One of the most popular songs in the United States last week, "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé Knowles and featuring Jay-Z, was not released only on compact disc and to radio stations. An electronic snippet was also sent to cellphone users who wanted to download it as their ring tone. The music industry may be having trouble persuading people to buy its songs online rather than swapping them without paying. But the cellphone market is another matter. "Ring tones are really becoming what the single was," said Andy Volanakis, the executive in charge of ring-tone content for Sprint PCS's mobile phone division. Sometimes the ring tone is more popular than the CD. The dance-hall reggae artist Sean Paul, who records for Warner Music Group, recently sold more copies of a synthesized digital snippet of his song "Get Busy" than CD singles of the song. The snippet cost $2.50; the CD single, about $3. Some 50 percent to 60 percent of all cellphones in the United States can download ring tones, said Alex Slawsby, an analyst of mobile devices at the research firm IDC. All major carriers offer the tones, and the market is expected to grow in part because virtually all new phones can receive them. Sometimes, an image of the artist appears on the phone as the music plays. Cellphone users made 4.8 million purchases of ring tones in the United States in 2002, according to IDC, producing revenue of $16.6 million. Yankee Group, another research firm, predicts that the revenue will be far higher this year, at about $50 million. Verizon Wireless, for instance, says 2.5 million of its customers are buying ring tones each month. Full article here.