With that out of the way, let's address something a little more pertinent: the impending collision of music and cell phones. Some claim that audio-friendly cell phones could replace MP3 players as soon as next year, although I think it'll be a few years before that happens. On the other hand, ring tones are already a big deal for consumers and labels alike.

Eventually, all ring tones will be "real music" ring tones, which play samples of songs that actually sound like the songs rather than some Casio-keyboard approximations of them. Chances are, the phone you have right now plays the cheesy-sounding MIDI variety, either monophonic (one note) or polyphonic (more than one note at the same time). Either way, I have included some links at the bottom of this column that will help you create your own monophonic, polyphonic, or real-music ring tones. Record labels and cell phone service providers surely wish to keep this information under wraps, but since consumers now expect some degree of control over their technology, that's just the way it goes.

Bling bling from the ring ring?
Record execs are all fired up about ring tones--with good reason. Ring tones of all kinds (monophonic, polyphonic, and real music) are selling like hotcakes to an ever-expanding market of cell phone users. (Next column: Who buys all those hotcakes?) As cell phone users, many of us happily pay more for a good ring tone than we do for a better-sounding version of the complete song, as odd as that might seem. The world likes ring tones to the tune of $4 billion in 2004 ($300 million from the United States alone). This means profits from ring tones comprise a full one-eighth of the worldwide music industry and about a third of the U.S. market.

Ring-tone revenue constitutes some of the best news record executives have heard in a while. But before the champagne flows, these executives need to remember that people usually buy ring tones of songs they've already purchased. And with the right tools, consumers can actually transfer music from their own collections to a growing number of MP3-capable phones. The industry needs to remember that not so long ago, people struggled with ripping CDs, and for the average computer user, it's now just about as easy as playing them.

Ring tones will follow the same trend to a certain extent; the market will be split between services that offer ready-made ring tones for download and developers that work on software to turn music into ring tones. As for secure files, you can't use those for ring tones, and you probably never will be able to since music stores would rather sell ring tones and songs separately (cha-ching).

It's definitely easier to pay for a new ring tone on your phone than it is to create one from a song in your music collection. But when you consider that most services offer a fairly limited catalog, ripping your own ring tones becomes a more attractive option, especially if your tastes run toward the obscure. Most people have music collections that already represent a near-perfect pool of songs from which to choose ring tones. That's why I predict the ring-tone market won't be the cash cow the music industry thinks it will be.

Become Lord of the Ring Tones
As a bonus, I'm going to show you a few ways to create your own ring tones so that you can hear sample songs from tunes in your own record collection. It can take a little bit of elbow grease, especially if your phone doesn't support MP3 ring tones. But even if your phone plays only monophonic ring tones, you too can churn out your own.

Note: Here are two lists of MP3 ring-tone-compatible models. They're a good starting point for determining real-music ring-tone compatibility, but no matter which service you use, check its site to make sure your make and model qualify for what they're selling.

SnipNSend's text list
Ringtone Ripper's Web list

Audacity (free MP3 ring tones) 

Audacity is free, open source, and easy to use, and it runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you've never edited audio before, use its help section to get started.

If your phone supports MP3 ring tones, and you know how to transfer files from your computer to your phone via Bluetooth, SMS, or USB, I recommend using Audacity to trim your MP3 source file down to the proper length and re-export it as an MP3 of the proper length and attributes. Then transfer the MP3 to your phone, and browse to it in your Sounds menu. That way, you can create your own ring tone without paying a cent over the cost of the original song.

Planet Ringtone's Ringtone Ripper (real music) 

Assuming you're a Planet Ringtone member, Ringtone Ripper is pretty simple. Select the source, the track number, and the number of minutes and seconds into the song you want the sample to start, and you're up and running.

This is a simple application for turning CDs or MP3s into real music ring tones. I like that it's easy, but unfortunately, you must join Planet Ringtone to use it.

Ringtone Creator (monophonic, polyphonic) 

On this Ringtone Creator screen, those with rudimentary musical composition knowledge can write their own original songs or try to re-create popular commercial ring tones, although that could present legal problems.

This downloadable shareware program lets you compose your own monophonic or polyphonic ring tones using an onscreen keyboard. Or if you have a MIDI file of the song you want, this'll convert it. (The full-featured version costs $19, but the free version can create a ring tone.)

SnipNSend (real music) 

It doesn't get simpler than this; just remember to allow Windows to install SnipNSend's plug-in, or you won't even see the elements depicted above.

The Web site installs a plug-in that grabs music from the CD. My favorite, it's the easiest of the lot, costs a flat fee of $1.50 per ring tone, and sends your new ring tone to your phone via SMS.

Xingtone (monophonic, polyphonic, real music) 

Xingtone includes a relatively sophisticated audio editor that lets you perform simple edits. But to use your own music, you need to upgrade to the full version.

Download this application, and you can make as many monophonic, polyphonic, and real-music ring tones as your heart desires. The source sound you want to use has to be in one of these formats: MP3, WAV, WMA (unprotected), MIDI, or CD. It'll cost $20 to create all the ring tones you want.

Real-music ring tones: Hot or hopelessly uncool? TalkBack to me below.