American performing right organization Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), has released its annual mobile music market revenue projections for 2009 and finalized its earlier figures for 2008, projecting that ringback tones will surpass $235 million in U.S. retail sales during calendar year 2009, up 15% from BMI’s 2008 market estimate of $205 million and 68% from BMI’s 2007 estimate of $140 million. 

“We predict that ringback tones will hit a new high in 2009,” said Richard Conlon, Vice President, New Media & Strategic Development, BMI. “Mobile phones are a multi-format device and have become a distribution outlet for entertainment content for the consumer,” he says, elaborating on the subject even further stating, “Ringback tones’ revenues are growing as more subscribers sign up for and increase the number of tones in their libraries. It is a music use area that we see a continuing growth rate for.” 

BMI’s report estimate that more than 10 million U.S. subscribers are signed up for ringback tone services with their wireless carriers. The performing right organization’s study is based on comprehensive sales and use data it collects as part of its licensing agreements with its mobile music clients, reflecting more than 215 million of the current 270 million-plus United States mobile subscribers.  

A ringback tone is a musical work that is performed to the caller when they place a call to a participating mobile subscriber, and is sold by all major carriers and retail outlets at prices between $1.99 and $2.50 per tone, useful for a period anywhere between 90 days to 12 months. In order to use the service, users are required to subscribe to a recurring monthly fee ranging from $.99 to $5.00. 

BMI licenses the public performing right in the U.S. for the musical works of its more than 375,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music.