September 10th, 2007
Will the “Ringle” save the CD?
By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews
I could take a long time and say “no,” or I could just say “no.” Let’s just say “no.”
A ringle is a CD with one song, a remix version of the song, an older song - and a ringtone by one artist. At this point, only Universal and Sony BMG have signed up for this program, although the RIAA has approved the term ringle.
Here’s the bad news: ringles will retail for $6 - $7 … reports have the retailer cost to be $4. This doesn’t seem like that great a deal for consumers, if you ask me. So far, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and Amazon.com have agreed to stock the discs.
We Say: It’s not going to be a hot seller. Perhaps the RIAA needs to face “the music” and realize that although the CD is not dead, it’s dying. I mean, just think how many resources could be saved without all those polycarbonate discs!
John Corliss says:
Let’s face it. The CD is dying because too many people are pirating music. Ultimately, this is gong to degrade or even remove music from our cultural heritage because there will be no incentive for musicians to be creative.
You can argue against this point all you like, but the truth is the truth.
The one song CD might work if the retailer didn’t have to pay so much for it wholesale. Yet another example of the RIAA’s greed contributing to the problem. A more reasonable wholesale price for a ringle might be, say two dollars. Then a retailer could sell it for three or four bucks.
By the way, I never understood why ringtones aren’t free to begin with. There’s freeware for creating them and free download sites. Why would anybody pay for them unless they come with music, as on a ringle?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:12 am
TellDat Blogs » Blog Archive » The Ringle’s DOA, the 787’s late and I want 3-factor authentication. says:
[…] The past week ended with a jingle of a joke: the “Ringle“. Before I get into the details, let me say that it’s from the RIAA that approved and endorsed the name. So far, only Sony BMG and Universal have signed up for this “new” distribution method. Now for the details: it’s a ringtone and a single in one. Get it? Ring-le. It will retail for about $7 and should hit shelves by the holiday season. It’s a combination of one single, a ringtone, a remix of the single and an old track (usually from the same artist). It comes on a CD that fits in a thin slip-sleeve cover. […]
September 17th, 2007 at 6:06 am