Paying twice for ringtones?

Gericho,

The distribution holders require a different license for the ringtone than the song. This is similar to if you purchase a CD, then many wireless carriers would charge you to download the ringtone.

The only difference in this case is the payments are at one place.

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

It's a total of $1.98.......and any other ringtone you would purchase from anywhere else for any other phone is at least $1.99 and up.....so it's not an unusual amount to pay.

Do you by chance have a Mac computer with GarageBand? I understand you can create you own ringtones there. I don't have a Mac (yet)....but I have created my own ringtones from my own purchased CD's that I have imported to iTunes. 😉

Message was edited by: BlingMe

I agree with you completely Gericho.
Though I understand the different licensing, regardless of whether or not there are legitimate reasons for the double charge, it just feels wrong to pay for a full song, and then pay the same price again for 15 seconds of the 4 minute song you just bought.

I view it as just another example of corporate infighting reducing overall quality of experience for the consumer... once again.

Gericho,

It still requires two different licenses, and the holders of the distribution rights require payment for them both.

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

While it may feel wrong, the problem lies in the definition of what is considered fair use of a song. While the details of this legal debate are far beyond the scope of this forum, the short story is that there is no legal precedent stating that the license you purchase to play music from an album also included the rights to use said album as a ringtone.

There are many examples of differing rights when it comes to purchased music. I can, for example, play a song from an album I own in my own home for myself and guests. If I try to play the song in a bar I own as background music I am then infringing on the performance rights of the song and am required to pay additional fees.

I encourage anyone interested to investigate the interests further. If you are not interested in doing so, then for now you must simply accept that though you have paid for the rights to listen to a song the rights you have end there.

Regardless how this feels, this is required by the holder of the distribution rights for the song, not by Apple.

We don't own any of the music that we purchase or acquire by other legal means or by what is considered illegal means.

What we have purchased is a license only to use someone else's intellectual properly which includes restrictions.

With music ringtones acquired legally from other sources, you purchase a license to use the segment of the song (with the segment already determined for you as the ringtone). Unless you have purchased the entire song via a music CD or acquired legally by other means, you have purchased a segment of the song only to be used as a ringtone which is usually priced higher than Apple's combined method - for the entire song and for the ringtone with you getting to designate which segment of the song you want to use as the ringtone instead of this being designated for you. And with some, the license expires after a period of time requiring you to purchase the same ringtone again if you want to continue using it.

With Apple's method (which is approved by the those that own the distribution rights), you have access (usage rights) to the entire song, you can determine which segment of the song that you want to use as the ringtone, and the ringtone doesn't expire after a period of time - all for less than what most charge for just the ringtone.

this is a long read but it explains alot

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/09/15/apples-itunes-ringtones-and-the-complex -world-of-copyright-law/


Now my own opinion, you spend $400 on a phone and are complaining about spending $2 bucks

Yes, I completely understand the legal premise for the second charge. It is the reason why I have justified actually buying a ringtone from a song I've already purchased. I'm simply in agreement with Gericho. I just think this is a good example of how convoluted and over-complicated fair use laws are. But the common person doesn't care about that... he or she is only concerned about paying for the same thing twice.
Not necessarily saying it's all wrong, mind you; I just don't like it.

And what difference does it make that I spent $600 on my phone? Does that suddenly mean that money has less value to me than it did before? I don't mean to sound particularly rude, but that's a really stupid comment.

But the common person isn't paying for the same thing twice - one purchase is for the entire song and one is for the ringtone. When purchasing a ringtone only from another available source, the payment made is for the ringtone only without having access to the entire song - unless access to the song is already available purchased by other means - from a music CD or online, etc.

If Apple didn't separate out the pricing this way, how would someone who had already purchased a song from the iTunes Music Store (that has also been licensed to be purchased/used as a ringtone) go about doing it?

Apple has also provided for creating a ringtone from non-DRM protected content with no additional purchase required.

cheshirepus wrote:
But the common person doesn't care about that... he or she is only concerned about paying for the same thing twice.
Not necessarily saying it's all wrong, mind you; I just don't like it.

Thats perfectly understandable. I don't like the fact that I have to walk 25ft away from any doorway to have a cigarette these days. Unfortunately, the laws are the laws like them or not.

you are right the valuse of the song was a stupid comment, now from my side of the track, this topic has 10,000 threads, and yes probally 9,990 ( the "common person" ) of them are because people of complaining about $1.98 which still is cheaper they all other cell carriers and it doesnt expire. Excuse me for lumping you into that group.

And yes I agree our laws have gone far beyond the scope of the human condition and exist on sheer greed.