Tech: Apple’s Ringtones and Copyright Law

Roughly Drafted ^ | September 14, 2007 | Daniel Eran Dilger

[antiRepublicrat]

While I’m no huge fan of the “all singing, all dancing” mobiles that announce every incoming call by belting out a section of a song--particularly since they tend to use songs that I don’t want stuck in my mind for the next hour--ringtones are extremely popular and a big money business, so they’re not going away anytime soon.

The latest version of iTunes now allows users to select from a half million songs in the iTunes Store that can be “upgraded” from a regular 99 cent track to a ringtone by paying another 99 cents to carve out a user-defined, 30 second clip as a ringtone that can be synced to the iPhone.

Suddenly, everyone who was cool with Verizon Wireless charging $2.50 and up for individual ringtones came out of the woodwork to castigate Apple for selling ringtones as a 99 cent upgrade, and only for songs it sold within iTunes; by default, you can’t make a ringtone from songs ripped from your own CDs using iTunes.

Of course, you actually can do this by changing the filetype of the song and assigning it a metadata tag, but Apple doesn’t tell you this, and doesn’t really want users to exploit this because it will send it back into negotiations with the labels again.

[antiRepublicrat]

Lots of smaller subjects covered here. Reading the whole thing is quite an education.

What stood out for me is the RIAA and paying for ringtones. The RIAA always says it stands to defend the rights of artists, and they want ringtones paid for. So, you think, you buy a ringtone and your favorite artist gets money. Nope, wrong, thanks for playing. It says in the article that the RIAA went to the Copyright Office last year to get the legal basis for which to sell ringtones with no extra compensation to the artists.

[antiRepublicrat]

The Copyfraud ping: copyright, patent and trademark abuse, and general abuse of laws in the digital age.
If you want on or off the Copyfraud Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Red Badger]

I want a Mark Levin Ringtone that says: ANSWER THE PHONE YOU BIG DOPE!!!!!

[highball]

It says in the article that the RIAA went to the Copyright Office last year to get the legal basis for which to sell ringtones with no extra compensation to the artists.

Pathetic. Selling out the people they ought to be protecting to fatten their own pockets - what do they think they are, a union?

[zencat]

I seriously don’t get the ringtone thing.

And music is one of my favorite things in the world. But ringtones are not about listening to the music. It’s about having a “cool” ringtone to gain attention of others, and so often they’re loud and annoying.

[bolobaby]

I turn off my ringer at work - vibrate only. I wish others would do the same.

But noooooo...

[kAcknor]

Ring tones from iTunes? Why bother?

Make your own here. Or, cut & paste: http://www.myxertones.com/default/

Can't share them, so there is no issues with copyright, you are just playing your music on a different device. ;)

[Tanniker Smith]

I want a Mark Levin Ringtone that says: ANSWER THE PHONE YOU BIG DOPE!!!!!

Couple that with a Bob Grant: "Get off my phone, you jerk." (Actually, Bob could insert a whole slew of minor insults/borderline expletives there.)

[basil]

My phone is always on vibrate only. I carry it in my pocket so I know when a call is coming in. I’m one who doesn’t like to annoy people around me.

[Tanniker Smith]

FWIW, my ringtone is Spongebob Squarepants because it came with the phone. My old phone was Take Me Out to the Ballgame for the same reason. Both have been found to be amusing to my students on those rare occasions that I forget to turn the thing off before I enter the classroom.

[Izzy Dunne]

It’s about having a “cool” ringtone to gain attention of others, and so often they’re loud and annoying.

Or maybe it's about having a ring that's different from the other nine phones in the room, so you know that it is or is not YOUR phone ringing.

[chrisser]

I seriously don’t get the ringtone thing.

Neither do I. Perhaps its because I'm over 40 now. My cell phone vibrates first and, if I don't answer, then emits a single "beep" at the lowest possible volume.

I just don't understand why people feel the need to wake the dead with loud, obnoxious ring tones.

I think it has something to do with being old enough to realize that life is what happens when you're not tethered to an electronic device.

[zencat]

I turn off my ringer at work - vibrate only. I wish others would do the same.

I used to work at B&N that was connected to the mall. Not exactly a library atmosphere, but people are perusing through books.

All these teenage kids would come in from the mall with their cells blaring ringtones. And it was always these disco/rave/rap beats that were so loud and horrifically distorted. Like trying to listen to the 1812 Overture on an AM car radio with one speaker in the middle of the dashboard. Arrrghhh!

[reformed_democrat]

FWIW, my ringtone is Spongebob Squarepants because it came with the phone.

That is So Cool! I had a choice of beep, Beep, or BEEP.
So I got a Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends "Bloo" bowling ball to compensate.