Local ringtone market quietens down
By Annalise Walliker

THOSE yearning for peace and quiet in public can cautiously rejoice — Australia's love affair with annoying mobile ringtones may be over.

With more than 20 million mobile phones in Australia, noisy and absurd ringtones have become a common intrusion at restaurants, on public transport and even at the office.

But the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) believes Australia's ringtone industry is on the decline.

APRA deals with royalties for composers, publishers and performers, including musical ringtones.

Richard Mallett, APRA's director of recordings and online, said the Australian ringtone industry was worth more than $50 million a year but growth had stalled in the past 12 months.

"Since the market, from when it started in 2002, it has increased significantly year on year — but now it's probably contracted and is now on the decline," he said.

"We don't know if the downward trend is short or long-term but in Europe, where the market is more mature, they too have seen a peak."

Mr Mallett said there were two theories as to why ringtone sales had stalled.

"The technology in mobile phones has increased so most have mp3 players in them now, where people can upload their own music or sounds to the phone and use that as a ringtone," he said.

"And even though having the latest ringtone may be popular, people may be renewing them or buying new ones less often."

Inflation could also be causing Australians to curb spending on non-essential items, such as ringtones, Mr Mallett added.

"Ringtones are a luxury product, mostly bought by people in their teens and 20s," he said.

Depending on the service provider, the average cost of a "truetone" ringtone — the actual recording of a song or sound — is about $5.

Mobile phone expert and RMIT lecturer Larissa Hjorth believes the next big thing is the internal ringtone — music that plays while you are waiting for the person you call to pick up the phone.

"Instead of listening to the phone ring, you hear a piece of music that you choose from your phone provider or upload," she said.

"It all costs money, but it's all the rage in Asia.

"As a multimedia device, mobile phones are the new Swiss army knife in terms of its uses."

While mobile phone users are starting to slow down in terms of buying music ringtones, top five ringtone charts show the novelty ringtone is still popular.

At subscription service Jamster, novelty ringtone The Snuggle Song by Cutie, featuring a cartoon rabbit singing a love song to a carrot, held down this week's top spot.

At Telstra, the Psycho Teddy ringtone was No 1.

Jamster's remaining four were current pop hits including Rihanna's Don't Stop the Music and Bleeding Love by Lewis, while Telstra's top five was rounded out by rock classics including Highway to Hell by AC/DC and Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin, plus a soundbite from animated TV show Family Guy.

What your ringtone says about you
Default ringtone: The anti-logo logo, someone who still makes a statement that they don't care about keeping up with technology trends.

Buzzes or beeps: Someone who sees their phone as a piece of functional technology, not something subject to fashion.

A person's voice: Someone who sees mobiles as an extension of talking to someone face to face and wants to make their phone seem more like a person and less like a machine.

An old-school phone ringing: Someone who wants to escape the contemporary modern world, it reflects phone technology's past.

Top 40 song or novelty ringtone: Someone who sees the phone as something fashionable, wants to keep up with the latest trends.

Song ringtone: Be it pop, classic or retro, it shows someone who sees the phone as the extension of their identity, wants to publicly affirm their identity or reach out to others.

What is your mobile phone's ringtone?
Andrew Demetriou, AFL chief executive: "The default tone on the phone, but is usually on silent vibrate for when I'm in meetings."

Kevin Bloody Wilson, Comedian: "I've got Dicktaphone, like in 'dick the (expletive) phone, up your (expeletive expletive)'. When my wife calls, it's a dog bark. She's got the same one when I ring."

Kamahl, Singer: "A Chopin nocturne piano piece, it's very beautiful."

Bert Newton, Entertainer: "Mine's the conventional default ringtone. Straight and loud much like myself."

Myf Warhurst, co-host of Triple M breakfast and Spicks and Specks: "Gimme More by Britney Spears."

Ricki-Lee Coulter, It Takes Two coach and pop singer: "Stronger by Kanye West, it's my motivation song."