Ringle Alley

In an attempt to staunch the flow of red ink, the music industry has come up with the "ringle", a slip-sleeved CD single of a hit song that will feature a couple of bonus tracks from the same artist and a code to allow buyers to go online and download a "free" ringtone of the main song. Cost: $6-$7.

User-created ringtones are still a no-no and while the interweb is rife with programs for folks to self-rip music from CDs into ringtones, Apple doesn't like that and has updated iTunes so that you must pay another dollar to unlock the DRM on a track you've already purchased and turn it into a ringtone. Oh, and guess which is the only phone the ringtone will work on? As the Electronic Frontier Foundation puts it, Apple is making you pay a second time for music you already own. Handset makers and service providers already use DRM to block user-created ringtones, but at least you are only buying the song from them once.

The RIAA is now awarding gold and platinum certifications for ringtone sales, since their singles department has had nothing to do for last decade or so. Here's the Top 5 ringtones for this week, according to Billboard. I'm very happy with their #1.

1. Pink Panther Theme - Henry Mancini
2. Adios Amor Te Vas - Grupo Montez De Durango
3. Super Mario Bros. Theme - Koji Kondo
4. Candy Shop - 50 Cent feat. Olivia
5. Because I Got High - Afroman
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