Development Seed Blog
Political Ringtones: What Can 527s Do With This?
What if you could take one of the most annoying public disturbances, a ringing cell phone, and turn it into a little bit of activism and community building?
If a cell phone rings with Bush saying, “Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job” on your morning bus/subway commute, you might get some smiles. And create a little bit of community in a random place by letting other concerned Americans know they are not alone or unpatriotic by being pissed at the government.
I think 527 organizations like MoveOn.org and other grassroots activist groups could start turning propaganda into Daily Show-like sound bits for all to download. This could be a fun value-added service for their members. How often do these organizations give you something rather than just a pitch to ask for money or to sign a petition?
But the ringtones don’t need to seem political. Look at P-Diddy’s involvement with Rock the Vote. He gave a ton of cash. What if he gave them exclusive rights to a 30 second sound bit of his latest hit single, and ensured that there was only one site where people could get the song? There are a lot of activist singers and comedians that could literally put their voice behind the organizations they support, and get some publicity while they are at it.
Here are a couple of ringtones that I made last week after being inspired by the MobileActive conference. Feel free to pass them around and post your feedback so I can make them better :).
- Bush, “Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job,” overlaid with Arlo Guthrie’s “The Train They Call the City of New Orleans” (listen: streaming download: mp3
| amr)
- Bush on pre-war intelligence, mixed with some British rock/punk including Billy Bragg and Califone. (listen: streaming download: mp3 | amr)
- Take two of “Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job,” with Arlo Guthrie. (listen: streaming download:| mp3 | amr)
If you want to read about my initial inspiration for all of this, check out MobileActive’s website and my post there from yesterday.
A big thanks to Tonyo (TXTpower), Katrin (Aspiration), Evan (Riot.ton.es), Jo (CitizenSpeak), and Earl (Networked World) for the feedback – this week’s next round should be fun. I will have them in our RSS feed for anyone that wants to subscribe. (Tonecasting? Maybe this is what organizations will use RSS for to capitalize on the podcasting craze… I wonder how iTunes will handle them?)
Comments
My ringtone.
You can't beat the Internationale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale
Brownie's Email...
Now, if only we had audio of Brownie's email conversations (via BoingBoing)...
imagine "Can I quit now" & "Can I go home know" spliced over news descriptions of the superdome...
Got some audio? please send it my way.
-jeff
Others
Its pretty obvious you are a "flaming liberal" but what other kind of political ringtones can you develope. Clinton w/moaning in the background? Kennedy driving a car over a bridge, swimming away while a passenger screams in death?
Terry
Bush Wacked
How about the sound of "the Manchurian Candidate" (Bush) doing a line of coke with his brother and laughing about all the saps that actually work for a living.
Jeez "Out of Touch Man"
Jeez "Out of Touch Man" where have you been for the last Five years. Were currently being screwed and you cannot stop moaning about legends and the most economically successful President in my lifetime.
You want an urban legend to refer to? Try this one nimrod.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/laura.asp
HuckleFerry
Aw Huck, you dont have to be a flaming liberal to finally realize that we were duped into following up on some unfinished inspiration or need to fill his fathers shoes. Clinton never got anyone killed for his actions - with a woman - which might be lacking in your life - Huck.
liberals
You cannot hope for, prematurely declare, or work actively toward the defeat of your own country in a war while maintaining that you are "patriotic". If you hate America and what (most of it) stands for, then have the courage to admit it. Campaign for a new constitutional convention, join Al Quaida, or emigrate to Cuba. Just try to do something honest for a change.
Liberals
Sometimes, Hoop, it takes a real patriot to stand up against the established government. Take the patriots at the Boston tea party for example or the 5 men shot during the Boston massacure (sp, I know). Blindly following official policy is not only foolish - it goes against everything our founding fathers fought and died for.
People of all political persuasions
People have the ability to make mistakes and correct them. Countries should as well. I can be patriotic, and still believe that we should not be in Iraq. That war was started with the mistaken believe that Hussein had WMD that were not there, that Iraq was actively searching for Uranium yellowcake(turns out to be false) and that Iraq had ties to Al Quaeda(also false). Once we found out that the war was a mistake, we should admit it and get out.
conservatives
What is it with you people? We don't hate America. We love America. America was a liberal idea from the start. Washington and Jefferson were the liberals; King George was the conservative. The Suffragettes were liberals; those who opposed women voting were conservatives. Advocates for national health care are liberals; George W. Bush, the HMOs and drug companies are the conservatives.
