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UK Ringtones Top Twenty Chart launched
Mobile Entertainment Forum launches the UK’s
first authoritative Ringtones Chart
27 January 2004
The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) announces that
following six months of groundwork, it is launching the official
MEF UK Ringtones chart. Compiled by KPMG, the global professional
services firm, the MEF UK Ringtones Top Twenty will be the authoritative
fortnightly chart that provides the music and ringtone industry
with a sales chart and what’s hot in this fast-moving and
important sector of the UK mobile music industry. It is expected
that the first official chart will be published in March 2004.
"The new official ringtone chart fulfills two
of MEF’s chief goals – to provide the entertainment
and mobile industry with a formal chart, reflecting the growing
revenue and copyright importance as music and mobile telecommunications
converge,” says Ralph Simon, Chair, Mobile Entertainment
Forum Americas.
“Mobile music usage is good news for the music
business, reflecting massive public interest and audience growth.
The MEF Ringtones Top 20 is the first official chart to reflect
mobile music best sellers in the global billion-dollar ring tone
business. The MEF will launch further new music initiatives in
2004 that will help record labels, artists, managers and publishers
participate in the fast-growing new revenue streams and opportunities
in mobile entertainment. Mobile music is clearly a relevant focus
for the international music business!”
“Persuading ring tone providers to confidentially
share with us their sales data understandably took a long time.
However, we now have access to the data of six of the UK’s
largest ring tone providers and I believe that the reason that
we have been successful is that these providers understand that
this chart initiative is in their best interests. The chart will
further increase industry visibility for the ring tone business,
within the music and mobile industries and with music retailers
and consumers,” says David Simmons, Head of the MEF Ringtones
Initiative and CEO of Songseekers, the prominent music rights
and publishing company.
“MEF’s Ringtones initiative is an important
first step in the legitimisation of the mobile music industry,”
says Gilles Babinet, CEO of Paris-based Musiwave, and an MEF Member.
“It sets the stage for tracking and popularising future
services such as true tones, picture tones, mobile music videos,
music recognition services and music personalization.”
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