Gone but not forgotten. We’ll always remember the little phone jingles that held a certain power status to them. Back when Bluetooth was a vital tool, you wanted to have the very best ringtone. Your pals would be jealous, but you’d send it to them if you were feeling generous. Nowadays, who even has their phone on loud? No, thank you, ours will stay on silent. Text us if you need us…
Oh, the nostalgia we felt watching this video. The most indestructible mobile phone ever to exist. Why did we move on? Sure, smartphones are handy. Yes they can do just about everything you need them to, but they don’t have the character. Don’t argue with us on this one. We reckon it’s only a matter of time before Gen Z will bring them back as a statement of fashion. We’re here for it, if ringtones come back too.
Huddling around your friend’s phone after begging them to send you their ringtone was something we’ll never forget. It was a huge thing for the time. Wow, songs, as ringtones? Who would have ever imagined? Finally, we could have a little bit of our taste and personality shine through. People started getting creative. In fact, do you remember when people had their voicemail strike up a conversation as if they were actually on the other end? It always caught us out.
Music sharing grew massively. People would download tracks and later share them with friends. You became popular if you had the latest chart music playing any time someone rang you. There was then a store to buy ringtones. It really took off. If you were cheeky though, you’d wait until your mate had paid for it and ask them to send it your way. It became a way of people expressing themselves. That may sound odd if you weren’t around in the ringtone days, but people were seriously proud of their selection.
You have to remember, streaming stores weren’t around then. Certainly not in the capacity they are today. So, it wasn’t as easy as sharing a link and asking your fans to download or stream your work. In today’s world, we tend to keep our phones on silent. In fact, we’ve reverted to the standard built-in sounds if our phones are going to be switched to loud. It’s almost come in a full circle. What do you think? Would you like to see a return of ringtones? We’re not sure that they’re really needed for artist exposure any more, but they are good fun…
