NEW YORK-The number of U.S. wireless users who have downloaded ringtones has more than quadrupled during the past year, according to a report from research firm Ipsos Insight.
The company’s latest quarterly study of digital music behaviors indicates 23 percent of subscribers have downloaded ringtones, up from only 5 percent a year ago. Roughly 30 million Americans have downloaded the music clips, according to the study, with more than half of those between 12 and 24 years old accessing music clips from their phones.
The explosive success of ringtones is well documented, but many believe the ringtone market is beginning to plateau. Software developers are offering programs that allow users to create custom ringtones from their digital music libraries, and several major ringtone providers have been accused of fraudulent marketing practices.
But the growing market for digital music will continue to fuel the ringtone market, Ipsos said.
“In the past 12 months, we have witnessed an incredible surge in many digital music behaviors, including paid PC-based mobile downloads and sizable growth in portable MP3 player ownership,” said Matt Kleinschmit, an Ipsos vice president and author of the study. “Through a combination of increased ringtone availability and the desire to personalize one’s mobile phone with their favorite or the most popular rings, the growth in this already-burgeoning industry will likely continue unabated.”
