Mobile ringtones outstrip CD single sales

The music industry is hailing a new saviour this week – the humble mobile ringtone.

Sales of ringtones are set to rise dramatically this year, and will soon outstrip those of CD singles, according to the Mobile Data Association (MDA). The rise is expected to be as much as 60 per cent, with £70m of ringtones being sold in 2003.

Compare that £30m rise to a drop of over £37m in CD single sales so far this year and the music industry's enthusiasm for the booming ringtones market becomes clear.

The profits for the music industry are far higher for mobile ringtones than for the CDs themselves, with one Universal executive citing the example of a recent song – the Sugababes' Round Round - having a higher profit margin on the ringtone than on the single, according to a report on BBC Online.

It is thought to be chiefly the youth market that is driving the uptake in ringtone sales, after researchers discovered that for the first time in 50 years chocolate sales had gone down, as youngsters saved up their pocket money to spend on the annoying telephonic ditties.