Sony exec: digital music growth continuing

The revolution is well underway. Does this count all the people who still buy CD's but rip them for their players?

I've never understood why people are willing to pay money for a ringtone.

i was thinking the same thing. I remember seeing some sales figures a few months back in some article and it just floored me. im thinking it said something like a coupla billion dollar a year niche. anybody know?

The only reason there's a market for ringtones is because the cell carriers, already exerting control over which phones can be used with which provider, take care to make sure the phones are locked down to prevent people from putting their own media on them.

If you want to look like an idiot every time your cell phone rings, they're more than happy to sell you the means to do so, but god forbid you want to use a song you've already bought and paid for on there.

No, the reason is that the cell companies have somehow managed to market ringtones, like they've marketed text messaging, to actually convince people that its a cool idea. Esp. to the young'uns, whom don't usually have to pay for any of this stuff. (All I know for sure is that, if cell phones were around in "my day", and if somehow my parents gave me one - say to keep in touch in case of emergencies - I'd be in some sad state of affairs if I'd have "bought" a ring-tone, let alone racked up serious charges for incessant text messaging. But, then again, in my day, a "telephone" was two tin cans with a string tied between them. And we liked it!)

Sony will get out of the music business and keep the ringtone business.

They are boasting 20 percent by 2008...

Apple has 70% now... and will increase their stronghold. I agree with bigpoppa206, Sony will remain in the 'ringtone' business.

What a joke.

I think he meant that, overall, music downloads will be 20% of the music market in 2.5 years (the other 80% going to CD/tape/lp).

I happen to disagree and think he is underestimating the coming wave of downloaders who have an iPod and suddenly 'discover' the iTunes Music Store. In another 2.5 years a lot can happen. If every iPod owner bought one song per week, just that would be a nice additional source of income for Apple, at their current iTMS profit margins. To see a good example of growth in the iTMS, check out the complete list of albums added in the last month. It would take an hour just to browse through the new songs each _week_.