Ringtones come in gold, platinum
Rapper Rick Ross’ ringtone is now a blingtone.
Ross received a plaque bearing a golden cellphone Wednesday in New York when music industry officials honored 128 songs as the first batch of gold and platinum ringtones. Just like vinyl, tapes and CDs, the sounds of ringing cellphones will now translate into awards for sales of 500,000, 1 million and beyond. The awards by the Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) were based on downloads of the ringtones.
“The ringtones are just another gateway to connecting with the kids and the fans,” said Ross, whose award sported a shiny cellphone rather than the usual gold album.
Ross was cited for his bestselling single “Hustlin’ ” and was joined in the ring(tone) of honor by the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, 50 Cent, Kanye West and others.
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