iTunes now serving-up Ringtones

If paying for ringtone snippets of the songs you already own is your idea of a good time, then get on over to iTunes trust funders, Apple's now serving up ringtones at $1.98 a pop. But they're only $0.99 you say? Nope, remember, you have to buy the rights to the song too. Fun. Keep it safe, kids.

[Thanks, Pinsleric, Michael F. and everyone who sent this in]

[Gogesch @ Sep 11th 2007 2:21AM]

Biggest ripoff ever....

[octoberasian @ Sep 11th 2007 5:46AM]

I agree.

Why pay $0.99 for a song first, then another $0.99 to put it on your iPhone?

Ask yourself: Is it Apple's idea or the copyright holder?

It makes you wonder who came up with such a ludicrous idea in the first place. Don't tell me that the extra $0.99 you paid just to put it on your iPhone is to be paid entirely to the copyright holder so you technically have permission to transfer it to your iPhone. It's ridiculous. For $1.98, I can get an iTunes Plus song without DRM (technically) or 2 items from Wendy's Value Menu at $0.99 each (before tax).

This is just pure greed, largely in part because of the copyright holder's rights to the song that's being transferred, especially since you'll only be using snippets of it in the first place. A 10-, 20- or 30-second tone does not equate to $0.99.

This is why I dislike copyrights and copyright protection. In the end, it favors the companies and big businesses more than the consumers who will be paying out of their ass because of a company's greed.

I'm happy with iTunes as it is and won't switch to something like Zune's Marketplace. However, I'm not entirely happy about this business strategy that's probably have been concocted by some idiot in the music industry.

[Lane @ Sep 11th 2007 7:14AM]

If you look at it, most other companies sell ridiculous services like unlimited ringtones for $10/mo. or $5 for one 30 sec. clip. This is a deal compared to those!

[Gogesch @ Sep 11th 2007 6:42PM]

To specify (an answer to later posts) This isn't a ripoff because it costs more than other services, it is a ripoff because you MUST use their service (of coarse baring hacks). The average modern cell phone, and ANY cell phone that allows mp3 playback will let you assign an mp3 as a ring tone. For instance my AT&T Motorola Slvr L7.

[adam @ Sep 13th 2007 5:49PM]

its really not that big of a deal, and even if you pay 1.98 for it or whatever, you get to keep the ringtone and song for basically ever! not like other service providers. i think if i bought an iphone, we can afford 1.98 for a ringtone and a full song...come on, stop being cheap.

[humpty @ Sep 11th 2007 2:22AM]

lol @ dopes who buy this

[alfredog1976 @ Sep 11th 2007 2:27AM]

Good news is you can now delete your own ringtones if you used the iTunes ringtones hack.

[Ethan @ Sep 11th 2007 2:31AM]

Let's see...out of my 1500 songs purchased from iTunes, only 118 are available as ringtones. Yeah, I think I'll stick with making my own free ringtones.

[pinsleric @ Sep 11th 2007 2:38AM]

thats probably only for right now, as I've noticed that more have been being added gradually all night

[Jiri Klouda @ Sep 11th 2007 6:44AM]

You are one lucky bastard. From all the songs I own, there is not a single one eligible. Nothing by U2, Sting, Bob Dylan, Enya, or other artists I listen to. Not a single one of them. I am certainly not going to wait for a "permission" from label to make my songs into ringtones when they themselves bent the law to exclude ringtones from being a derivative work.

[Adam @ Sep 11th 2007 2:34AM]

Mobile ITMS tomorrow?

[John Lee @ Sep 11th 2007 2:43AM]

this is so stupid. I buy cds. Do they really expect me to buy a song that I already have?

[Carbonize @ Sep 11th 2007 2:56AM]

Isn't this just a rewrite of the story Engadget posted when iTunes first started doing ringtones?

[Matteo @ Sep 11th 2007 3:00AM]

Talk about rip off?
Prices surely do not depend on Apple...

Compare before saying it is a rip off.
Ringtones for mobile phones:
- Orange UK, each ringtone (not customizable, they decide which part of the song): GBP 2.50 (USD 5.07)
- Vodafone full track: GBP 0.99 ( USD 2.00)
To that you have to add a monthly data plan or the fee for transfering the tone to your mobile phone.

With iTunes you can buy the ring tone for much cheaper and without any "data transfer" charges, since it comes from your computer. And iPhone has Wi-Fi so you will be able to shop for music when the connection is fast and almost free.


Talk about rip off?
I know in the US you are not used to such things, but in Europe (UK was just an example, the others are pretty much the same) we are watining for Apple to change what appears to be a REAL RIP OFF!!!!!!

