Ringtones Build Hype Prior to Music Releases

If you want to build hype with an emerging artist, one of the best ways to do so is to release the ringtone before the album and then brag about how many ringtones your hot new artist has sold.

It all started with D4L and Laffy Taffy. D4L made headlines by announcing that it sold more than a half million ringtones prior to the release of the actual single.

Now, Virgin Records has announced that Dem Franchize Boyz have sold more than a million master ringtones of four different tracks from their new album On Top of Our Game prior to its initial release on February 7. Meanwhile, Jive Records is also getting into the act. Jive reported that T-Pain sold 1.5 million ringtones with its hits "I'm Spring" and "I'm in Luv With a Stripper".

By way of comparison, Billboard reported that 50-Cent's "Candy Shop" was the top selling ringtone of 2005 with 1.9 million ringtones sold. Based on this, is it likely that an artist can sell a million ringtones prior to releasing the album? I doubt it, but it's certainly good hype.