Hip-hop drives Moderati ringtone sales

SAN FRANCISCO-Hip-hop continues to rule the ringtone market, according to new charts from two top content providers.
Mobile entertainment publisher Moderati said rapper Lil Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers” has been its top-selling independent-label ringtone over the past year, and fellow hip-hop artists Ying Yang Twins and Pitbull also placed among the company’s top ten ringtones for the year. Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee had Moderati’s second-best-selling ringtone with “Gasolina,” and the theme from “SongeBob SquarePants” placed eighth on the list.
Moderati, which provides ringtones to all four tier-one carriers as well as several mobile virtual network operators, said independent artists and labels account for half of its Spanish-language tunes; 45 percent of the company’s top 20 ringtones are from the independent hip-hop label TVT Records.
Meanwhile, rapper Akon had Thumpblay’s two top-selling ringtones for the past week, with “I Wanna Love You” placing first and “Smack That” taking the No. 2 spot. Other familiar names on Thumbplay’s best sellers include Ludacris, Jay-Z, Fergie and Gwen Stefani.