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Ring-Tone Barons? Japanese Record Companies Raided

Posted by timothy on from the economy-based-on-pokeman dept.

PuceBaboon writes " The Asahi Shimbun is reporting that officers from the Fair Trade Commission raided several major record companies in Japan, including Sony Music Entertainment, Toshiba EMI and Avex, on suspicion of creating a monopoly for the purpose of maintaining artificially high prices on... telephone ring-tone tunes."

7 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Ringtones?? by newdles · · Score: 5, Funny

    You have to BUY ringtones? What's this world coming to? Next thing you know, MS will charge extra for ding dongs it adds to messenger :O

    1. Re:Ringtones?? by rokzy · · Score: 4, Funny

      yes, one penny per ring or part ring.

      I get one over on them by putting it on silent instead.

  2. In Capitalistic America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Record company raids you!

  3. Re:mp3 as ringtone by Cylix · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nah, I'm just going to record myself singing!

    Royalty free... for me!b

    --
    "You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra
  4. Public performance by tepples · · Score: 2, Funny

    The difference is that an iTunes Music Store purchased recording doesn't come with public performance rights to the underlying song.

  5. Stupid friends by MacFury · · Score: 3, Funny
    or are almost all telephone ringtones *overpriced*. I mean, come on, they are selling crappy midi files for outrageous (comparatively) prices.

    I have a friend who says, "$0.99 for a song from iTunes??? I'd never pay that much!" Then she happily blows $20 a month at $1.25 a piece on stupid god damn ringtones for her cellphone.

  6. Re:It amazes me by Halfbaked+Plan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, since a law can't be passed that permits people to be sprayed with permanent orange dye that marks them as stupid fucks without a clue, it's important for temporary markers like a ringtone to be not only permitted, but to be encouraged.

    How else are the rest of us to quickly identify and avoid said persons?

    --
    resigned