Maybe this will help some understand why the iPhone is taking long to come here. Apple will get money from the selling of songs and ringtones, not the carriers as it was up to now. They don't want to give up this HUGE revenue source...

But, even at 0.99 USD for a ringtone, I don't feel ripped off in any way by Apple.

[furby @ Sep 11th 2007 3:07AM]

Spoken like a true believer!

Praise the Jobs-mob even when they are giving you the shaft!

You know, with most mp3-capable phones, you can use any mp3 files you own as the ringtone?

[caramelzappa @ Sep 11th 2007 3:16AM]

I had a shit $50 samsung mp3 phone and it let me choose any mp3 I wanted as my ringtone, hell it would let me use a video as a ringtone or caller id. You should expect more from a $400 phone that's designed with media in mind.

[Matteo @ Sep 11th 2007 3:20AM]

@furby

Thanks for your point of view...


What I did is compare the prices of the companies that currently offer ring tones and explain why I don't think Apple's prices are a rip off.
The whole idea that you can use MP3s as a ringtone is a PHONE FEATURE not a RINGTONE PRICE issue. I bet that Apple would have gladly given the opportunity to use any purchased song as a ringtone for free.
Maybe YOU CAN CALL Universal Music and make them change their minds? I can tell you I really would appreciate this.

Using an MP3 as a song means:
1) just use the first 30" of it, regardless of it is your favourite part
2) revert to some of external editor to cut the song and save the part you like most
3) have a DRM free MP3. If you LEGALLY BUY A SONG the only change to obtain that is by purchasing a CD and then save it on the computer and then do steps 1 and 2. Unless you buy DRM free songs from Apple or others, which I believe cost more or pretty much the same

I think you missed my point. I was talking about legal ways to do things. Of course there are always "circumventions" to have it all for free. But this was not my point.
I compared, honestly and openly, Apple's prices with other prices on the European market. That was, and still is, what my post wanted to highlight.

[niemassacred @ Sep 11th 2007 3:25AM]

Honestly, just because other companies might rip you off more doesn't make this any less of a ripoff in and of itself.

[creamandchives @ Sep 11th 2007 4:03AM]

I agree Matteo, in Australia the prices are similarly disturbing - sure most phones you can use your own MP3's - but that fact makes it even more unbelievable that carriers and "content providers" can get away with charging $3 AUD or more for a ring tone! What is worse is that they get the little kiddies/non-fine-print-reading-people by automatically signing them up to a $5 per week ringtone club (1 free tone, plus more $3 downloads). The ringtone market (and wallpaper, etc) needs some serious regulation here.

And to summarise, yes iTunes is more expensive and restricted than an unlocked/DRM free phone, but at least it is still moving the "controlled" phone market in a more palatable direction.

[Iain @ Sep 11th 2007 4:04AM]

'I bet that Apple would have gladly given the opportunity to use any purchased song as a ringtone for free.'

Uh-huh, sure(!)
If Apple cared one bit for the consumer, they could've allowed them to use mp3s as ringtones. Given that Apple does not sell mp3s on iTunes, they could've argued that allowing users to use mp3s as well as ringtones bought from iTunes would not have been a conflict of interest as people could not, legally, take their iTunes-purchased songs and use them without paying for the privilege - don't pretend for one second that Apple aren't readily shafting people here.


'I think you missed my point. I was talking about legal ways to do things. Of course there are always "circumventions" to have it all for free. But this was not my point.'

It is not illegal to use mp3s as ringtones (there was an Engadget article on the topic), so your assertation otherwise is incorrect. Also, you are missing the point that it's not just the charges that are a rip-off but, more to the point, that there is no free way of using ringtones of your choice on the iPhone - yes, other companies may charge more but you can be sure that with all their phones there are free (and, yes, complete legal) ways of doing it as well.

'I compared, honestly and openly, Apple's prices with other prices on the European market. That was, and still is, what my post wanted to highlight.'

And just wait 'til Apple starts selling the iPhone in the UK and adds ringtones to the UK version of iTunes, you can be absolutely certain that the price will be more than 50p. So, yes, they will prove themselves to, almost certainly, be as big as rip-off as some of their competitors.
Also, your selection of all of 2 networks prices is hardly a valid comparison between Apple and 'the European market'.


There's no excuses can be made to counter the fact that Apple are ripping people off here.

[Carbonize @ Sep 11th 2007 4:13AM]

Actually I remember reading that ringtones do not qualify for royalties so they cannot justify the cost that way.

