Personalised ring tones are proving popular in Europe and Asia. Users can receive digitally delivered music files which personalise their phones with their favourite songs.
Harry Fox claims to have been approached by 20 ring tone providers and consequently created an easy system to allow them to license their works. Questions concerning licensing of ring tones have already arisen. Last year, EMI Music sued California based YourMobile.com, a ring tone provider, claiming that YourMobile had failed to obtain the proper licenses to distribute EMI songs in the form of ring tones. Following this case, YourMobile signed an agreement with several music publishing companies.
Earlier this month, The Harry Fox Agency reached an agreement with recording companies for use of songs on-line, removing a significant hurdle to the provision of commercial internet music services.