RealNetworks Inc (NASDAQ:RNWK), the company behind the ringback tone, has entered into partnership with award-winning music platform, Ditty to power RealNetworks new ringback tone application, HELLO. Using Ditty’s technology, HELLO will allow users to set ringbacks with personalized lyrics “sung” by Ditty to be heard by callers when they call.
Ditty is designed to sing whatever users type on the keypad enabling users to express themselves in form of music. Ditty was designed by former Virgin Records Chairman/CEO and multi-Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter Matt Serletic. The app has won several awards and gained recognition in as the number one app music app in 25 nations and features among the top ten music apps in 124 countries. Users of HELLO will be able to access Ditty’s huge collection of top global songs as they set up custom ringback tones.
RealNetworks is highly experienced in designing and deploying high quality and reliable RBT systems. WiderThan, a division of RealNetworks service in conjunction with SK Telekom launched the first RBT in the world in 2002 in South Korea. The company through the LISTENTM platform has the most innovative and advanced easy-to-use RBT mobile apps for carriers globally.
In a statement, Matt Serletic said RealNetworks has an outstanding legacy and HELLO is a game changer expressing gratitude for working with Ditty to reinvent ringback tones for consumers and carriers.
Max Pellegrini, RealNetworks’ president of Mobile Services said the company has partnered with over 20 million ringback tone subscribers globally. He adds that as opposed to traditional ringbacks that are mainly pre-recorded music, the HELLO ringback customizes the user’s experience giving them a chance to express themselves using music.
HELLO will be rolled out for the first time in English on Android and iOS this summer. Japanese, Chinese and Spanish versions are still in the pipeline and will be unveiled in the near future. Consumers will be able to freely download and use the HELLO ringtones while subscription fee will be charged for premium content through in-app subscriptions or purchases.