Proof of the coming apocalypse

Billboard to Begin Ranking Ringtones Sales:

Music market tracker Billboard said Tuesday it will start publishing a chart ranking master ringtones, the audio snippets derived from original studio recordings that are used to customize cell phones.

The chart, dubbed Hot MasterTones, will be based on data compiled by Nielsen Mobile and represent the top 20 best-selling master ringtones for the week.
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The weekly publication began publishing a chart for monophonic and polyphonic ringtones - which unlike master ringtones are based on synthesized versions of recordings - in 2004.

Since then, master ringtones have become an increasingly important slice of recording industry sales, particularly in the United States.

Master ringtones have been popular for years in Asia and Europe, where use of handsets with better ringtone fidelity is more common than in the United States. But as more multimedia-friendly mobile phones have entered the U.S. market, users have increasingly opted to customize their phones with master ringtones.

The heck with music - I want one that sounds like Hillary Clinton snorting out truffles!