In what’s probably going to be deemed the ultimate use of crowdsourcing, Nokia is asking the internets to create the next version of their infamous ringtone. Said ringtone will be used in several models due to come out in 2012, and Nokia claims it will be preinstalled on over 100 million devices. If Nokia selects your tune, you’ll get $10,000. That’s $0.0001 in your pocket, per phone, which may not sound like much, but it’ll be one hell of an impressive accomplishment to put on your résumé. The video below goes through all of the Nokia ringtons, from the first one heard in 1994, to the current incarnation, which personally … I’ve never liked. They even sneak in what’s likely to be rington they’ll use in future Windows Phone devices. If you want to here the original tune that started it all, then look up “Gran Vals” by Spanish classical guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega. It was conceived in 1902 and then selected by Anssi Vanjoki in 1993 to become what’s now known as the most recognizable melody on planet Earth.
Make no mistake, this is one ballsy move. It would be like Microsoft asking the world to invent the sound you here every time you boot into Windows. Even that’s a poor comparison since there are more Nokia phones in people’s hands than there are Windows PCs.
Who will be judging the competition?
The jury is made up of some of the most respected names in the audio branding industry: Kai Bronner, one of the founders of Audio Branding Academy; Julian Treasure, known for his TED talks and author of ‘Sound Business’; Mark Dewings, head of Brand & Marketing Communications at SoundCloud; Nokia’s SVP of Design, Marko Ahtisaari; Super8 & Tab, worldwide renown DJ and electronic music production duo who are ranked in the DJ Mag’s Top 100 of most popular DJs; Andrew Higgins, a jury member from the AudioDraft community who has won 12 AudioDraft contests; and Tommi Koskinen is the Community Manager at AudioDraft.
Good luck.