Anyway the reason people are complaining is because the iPhone, unlike every other MP3/WMA/AAC capable phone, does not let you use your own tracks/clips as a ringtone. They are also complaining that you have to buy the track first and then pay again to have a snippet of the track as a ringtone despite

a - Already owning the track.

b - Not having to pay royalties for snippets used as a ringtone.

If I'm wrong I'm wrong but I don't think I am.

[Jeremy Banks @ Sep 11th 2007 7:53AM]

Well, it also depends who you're with. I'm with Telus in Canada and all of their phones are locked down like hell (I also have the misfortune of picking one of the few phones of their that can't be unlocked by a third party). On a different point, I think that Apple has more pressure to do this because they have much closer relationships with the music labels, and they are actually providing the music that you're going to put on there. (The former more than the latter.)

[John @ Sep 11th 2007 11:56AM]

I don't feel "ripped off" by apple charging .99 for a ringtone, I feel insulted. Ripped off would imply that I intend to use the service at some point, and I've downloaded a total of 4 songs off of iTunes, and those were from free promo codes, such as from concert ticket purchases. But to put out doubly expensive ringtones and expect me to buy them is just degrading.

[Adam Tyree @ Sep 11th 2007 3:02AM]

Wait... I have over 3500 songs (over 700 of which I got from iTunes) and NONE of them can be made into ringtones? WTF?

[caramelzappa @ Sep 11th 2007 3:15AM]

facepalm

[C.Camera @ Sep 11th 2007 3:26AM]

this is ridiculous...

[alex @ Sep 11th 2007 3:37AM]

Apple is the new Microsoft.

You will be iSimmilated.

[soviet_vexxer @ Sep 11th 2007 3:42AM]

god so many noobs. all you do is use a program like audacity to pick whatever part of a song u want for the ringtone, 30 sec clips save space but w/e use the whole thing if u want. export it to desktop and send it to the phone via bluetooth or a cable if ur old school. my ringtone is different almost daily. this isnt just for the iphone but any phone.

[manfesto @ Sep 11th 2007 4:00AM]

Um, no it isn't.

[ryan @ Sep 11th 2007 4:11AM]

if it was that easy to do it then there would be less complaining. :)

[lassi @ Sep 11th 2007 4:19AM]

too bad you're the noob.

on any normal average nowadays phone yes, all you do is cut the song and send it over with whatever(bt,wifi,copy to memcard). most of the phones even support mp3 straight so you don't have to use phone manufacturer provided tools even to convert to amr/awb anymore even.


but on iphone you can't do that, you can't choose just any song you sent to it as ringtone. it's making your product intentionally crappy to juice out a few bucks(and of course, true believer doesn't blame apple, no, they blame the record companies, funny that nokia, samsung, sony etc get away with offering phones that will use anything as ringtone then. ).


(there's hacks though, as mentioned, to get your own song as ringtone on iphone)

[Carbonize @ Sep 11th 2007 4:22AM]

You just proved a total lack of understanding about this story and a total lack of life going off the "my ringtone is different almost daily" comment.

The problem is that the iPhone it's self does not let you select any track as a ringtone. It only allows you to select items it classes as ringtones. This was a problem as at first there was no way of putting your own ringtones on there. Now iTunes has been updated to support them it still only lets you upload ringtones you have purchased via iTunes. Luckily a way has been found to trick iTunes into letting you use your own ringtones but the issue is the fact you have to trick iTunes when you should be able to use any tune you want.

There, now you have been educated you have no reason to post stupid comments. There is an old saying, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt"

[manfesto @ Sep 11th 2007 4:18AM]

Out of curiosity, has anybody found any Universal/BMG music that iTunes is selling as ringtones? I'm doubtful Universal gave them the rights...

/*been hacking my phone for ringtones since you had to use the command line for jailbreak - no way in HELL am I going to pay another dollar to do what I want with the songs I've already paid for! Besides, none of the ten songs I made ringtones out of are even sold on iTunes as ringtones - three of them aren't on iTunes at all.*/

[logyk @ Sep 11th 2007 4:24AM]

I love how people defend this blatant fleecing by saying "well if people buy it, then it's not a rip-off to them" ... and that's true, some people don't think that paying a $1 every time a program takes a snippet of a song they already paid for and saves it with a different file name is unfair. I believe they're called FUCKING IDIOTS.

[john @ Sep 11th 2007 4:25AM]

Every phone I've had, the ringtones costed $1.99. I never bought any of them, and I can usually figure out a way to get my own on to a phone for free, but I don't think $2 ringtones is out of line with the rest of the market.

