The Death of the Ringtone

Ringtone sales have taken a nosedive that’s more dramatic than a roller coaster drop, and we’re diving right into that wild ride! I’m James A. Brown, and today we’re reminiscing about how we used to drop serious cash just to make our phones sing a little tune that screamed “me!” Remember when we’d fork out money for ringtones that matched our personalities, like blasting “Crazy in Love” for our best buds or busting out the Imperial March for work calls? Now, it seems like every phone sounds like a boring ol’ beep, and it makes me wonder what else we’re buying today that might just vanish tomorrow. So, grab your headphones and let’s chat about this quirky shift in our tech-savvy lives—because you know we love to keep things light and fun!

The Daily Note has kicked off with a delightful stroll down memory lane, specifically to the time when ringtone sales were booming like a summer blockbuster. Imagine this: back in 2007, we were all about spending our hard-earned cash to get our phones to play the latest pop hits or our favorite movie themes. Speaker A, James A. Brown, paints a vivid picture of how we used to choose ringtones that reflected our personalities—from the upbeat 'Crazy in Love' for our friends to the majestic 'Imperial March' for those serious work calls. It's a nostalgic reminder of a time when phones had a little more character. Fast forward to today, and we see that ringtone sales have plummeted from a whopping $1.2 billion to nearly nothing. What happened? Well, with everyone sporting the same default tones, it feels like our phones have lost a bit of their pizzazz. James poses a thought-provoking question: what other things do we cherish now that might vanish before we realize it? It's a fun and insightful exploration of trends and technology, leaving listeners pondering the fleeting nature of our modern possessions.

Takeaways:

• The podcast dives into the fascinating decline of ringtone sales, which plummeted from $1.2 billion in 2007 to almost nothing today, making us nostalgic for the good old days.
• Ringtone customization was once a thing of beauty, where we could express our personalities with unique sounds like Classical for work calls and the Imperial March for fun.
• James reflects on the roller coaster of ringtone sales, illustrating how we went from paying for every unique ringtone to the monotony of default phone sounds today.
• There's a humorous twist as James wonders what common purchases today might vanish into thin air like ringtones did, prompting us to think about the future of consumer products.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is the Daily Note.
I'm James A.
Brown.
I was chuckling about thischart I saw from the Recording Industry
association of America.
It looked like the steepestroller coaster drop I've ever seen.
It's ringtone sales.
It went from $1.2 billion in2007 to practically nothing today.

(00:21):
We used to pay real money tomake our phones sound like us.
Crazy in love for your bestfriend, Classical for work calls,
maybe the Imperial March, whenI even bought apps to make my own
ringtones.
My favorite, Don't Go Away by Oasis.
But today, just about everyphone sounds the same, and it makes

(00:44):
me wonder, what's somethingthat we all buy now that'll be gone
before we know it?
What do you think?
Let me [e-mail] onthat note.
I'm James A.
Brown, and as always, be well.