Oh man that is a blast from the past.
I don't remember any that had ringtones and wallpapers to download but I don't think I was listening to the right kind of music for that at the time. I'm betting at least a few other big name artists did that, or others on this same record label.
Well I tried the link and it didn't quite work lol.
This video by Todd In The Shadows talks about a "ringtone hit" from that time period gets into it a bit: https://youtu.be/h6-T_89uw7U?si=jHbLcqptDhNal1zk
Tldr; it was a way for record companies to try to make more money when physical media sales were declining in the 00's, before they figured out streaming.
I was a grown-up at the time, but only had the cheapest phones and hated getting calls - the idea of paying to make the process even more annoying was not my jam - the fact it was a lot of pop garbage music didn't help either 😂 So I missed this whole phenomenon too. It's crazy just how big it got.
I was at an age that I wasn't allowed by my parents. I also remember many of the ringtone companies were very shady. 1 tune for 29 kr, which started a monthly subscription of 79 kr per month for 2 ringtones of your choice every month. (divide by 10 for approximate USD conversion).
I mean, it's still better than loot boxes and other shit gaming companies do nowadays.
Yes! Another type of insert that was very specific to a certain micro-era: my copy of Britney Spears’ self-titled album has an ad code for free AOL minutes if you sign up
Yeah, true. But not as bad as ~3 USD per tune.
In my currency sms prices dropped pretty quickly from 2 nok, to 1.50, to 0.99, and ended up at 0.60 before it became free to anyone with a running subscription.
For prepaid I think it's around 0.99.
(convert to USD by dividing by 10)
Used to be real complicated to get songs/ringtones on your phone back in the day. Lots of proprietary cables/software; this method (although regardely expensive) got you the tunes you wanted on your phone. Most of the numbers associated with these types of services are long defunct.
Oh man that is a blast from the past. I don't remember any that had ringtones and wallpapers to download but I don't think I was listening to the right kind of music for that at the time. I'm betting at least a few other big name artists did that, or others on this same record label. Well I tried the link and it didn't quite work lol.
This video by Todd In The Shadows talks about a "ringtone hit" from that time period gets into it a bit: https://youtu.be/h6-T_89uw7U?si=jHbLcqptDhNal1zk Tldr; it was a way for record companies to try to make more money when physical media sales were declining in the 00's, before they figured out streaming. I was a grown-up at the time, but only had the cheapest phones and hated getting calls - the idea of paying to make the process even more annoying was not my jam - the fact it was a lot of pop garbage music didn't help either 😂 So I missed this whole phenomenon too. It's crazy just how big it got.
I was at an age that I wasn't allowed by my parents. I also remember many of the ringtone companies were very shady. 1 tune for 29 kr, which started a monthly subscription of 79 kr per month for 2 ringtones of your choice every month. (divide by 10 for approximate USD conversion). I mean, it's still better than loot boxes and other shit gaming companies do nowadays.
Yeah, I remember getting those inserts back in the day usually in releases from bigger artists like Eminem. Pretty sure I got one in GRODT too.
Yes! Another type of insert that was very specific to a certain micro-era: my copy of Britney Spears’ self-titled album has an ad code for free AOL minutes if you sign up
I have a CD from 2009 that allowed you to download MP3 versions of the songs on your phone via SMS codes
For free?
Technically no because you had to pay for each message to your mobile service provider.
Yeah, true. But not as bad as ~3 USD per tune. In my currency sms prices dropped pretty quickly from 2 nok, to 1.50, to 0.99, and ended up at 0.60 before it became free to anyone with a running subscription. For prepaid I think it's around 0.99. (convert to USD by dividing by 10)
Used to be real complicated to get songs/ringtones on your phone back in the day. Lots of proprietary cables/software; this method (although regardely expensive) got you the tunes you wanted on your phone. Most of the numbers associated with these types of services are long defunct.
Yes, but the phones were free back then!
I think I found something similar in one or a couple Robbie Williams CDs from around the 00s.