Changing ringtone costs another $.99?

I would like to point out that none of use here know anything about Apple's contracts with the record companies. Yes, it may be Apple making the decision to prevent users from creating ringtones from CDs or other material. But it could also be that Apple's contracts with the record companies require Apple to prevent such use, copyright laws notwithstanding. So let's please drop the argument about whys and wherefores; the fact is that none of us know. If you want to complain to Apple about the block on using non-iTunes Store material for ringtones, use the iPhone Feedback page. If it's their decision, then perhaps if they get enough negative comments, they'll change things. But again, there may be nothing they can do without risking their contracts to sell the tracks on the iTunes Store at all.

Makes sense to me. You cannot change the ringtone once purchased. You have to buy another ringtone (even from the same song) so another 99 cents. Lesson learned - be darn careful it is the 30 seconds (or 15, etc) before you buy. I think it is awesome we can even choose the segment of the song instead of being force fed the ringtone from other providers.

LOL!!! Ringtones are stupid...that was funny!!!

The only thing that I think is a little strange, that is not Apple's fault at all, is that we can't pay for a song that we put into iTunes from a CD. Example----I have Back in Black from my cd collection. Why should I buy the entire song Back in Black again, when I already bought the song from the record lable, thorugh the CD. I should only have ot pay the .99 to turn it into a ringtone.

Legal garbage. Not Apple's fault, they just play by the rules.

It does humor me though, that everyone complains so much about .99 cents. How many times, have you gone in to the ringtone sites, that are free or whatever, found a song you love, and the stupid company picked the worst segment of the song they could have for it to be a ringtone that would have any desire at all. They seem to pick the quietest part of the song, so it is a horrible ringtone cause you can't hear the darn thing. Being able to design the ringtone within the song itself would be worth .99 cents to me all day long, even if it didn't have anything to do with copyrights.

Everyone just has different priorities I guess.

After working on three ringtones last night, I'm not sure I can reccomend them. They sound fine when created, however once their downloaded and played on the Iphone, IMO, they sound cheap. Does the process of creating a ringtone change the format from digital to analog? I'm certainly no expert on this technology, but I was very disapointed in how they play on the Iphone. Beware!

I respectfully disagree. Ringtones serve a purpose for people with hearing loss. My husband relies on lower pitch tones for his phone. He is also physically challenged. Taking a phone from the belt clip is a fall risk for him. Not worth his while to stop for every call.

He answers priority calls as practicable and lets others go to VM.

He would not purchase a phone with out that capability.

just my .02

susan

I don't think it changes anything quality wise when you convert it to a ringtone. I have noticed that a ringtone at full volume seems to play louder than when you play the ipod through the speakers, so it could just be the distortion of the ringtone being pushed harder through the speakers.

This suggests that the music industry is being the bad guy here...Things aren't like that though:

On most other phones you can set-up any MP3 as a ringer...This is completely legal use of the song (as long as you have bought the MP3/CD)...No need to buy an extra format/version of the song then...

Apple decides to sell new versions/format of songs on iTunes: "ringtones"...

They are (re-)selling work of artists and have to pay the artists/music industry for selling it...

Very logical...Try seeing it like this:

--You make a picture of a landscape...
--Walmart sells it as a big poster for on the wall ("the original MP3 of a song")
--The deal is that for every poster sold, you get a small percentage of the price
--Now Walmart decides to sell it as a postcard too("ringtone of the song")
--New product, in a different product-format, so you would want a percentage of those sales too!

If the iPhone, like most other phones, would allow you to use the original MP3's to ring when you are being called, you wouldn't have to buy it twice...

Xander

"Why should I buy the entire song Back in Black again, when I already bought the song from the record lable, thorugh the CD."

Because the iPhone doesn't allow you to play that oringal MP3 as a ringer...Instead Apple decided it could only play the special iPhone-ringtone-format, that Apple can sell seperately on iTunes...

This is extra business for Apple: they can sell each song twice! And can even ask the same price for just a short segment of a song...Big business...

And of course the music industry wants Apple to pay them for selling their work twice!

If the iPhone would be able to play MP3's, you wouldn't need to buy it twice, because it's perfectly legal to let that MP3 play when somebody calls you.

This is private use.

Xander

This is also ILLEGAL. Downloading songs, changing them to MP3s to use as ringtones on your phone is not a legal right to the song to use how you would like. Half the time they are recordings from something else or not even the actual musician and in itself is ILLEGAL.

Apple is a big business and has the option to allow or not allow the illegal use of ringtones on their products. Apple is simply following the law and only allowing legal (or at least to the best of it's ability) ringtones on their product. I do not blame them.

xandertreffers wrote:
"Why should I buy the entire song Back in Black again, when I already bought the song from the record lable, thorugh the CD."

Because the iPhone doesn't allow you to play that oringal MP3 as a ringer...Instead Apple decided it could only play the special iPhone-ringtone-format, that Apple can sell seperately on iTunes...

