Millions of ring tones are available these days ranging from melodious sound of popular singers to crass cacophonies according to the tastes of the users. One would really be amazed to know the wide variety of ring tones available. Ring tones have come a long way from a humble beginning in Finland in 2001
If one analysis the evolution of ring tones systematically, one has to go back to the earliest form of ringtone which was commercially sold in RTTTL (Ring Tone Text Transfer Language) format. A text based format was used in creating musical sounds. The monophonic ring tone which was available in 2001, in Finland was based on RTTTL. It was so simple that it produced only one sound at a time. A special sequential arrangement of notes of various frequencies was made here.
The much sophisticated sort of ring tone which followed are called the Polyphonic ringtones. It was really a welcome change for users since 16 different sounds could be produced at one time. People could enjoy the musical quality of the ring tones to their hearts' delight. This can be considered as the second generation. It started becoming popular in 2002, primarily due to the fact that the encoded sequences contained instrumental tones.
The new type of ringtones based on audio formats MP3, AAC and WMA which followed is called True tones. This type offered superiority of sound quality and came to be known as Master tone or Real tone. The wide variety they offered was also amazing. The popularity they received is a proof to the fact that they have really lived up to their name.
With the introduction of True tones people became attracted towards it resulting in the beginning of a new business -he ring tone business. Customizations and innovations became the order of the day tempting people, especially teenagers. This situation was encashed by some business minded people. The result was a billion dollar industry catering to the imagination of every individual as far as the matters of ring tones are concerned.
These days one can notice that ring tones have become cheaper. This is mainly because of the huge volumes involved. Today ring tones represent the identity, personality, taste and character of the user. Some find it a mode of self expression. Some are of the view that it is purely for enjoyment.
It was at this juncture that some third party businesses like InfoSpace entered the scene. They made Monophonic and Polyphonic ring tones standardized for each handset. Interactions with customers were there for distribution and billing. Any way, middle men were cut off from the field with the advent of True tones. These days their own songs are manufactured by all manufacturers. Now the business has grown in leaps and bounds that sometimes tones for mobile phones are published even before the album sees daylight. Music companies earn a lot through this business.
Another ring tone which caught the attention of people from different walks of life is Crazy Frog tone. The history of ringtones can be concluded with this, which happened in the year 2004. It is true that the sound was a bit annoying. But the fact that it was different from other tunes helped it to get wider publicity. This can be avouched from the fact that the company called Jamster, which marketed the tone rose up to number one position leaving behind all its competitors.
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