Cool ringtones are a booming business for the music industry, with artists pushing ringtones like never before. The advent of realtones and truetones has opened up the music catalog to include anything and everything fans could want. Now the only limit is one’s imagination.

For instance, for kids, humorous ringtones are usually what fall into the category of “cool ringtones.” Such tones can be from cartoons or movies, while others can be funny messages, such as “John, please pick up your communication device” (with the “communication device” being of course, your snazzy phone). Other funny ringtones may ask questions like, “Can you hear me?” or the Verizon catch phrase, “Can you hear me now?” These funny, hip, cool ringtones are merely a sampling from a collective that has truly grown in size and breadth over the past few years.

Indeed, the ringtones business since 2004 has boomed into a major cottage industry, and with realtones and truetones now, it has expanded even further. Now the synthesized polyphonic tones of a few years ago seem retro! Today, the more common ringtones heard are those with lyrics, taken directly from MP3 sound files. Music editors enable mobile-phone users to snip files down to a section of the song they wish to highlight, such as a chorus or refrain, to make a cool ringtone that’s all their own.

The examples above, with the dialogue being the “ringtone,” that’s where ringtones have gone. Cool ringtones range from synchronized punk to hip-hop to Broadway musical. Whatever you can imagine for your phone, chances are that that ringtone can be found. Many subscription plans allow unlimited downloads per month for a fee. As a result, users can change their ringtones every day if they choose or perhaps for special occasions, such as holidays. Spooky ringtones for Halloween; cheery ringtones for Christmas; cool ringtones year-round.

You can also purchase ringtones one at a time, similar to buying one single track versus an entire album. Mobile phones also come with preloaded ringtones that are simple but effective. If all you want is a signal that a call is incoming, then these should work fine. The historic Nokia tune for example, the default tone for all Nokia phones, has been around for over a decade and is still used by millions. A cool ringtone is really whatever you feel it should be, whether preloaded or transferred.

As for those MP3 sound files to be snipped into perfection, they can be found all over the Internet. For free or a fee, from approved or non-approved sources, the ringtone is everywhere. To transfer a music file from your PC, all that’s needed is a Bluetooth. Once downloaded, the song can then be edited into that cool ringtone, however you wish.

PC transfers can be economical too, as most purchased ringtones cost a few dollars. Compare that to a full song download at a provider like iTunes, which only charges $1 per song. A snippet of a song at double the price? A direct Bluetooth transfer might work better. Finding cost-effective solutions, such as a subscription plan (for multiple changes), and you’re well on your way to getting the most from your phone at the best price.

Christine Sargaeant is a ringtone specialist. For more information, please visit her site Cool Ringtones.

Ringtones originally were a take-what-you-get feature associated with the purchase of a new cell phone. Currently, phones come with an assortment of built-in ring tones, with capabilities to store countless more.

Cell phones have become an extension of our individual persona, and as such are a billboard of self expression. Just as someone might decorate their home for individual national holidays, so will they upload ringtones appropriate for certain times of the year. Accordingly, cell phone providers offer music fitting for a particular holiday on their websites.

With popular services such as the iTunes online store, any Top 40 pop song can become a personal ringtone for $1.98. In addition, when a song is downloaded from iTunes to be used as a ringtone, it can be also be stored on a PC as an mp3, eliminating the need to pay for the song twice.

Cell phone providers also occasionally offer ringtones based on the demographic of the cell phone network area. A cell phone company in the southern U.S. such as Southernlinc might offer songs popular for that region. One such song, (featured by Southernlinc) is ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’ by Hank Williams. With Southernlinc songs are $1.49/per download unless on sale. Most songs downloaded for use as a ringtone typically cost $.99/per song and up. Sprint PCS has a wide ranging variety of songs organized in a vast catalog, and are available to purchase for $2.50/per song.

Another useful feature offered by several websites are programs with the ability to assist you in composing an original score for your phone. In addition, with the current integration of technology between prime time T.V. shows and corporate television websites online gives cell phone users the ability to download the theme song from a particularly well loved show.

Many cell phone ringtones are available to download for free from various commercial and independently owned websites. Every cell phone provider offers a link to download ringtones on the providers’ website. Some cell phone companies contract with specific artists to feature current albums or popular newly released songs. For example, Verizon Wireless currently features artists such as PHISH, Led Zeppelin, and Belinda Carlisle.

T Mobile has several options to purchase for use as a ringtones listed in four categories: MegaTones, HiFi Ringers, CallerTunes, and Voices & Sounds. MegaTones offer variations of current favorite songs arranged with instruments while HiFi Ringers feature snippets of songs by popular artists. CallerTunes and Voices & Sounds offer options offering songs “of your choice”, or “sound effects, celebrity voices, and more.”

AT&T hosts a Media Mall on its website offering a plethora of musical ringtone options, featuring mostly popular Top 40 songs under the Music Tones option. Under the voice tones option one can choose “voice tones” with celebrities such as Erik Estrada telling you to pick up the phone. “Holiday Fun” is another tab under the Music Tones tab, offering Independence Day and Christmas songs. Under “Celebrity Ringers”, choosing a clip is merely a decision between which South Park and Larry the Cable Guy episode has your favorite sound clip. There are also several unique sound effects to choose from, such as a door creaking open and a crowd cheering. Each musical song chosen for purchase as a ringtone through AT&T costs $2.49/per song, while voice tones, sound effects, and polyphonic sounds cost $1.99/each.

Cricket offers a service called “Ringback Tones”, which offers a catalog brimming with options. Music can be bought for a ringtone at an average price of $1.99/per song, with an expiration date of six months, which is a stand alone feature of Cricket. The catalog options with Cricket however, are more varied than competing cell phone companies; the catalog boasts 14 categories alone from which to choose your ringtone. Among the 14 are: “What’s Hot”, “Top 10”, “Urban”, “Country”, “Comedy”. “Movies/TV”, and “Sports”.

The options for cell phone ringtones are endless. Songs can easily be purchased through the individual cell phone retailer or on any number of websites on the Internet. Your ringtone can represent your personality playing your favorite hit song every time the phone “rings”, or your favorite the time of year through seasonal song. Whichever you choose, your options are as multi-faceted as you.

*not responsible for prices quoted as they constantly change.

To find some cool ringtones visit SouthernLINC Rington.