This is extra business for Apple: they can sell each song twice! And can even ask the same price for just a short segment of a song...Big business...

And of course the music industry wants Apple to pay them for selling their work twice!

If the iPhone would be able to play MP3's, you wouldn't need to buy it twice, because it's perfectly legal to let that MP3 play when somebody calls you.

This is private use.

Xander

It's not up to Apple. It's in Apple's interest to let users make any song they've bought into a ringtone. But just because you pay to download a song doesn't give you all rights for the song. If you connect your iPod into a speaker system in a restaurant, for example, you would have to pay another licence to do that.

It's similar to DRM. While some blame Apple for its DRM, as Apple explained, they prefer to offer DRM-free music but are restricted by agreements with labels. Same here. Apple is more interested in enhancing the value of the iPhone than making an extra few bucks from ringtones, but they are bound by agreements with music companies who guard this source of income.

The real answer is the one above. Ringtones are the single most ridiculous product in the history of the human race. A phone ringing is just to tell you that someone is calling. It's not as if you are going to groove out to the song as 10 seconds of it plays from a tinny little phone speaker. If you want to listen to the song, put on some headphones and listen to it. But as a ringtone? If you are gullible enough to believe you need ringtones, then you should be gullible enough to believe they are worth whatever the music industry will have you pay for them.

What's next, email tones? Doorbell tones? Changing channels on your TV tones? Flushtones that ring whenever you flush your toilet? Someday we will look back on ringtones with the same kind of shared cultural embarrassment as when we look back on the Salem Witch trials or Brittany Spears on VMA.

No no no nooooo!...LOL...

Maybe it's best to first read the following stuff, about ringtones:

"Moreover, we decide that a ringtone is made and distributed for private use even though some consumers may purchase them for the purpose of identifying themselves in public" (page three of http://cellphones.about.com/od/cellularfaqs/f/rf_copyright.htm)

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/07/know-your-rights-is-it-illegal-to-make-my-own -ringtones/

So, there you have it: yes, you may create a ringtone out of any song...You just may not sell it without paying the music industry...You may sell it without permission of the songwriter though (the RIAA screwed the musicians there)...

The above is about "ringtones", which are new files of existing songs, new file extension...

When you use the original MP3 to play when a person calls you, this is NOT a ringtone! This is "playing the original song on your phone"...

All the above doesn't say anything about this, except one thing: playing a ringtone on your phone is private use!

This means that playing the original MP3 as a ringer on your phone, is also private use: yes, you are perfectly allowed to let any song play when somebody calls you...

Conclusion: it's because Apple decided that your iPhone can't play the original MP3's, that you have to buy "ringtones"...

Xander

No, it's not illegal...Read my reply further down this thread, where I give a few links (I'll also paste some links at the end of this post)...

It's private use when you let a MP3 play on your phone when somebody calls you...If you have legally downloaded that MP3, you may let it "ring" on your phone...

You may even create a new file from it: suppose your phone needs a special ringtone format, like the iPhone, you are allowed to convert any music that you legally purchased to this format...

Read the stuff below:

"Moreover, we decide that a ringtone is made and distributed for private use even though some consumers may purchase them for the purpose of identifying themselves in public" (page three of http://cellphones.about.com/od/cellularfaqs/f/rf_copyright.htm)

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/07/know-your-rights-is-it-illegal-to-make-my-own -ringtones/

So, there you have it: yes, you may create a ringtone out of any song...

Apple is not following any law...Apple is forcing you to re-buy a song...Now what would be the reason for that, do you think?

Xander

This isn't any different than buying ringtones from the wireless carriers (AT&T or the others). I've frequently seen different ringtones that are the same song but different parts of the song, and when you buy one it doesn't get you the others along with it.

Oh no!...Nope!...

You could read my posting above here about ringtones and legal use of them

This has got nothing to do with Apple having a connection with the music industry...

1) you may use any MP3 that you bought to play when a call comes in. This is private use...
2) due to the RIAA screwing over the musicians, you may also convert any song that you bought to a new ringtone file format and let it play on a phone that needs this file format
3) due to the RIAA screwing over the musicians, you may also sell these ringtones to other people, as long as you pay the copyrights...You do not need any permission from the musicinas, composers, record companies, etc.
4) point three applies to all companies, except Apple, because Apple has iTunes contracts, that basically stops Apple from selling any other file types / versions of iTunes music, without the permission of the music industry

So, the only thing that comes out of the deals that Apple has with the music industry, is that Apple may not sell ringtones without the permission of the music industry...And this only applies to ringtones being made from songs that are sold on iTunes...

This limitation is not because of copyright laws. It's because of the iTunes contracts...

By the way: all this ringtones stuff has got nothing to do with using the original MP3 to ring when somebody calls you...The ringtone rules only apply to "new digital files, derived from existing songs"

Xander