[brandon h @ Sep 11th 2007 4:30AM]

Want to get ripped off? Buy Alanis Morrissette's Jagged Little Pill album from iTMS and then try to ringtone a song like "You Learn" or "Ironic". Buy the same song from the Alanis Morrissette compilation album "The Collection" and you can. So if you bought Jagged little pill a few years ago and want to ringtone "Ironic", you'd have to not only pay for the ringtone, but buy the song again.

I think I'll wait for a 3rd party to come up with a nifty piece of software that does the same simple editing of songs into ringtone clips from DRMfree MP3s and automatically imports them into iTunes and my iPhone. (I know I could do it with Amadaus or Audacity or some such thingy, but I'm thinking of something slicker and easier to use).

[Cepheus @ Sep 11th 2007 4:57AM]

iToner is your friend (well, for Mac OS X iPhone users).

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/itoner/

Best,

C

[spud boy @ Sep 11th 2007 5:24AM]

.
Don't blame Apple for ringtone ripoffs. It's an issue with AT&T (formerly Cingular). They want you to pay for the ringtone separately, just like they require on their other phones. Just because you buy the ringtone from Apple, don't assume they make much, if any, money on the transaction.
.
.

[SteveA @ Sep 11th 2007 9:59AM]

Then why can I add ANY of my MP3's free to a ringtone on my ATT 8525? In all windows mobile devices, just select 'make ringtone' on the menu option for an audio file. It's laughable that people say Apple doesn't have any say on this issue, when that little company called Microsoft has been able to 'sneak' past all of the record companies and cell providers all these years with this feature.

[soniiic @ Sep 11th 2007 5:50AM]

i think a few people here are missing the point of why people are upset about this news... it's not the price that is absurd, it's the obligation to buy a ringtone instead of creating one yourself. You actually HAVE to buy it (excluding hacks) to use it, and that's why people are so annoyed with apple.

[Mike10010100 @ Sep 11th 2007 5:58AM]

I'm not sure about everyone else (actually I am, you all seem pretty ticked), but I'm happy about only paying $2 for a ringtone that I didn't make for free. I am on Sprint, so it costs like $6 for a ringtone, WHICH IS INSANE.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You can still find a workaround.

[Johnny Appleseed @ Sep 11th 2007 6:08AM]

Never paid for a ringtone, never will. That's just dumb. Paying 99 seconds to convert a song you already have to a 30 second version--can you believe how stupid that is??? IMHO, buying a ringtone is silly. Converting a song to a ringtone and then uploading it makes more sense. If I like a song, I'll buy it and convert it to a ring tone, for DAMN FREE!

As a long time windows user, I was once thinking of becoming a Mac user, but with all this crap apple is now bring up, I'll stick with Windows, thank you!

[David Falcones @ Sep 11th 2007 6:20AM]

I have over 2000 itunes bought songs

and not even 75 of them can be used as ringtones

wonderful

[jayuup @ Sep 11th 2007 6:30AM]

If its too rich for your blood, just dont buy it. sheesh, easy solution.

ringtones cost 99 cents to 2.49 depending on where or when you buy the tone and none of those tones come with the song itself.

Peeps, this is like arguing over a parking meter when you already "pay enough taxes."

if you are so cheap that you refuse to afford the meter, park far away and walk.

If your so cheap that a buck will scare you away from a service, make your own ringtone and pump your fist in the air, proudly proclaiming "I SAVED A DOLLAR my making my own ring tone!!!!" and go to McD's and enjoy that McChicken you so richly earned through your noble efforts.

Then again, you could probably save money too buy just making the chicken fritter sandwich yourself at home. Isnt that the way of commerce?

[O-dog @ Sep 11th 2007 6:52AM]

Does anyone still know if the ringtone glitch still works in itunes???

[DJ @ Sep 11th 2007 6:54AM]

is there a way to search music store for ringtone enabled songs

[DJ @ Sep 11th 2007 7:23AM]

nevermind I see it now....duh?!

[Hark @ Sep 11th 2007 8:31AM]

or you could just rename your AAC files with .M4R and use it as a ringtone. yeah... simple as that fools!

[Joe @ Sep 11th 2007 8:46AM]

Our chance to show Apple the free market works...in other words, don't pay them twice for something...they must be stealing ideas from Chavez (or maybe Chavez owns Apple...hmmm?).

[robert.stewart2 @ Sep 11th 2007 8:56AM]

its 1.99 for ringtones on verizon at least for my phone so stop complaining