New York (NY) - As another effort to breathe life back into the physical CD format, Sony has created a new standard that will incorporate single tracks with cell phone ringtones.

The "ringle", which will receive its own logo and various brand associations, is expected to be a CD that contains three songs and one ringtone.  The plan, reports Reuters, is mainly to draw attention to one track, while the other tracks will be remixes or older songs from the same group.

It is a move to bring more affordable CD choices to consumers.  Full albums can still sell for well over $20, and CD singles are rare.  The expected price for a "ringle" bundle is around $7.

The format was created by Sony BMG, and it has also been adopted by Universal Music.  By the end of November, Sony plans to have 50 ringles available in retail stores, with Universal adding another 10 - 20 to the mix.

The Recording Association of America has certified the format and its name, and will help to create awareness for it both to consumers and other record labels.

Reuters reports that mark-ups on ringles would be nearly 50%, a substantial increase from the 35% markup retailers traditionally use for CD albums.  Cost would also be reduced for ringle production with slip-sleeve covers instead of jewel cases.

Users will only be able to access the ringtones via a computer and, in most cases, an Internet connection to download the file to a phone.

Disney earlier this year also created a new CD technology, called "enhanced CD", which allows users to access a digital magazine when the disc is inserted into a computer CD-ROM drive.

Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and Amazon, four of the top five music retailers, have reportedly already agreed to stock ringles.

$7 ?

Sep 11, 2007 08:19     

With phones available which can play any some from your list of MP3's as a ringtone, and the ability to get songs for $1 off iTunes or other sites? Why would I pay seven times as much for the same ability? Or, even if I cared about the other two songs, I'm STILL maying over twice as much. They are out of touch.
kw report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Foolishness...

Sep 11, 2007 08:41     

I totally agree with kw...but i'm sure there's a market for it...otherwise phone/media companies wouldn't be able to rape consumers by charging $3 for a 15 second clip of a popular song...it's madness!
Mike report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

wow

Sep 11, 2007 10:09     

$7 for 3 songs and a freakin ringtone? omg where do I sign up? All I did was download some free software and I was able to take any song from my library, hack it down to 30 seconds, and then save it as a ring tone.
Shadowmaster625 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Added Bonus

Sep 11, 2007 11:38     

Root kits will be included free as an added bonus.
Sony Sucks report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

A new insult on top of injury...

Sep 11, 2007 13:23     

Leave it to the RIAA and Sony to come up with a new way to rip you off for the same old crap you probably already own. These people are out of their minds... Over $20 for a full CD? Not where I shop! $7 for 3 songs and a lo-fi audio clip? We shoot horses when they are incapacitated. Why not the out-of-touch, out-of-time Record Industry? Unfortunately Mike is probably right... cell-phone addicts and kiddies will suck this up. I'm going to go have an alka-seltzer.

skua report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Good for Mini-CD's

Sep 11, 2007 15:21     

I think it would be a waste to put them on a regular size cd. It would make sense to put it onto a mini-cd. Mini-cds can be played in cd players and cd drives since they have an inner circle that can hold them.
TomLeeM/BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

ROFL: "Added Bonus" :)...

Sep 11, 2007 19:20     

ROFL: "Added Bonus" :)
Alejandro report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0