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Are ringtones becoming a flash in the proverbial pan? Perhaps all things have an end, ringtones included, or perhaps they don’t die but merely fade away with obsolete mobile phone styles and shapes. There’s no question that the market has waned and reports indicate (New York Times) that the trend for this industry is declining because of several factors.

It doesn’t seem to be a matter of consumers actually tiring of ring-tones per se, as much as it is that the market has drastically changed over the years and things have reached a saturation point. Too many manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, making ringtones trite and boring. Today, record labels and handset manufacturers have all developed their own master ringtones and even iTunes has included the ability to create ringtones.

Ringtones are no longer reflective of customized tastes as they once were. They are as ubiquitous as the names, Joe and Jane. Today’s fickle consumers want to stand apart from their proverbial neighbors, the Jones’, (even if they still can’t keep up with them).

According to M:Metrics, a market research company, ringtone purchases have fallen consistently in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Even the most popular ringtone players, such as Jamba and Musiwave, are having trouble staying afloat.

Do you still…ringtone?

Read [Mobile Whack]