts expect the pre-made ringtones from Apple to be available for $1.29. Record labels are now more interested in marketing ringtones to phone owners, as ringtones offer higher profit margins than MP3 downloads. iTunes users can currently pay for a music track and then pay an additional $0.99 to cut out a 30-second clip that can be turned into a ringtone. The ability to pay a lower amount and not have to do any work is expected to be appealing for phone owners in the future. The actual demand for ringtones is unknown, with research firms providing different predictions for the market. Research firm SNL Kagan recently released a report indicating ringtone sales cashed in $714 million in 2007 -- but that number dropped 24 percent to $541 million one year later. Furthermore, there are several online services where phone owners are able to upload a song to the site, select a part of the song, then send the file to their mobile phones.