Live by your word, hoop: If you hate America and what most of it stands for, then have the courage to admit it.
anti-hoop
You did exactly what I thought you would- change the topic. I will answer your non-answer point by point:
Washington and Jefferson were slave owners. The United States is the only "civilized" nation without national healthcare and we have the best practitioners as well as technology. (It is dishonest to compare disease rates to Norway, or other countries, because the ethnic/genetic and social habits affect survival, etc more than healthcare delivery in many ways). The only thing HMO's have done "wrong" is transfer the profit of an industry from the prior owners (the doctors and hospitals) to themselves. I don't think they really "harm" patients-- just added red tape sometimes to get what is needed. (I am sure there are anecdotal exceptions to that statement). Drug companies are motivated by one thing- profit. I bet the company you work for is motivated by the same thing. The reason prices are so high is government involvement and regulation. (Government involvement makes things MORE expensive not LESS expensive).
Who the hell ever said women voting was a GOOD thing? (Ok, I'll give you that one.)
I've got your patriotism right here...
I won't get into your "point by point" response to hoop right now, though I'd be happy to later. I do think that I need to respond to your "You cannot hope for, prematurely declare, or work actively toward the defeat of your own country in a war while maintaining that you are 'patriotic'." You make the mistake of equating "country" and "government" or "administration" though these terms are far from synonymous. "Patriotic" is an adjective meaning "Feeling, expressing, or inspired by love for one's country." Any dissent being voiced by liberals is motivated precisely by that, and a good way to know that is that it emanates from a desire to see the country improve by heading in a new direction. Pacifism is not unique to liberals, and I know this because so many in the peace movement are veterans and their families. Surely you don't wish to indict their patriotism, do you? Would you distinguish the patriotism of a veteran at an anti-war rally from that of the hippie standing next to him? You really can't, and that's because their opinion on this administration's military adventures does not encompass the whole of their opinion on America. Are you equating military defeat with the death of our troops? You would be wrong to do so (but I'll bet you were). I don't want to open up a discussion on what our exit strategy from Iraq should look like (that would be changing the topic, wouldn't it?) but I, for one, believe that the lives of our troops are more important than some fat chicken-hawk's ego; national pride should come from our children's academics and health, not from a military parade. Pride in the military is not all that makes patriotism, and when the other ingredients are missing from the masses, the government tries to whip up "patriotism" by having parades. The Soviet Union, Communist China, NAZI Germany, and yes, Cuba, all share an affinity for parades, and I'm sure their governments would agree that "You cannot hope for, prematurely declare, or work actively toward the defeat of your own country in a war while maintaining that you are 'patriotic'."
I'm not an idiot.
You did exactly what I thought you would do - completely undermine that I did, in fact, directly address your topic (not change the subject.) I answered that liberals, actually, do not "hate America." The passion I descibed liberals having discounts your agrument that liberals "hope for...or work actively against" the defeat of our own country. The meer fact that you cannot distinguish the underlying message of my post makes it easy for me to understand how it is that you are conservative - you do not read into what your leader says, you do not investigate further into your own policial beliefs. Hoop, if you have problems comprehending the words and text set out before you, perhaps you should have someone explain everything to you in a manner which you could more easily understand. As far as the rest of your reply to my post, you are entitled to your beliefs. I feel that you and I could go back and forth in arguments such as this indefinitely (that means "without foreseeable end"). So here's a new point for you to use to brush up on your debate skills (oh no, am I changing the topic?): Convince the liberal public why you still believe in your President and his political party given his proposed budget for 2006? How is it you can believe in his agenda? The question's rhetorical... but preparing your response could help you break the ice and your next Young Republican meeting. Have fun.
correction
(reference to "your point by point response to hoop" should have been "to anti-hoop"... the name is fine though, it has a nice "love your enemies" ring to it...)
anti-hoop and friend of anti-hoop
Wow, glad to see that a few words of sound logic still drives you guys crazy. Excellent response- lots of big words, kind of that typical acting polite when you are really pissed off... a little too homo with the correction thing though...
That is the best part
That is the best part about it, you can make anything into a
ringtone. They are easy to mix and totally customizable. They are still
difficult to get onto your phone, but that is slowly improving. To make these,
I used Audacity, an open source, free mixing program and combined the voices
and the music how I wanted them.
Since they are so easy to make, I am really excited to see
what people are going to put together.
In the end of the day, you are dependent on whoever is
sitting next to you on the bus or standing behind you in line to see whether
your ringtone has an impact. To take your examples, would Clinton moaning stir
action for change? I think Bush implying mission accomplished with news liners of the 2,000 Americans that
have scarified themselves in Iraq could
be more compelling based on the timing, but then a ringtone of Clinton moaning
or of the Dean scream would make me laugh.
As for the liberal ringtones – it has just been too
easy of a week to not make them. Happy Fitzmas.
ring tone
Eric, you're doing a heck of a job.
Tom Delay ringtone
Check out the latest ringtone on Tom Delay, http://www.developmentseed.org/blog/delayringtone. This one features reporters naming and describing the charges against him, with the theme song to TV's "Cops" playing in the background.
