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Music for Your Phone
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 25, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 25, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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Slate's Rob Walker looks at the dominance of 50 Cent's songs as cellphone ringtones. He feels that hip-hop, overall, translates better to tinny, even if polyphonic, cellphone medium. While Walker suggests that TV theme songs are so familiar that they are hard to mess up when translating to cellphone ringtone. Well, yes, that and having the specific task to be memorable on top of some sort of narrative.
Gothamist also offers that the pure prevalence of great use of 80s synth music makes TV theme songs ideal of cellphone ringtones: Knight Rider, Magnum PI and even Inspector Gadget.
Jen was tempted to get In Da Club as her new phone's ringtone, but felt it was played out. She chose the theme to Law & Order instead. Jake has Turning Japanese and Bittersweet Symphony on his phone.
Tagged
50 cent
club
gothamist
hip hop
Inspector Gadget
Knight Rider
law
Music
Rob Walker
technology
tv
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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