Music for Your Phone

50 Cent Slate's Rob Walker looks at the dominance of 50 Cent's songs as cellphone ringtones. He feels that hip-hop, overall, translates better to tinny, even if polyphonic, cellphone medium. While Walker suggests that TV theme songs are so familiar that they are hard to mess up when translating to cellphone ringtone. Well, yes, that and having the specific task to be memorable on top of some sort of narrative.

Gothamist also offers that the pure prevalence of great use of 80s synth music makes TV theme songs ideal of cellphone ringtones: Knight Rider, Magnum PI and even Inspector Gadget.

Jen was tempted to get In Da Club as her new phone's ringtone, but felt it was played out. She chose the theme to Law & Order instead. Jake has Turning Japanese and Bittersweet Symphony on his phone.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 25, 2003 1:50 PM

Comments [rss]

Sam

I use one of the standard ringtones in my phone. It's a video game bomb drop.

Jen, I just know in 10 years we'll all be working for your brother's bigass corporation that rules the world. How else do you explain his behavior?

Sam T

Is that geekier than the Super Mario Bros. theme song?

Maybe, but being able to accurately whistle the entire Super Mario Bros. theme song along with your ringtones is indeed geeky.

No I can not do it... Maybe...

Andrew

Hey, there's nothing wrong with programming an original song in as your ringtone. Or two for that matter. You've got to have different rings for different groups of callers, and you can't have the same ringtone as anyone else, right?

Why are you looking at me like that?

Afsheen

My roommate's ring tone is a song that he wrote for a music class in college. Every time it rings I'm reminded that I live with the biggest dork in the world. The shame, the shame...

Jen

My little brother handcoded some song he wrote into his phone's ringtone. I told him he could never tell me anything like that again.

Bogg

I hand coded my college fight song onto my Nokia.

One more act like that and they tattoo "GEEK" on my forehead in big red letters.

Jen

Yes, Miami Vice is really good. So is Hawaii Five-0. But my ringtone for non-friends is a regular Nokia "Busy bee" whatever ring. I would like the theme to Laura, though.

Frankenstein

Jan Hammer, Miami Vice.

DodgeThis

I have Austin Powers on my Nokia . I will say it

for everyone who is thinking it right now,"what a dumbass!" I know but it just so darn catchy!!!

abe

I'm sticking with my Nokia calling-card ring. It's just a matter of time before everyone switches back to it in a fit of ironic nostalgia and then I'll be able to say that I was 'first'.