I want a ring tone
How do I do it? I don't know how to get it on my phone. Somebody help me please. I am technically challenged. I have no way to connect the computer to the phone either. Is there a number I can call?
Potencia aka Static Brain
What kind of phone do you
What kind of phone do you have? Don’t worry – it is still a pain for everybody
to put ring tones on their phones. If
you have a camera phone it could be a lot easier. Do you have access to the web via your phone?
I have no web access.
I have no web access.
can you send yourself an
can you send yourself an email? Or only SMS?
I have a Nokia 8810 and do
I have a Nokia 8810 and do have access to the web. Can you tell me how to download City of New Orleans. Right wingers ..lighten up.. It's joke (somewhat like a current President).
Thanks
Jeff Dickey
Related Idea: Fun with US currency
What a great idea! Another fun / obnoxious way to put our message in front of people is to mark the money that we spend. I have been writing "IMPEACH BUSH" on all my bills before spending them back into circulation. The ringtone idea strikes me as a similar and very welcome idea! I can't wait to figure out how to get that into my phone.....
you are so hard core...?
Yes, defacing federal property with a "unique" idea is pretty funny. I wish I posessed a wit as sharp as yours...
more ringtone ideas -- george bush don't like black people
you need to include the mashup of 'george bush don't like black people' -- see http://www.boingboing.net/2005/09/08/katrina_kanye_remixe.html
I think you have a good business idea here. you should set up a nonprofit, charge $1 a download, donate the proceeds to some worthy cause. (all in your copious spare time, of course.)
-- dt
Protest Ringtones
You go! Its' Time!
Next stop, Protest Buttons!
Eshe Riviears
Ring tones!
Eric this is absolutely brilliant - oh, it feels like we're almost back to the future and I mean that as a VERY GOOD, GOOD THING!
I've been wondering WHERE all THE, WE-THE-PEOPLE have gone!
I'm a 60's Gal and I, for the life of me, have not been able to understand WHY/HOW this, this person....this regime has gotten to where it has and even was REelected!
I KNOW this is going to be out of your age range but - here are two GOOD NEWS things for me today!
I have found you via huffington.com and earlier, I think at the same site, I found out that 77 year old Burt Bacharach (legendary Pop composer and Oscar- Grammy winner of that era) has come out with his FIRST album in 15 years with his own lyrics ever in his 50-year career! He wrote music for everyone back in The Day but never any lyrics and certainly no protest songs - just LOVE SONGS - has now written from his HEART the most wrenching, soulful hurts about our government and this insane war and all the rest!
You can access it from huffingtonpst.com and http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051020/lf_nm/leisure_bacharach_dc_2
Here are some of his lyrics from that site: "Who are these people that keep telling us lies and how did these people get control of our lives and who'll stop the violence 'cause it's out of control? Make 'em stop."
Look for his album - "At This Time" - BURT BACHARACH - I have nothing in it...no attachments, no $ involvements and I've never even met Burt...this is just to get the Movement moving!
And I credit YOU, Eric, with bringing back the NEW WAVE of this protest too...THANK GOD...it's starting to come through THE PEOPLE again! The YOUNG and old alike...THANK GOD!
You'd have my vote any time!
Downloaded
I got it on my v551 using Xingtone for free.
(one tone trial)
The music in the background is clear as a bell.
Thanks!
Great – glad it is
Great – glad it is working! I was going to suggest just sending
yourself an email from your phone with an attached picture (since your
model is a camera phone). Then you would have the MMS (multimedia
message) email address for your phone which will accept attachments. So
then all you would need to do is attach the ringtone to the email
replay to that address.
Sorry there isn’t an easier solution right now. I hope with Riot.ton.es early next year this will change.
the 'Brownie' message stops
the 'Brownie' message stops at 11 seconds.. wonder why? Perhaps RNC have intervened.
RWJ
Heavy server load
Sorry about that our server is taking a heady load with everyone downloading these. Just right click on it and save the mp3 to your computer :) it will be that much easier to add to your phone then.
Download
LOVE IT!
How can I get this to my Motorola v551?
ringtones
the music is almost inaudible. needs to be louder when the voice over isn't blocking it.
Thanks Zack… I have heard
Thanks Zack… I have heard this from a couple of people. I hope to have a better version up by tomorrow. Let me know then if it is any better.
Ringtones are to pedestrians
Ringtones are to pedestrians what bumber stickers are to cars - identity projectors. The question becomes how do you enable people to broaden the messages they want to project. One way is to lower the barrier for creating and distributing ringtones. A site that enables individuals to create ringtones in turn aggregates individuals interested in non-corporate, alternative identifiers . For example, a parent may create a ringtone of their kid saying "I love you." But after driving all their friends and co-workers mad with that ringtone they may be interested in a politically-oriented ringtone posted at the same site.
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