Ringles: ’souped-up’ CD singles
p2pnet news | Music:- Sony BMG being Sony BMG, will it do, “something horrible to the product to dissuade piracy, like lacing the sleeves with razor wire or smashing the discs to pieces before shipping them off to stores?” – wonders The Consumerist.
Under discussion is (are?) ‘ringles,’ a bid on the part of the members of the Big 4 organised music cartel to get more money out of the same people they’re trying to sue into buying ‘product,’ as they correctly term their music offerings.
Ringles?
Sounds like a nasty scalp disease, but in fact, it’s Sony’s last ditch effort to resuscitate the CD by mixing three tunes with a one ringtone, and then charging $6 or $7 for the result.
Starting next month, the likes of Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy will be doing their best to persuade customers ringles, described in the story as a sort of “souped-up CD single – ‘one hit and maybe one remix and an older track – and one ringtone, on a CD with a slip-sleeve cover’.”
Oh.
Will Warner Music, EMI and Vivendi Universal, the other cartel members, get in on it?
Sony BMG is, “slated to offer 50 ringle titles through November, while Universal Music Group will offer between 10 and 20,” says DigitalMediaWire, adding:
“While profit margins for the labels on ringles are considered slim, the major labels ‘are gambling that the ringle can instill in consumers the mind-set to connect to the Internet via the CD,’ Billboard noted.
“So far, only Sony has partnered with a digital aggregator to allow consumers to redeem the ringtone element of its ringles.”
Looks like a really stupid idea.
But that’s what they said about ringtones.
Also See:
The Consumerist – “Ringles” Latest Brilliant Scheme From Recording Industry, September 10, 2007
DigitalMediaWire – Major Labels to Introduce “Ringle”: 3-Song CD Single Plus Ringtone, September 10, 2007
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September 11th, 2007 at 8:31 am
“Starting next month, the likes of Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy will be doing their best to persuade customers ringles, described in the story as a sort of “souped-up CD single – ‘one hit and maybe one remix and an older track – and one ringtone, on a CD with a slip-sleeve cover’.””
“…charging $6 or $7 for the result.”
And only priced at what customers think full (45min +) cd’s should cost, WHAT A BARGIN!!!!!!!!!!! I suppose consumers should bring thier own lube to this particular screwing?
September 11th, 2007 at 9:00 am
“…the major labels ‘are gambling that the ringle can instill in consumers the mind-set to connect to the Internet via the CD,’ Billboard noted…”
This being another Sony product I’m thinking “ROOTKIT ALERT!” in big, bold blinking red text. Insert at your own risk.