Ringtones get their own chart in Billboard magazine

LOS ANGELES - Those synthesised tunes that send people grabbing for their cellphones - while annoying patrons in restaurants and theatres - have been recognised as part of the music industry by Billboard magazine.

The weekly entertainment industry publication, which tracks top record and CD sales, says it will launch a new chart that will track the popularity of cell phone ringtones.

The new chart, known as the Billboard Hot Ringtones Chart, will reflect the "Top 20" polyphonic ringtone sales for each week, including song title, artist, previous week's position and number of weeks on the chart.

Polyphonic tones are the dominant force in the ringtone market and are created using electronic synthesisers.

The ringtone market has exploded in recent years, with global revenues estimated to have topped US$3.5 billion in 2003, according to industry estimates.

The ringtones, literally thousands of them, can be downloaded from the internet. A recent web browse showed synthesised versions of tunes from national anthems to classical music to golden oldies and rap, and everything in between, are available to be downloaded into cell phones.

The first ringtone chart will appear in the November 6 issue of Billboard, which is compiling the chart with Consect, a provider of US mobile market analysis.

The data for the chart will be aggregated from major ringtone distributors and wireless carriers.

- REUTERS

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