Virgin Mobile USA Inc. is offering its subscribers the chance to create their own wallpapers and ringtones-and reap the benefits if someone else downloads their handiwork.
The new service, called Studio V, allows customers to upload and edit graphics content such as photographs, designs and other graphics in order to create wallpapers for mobile devices. Customers can also edit pre-existing audio content to make personally tailored ringtones. All of the content is screened by mobile content publishing platform provider 9 Track Mind, according to Virgin Mobile. The content is created through a Studio V web site-which as of this morning was already peppered with wallpapers of wedding cakes and deer and featured newly minted ringtones.
As the mobile virtual network operator describes it, Studio V is “free to join, all graphics are free to upload, and all content is free to edit.” Costs to download your own creations, or someone else’s, are $2 for each wallpaper and $2.50 for each ringtone. Content creators earn $0.10 for each item purchased, which will be credited to their Virgin Mobile account. Users can also choose whether they want to keep their work private or submit to to the public gallery for downloads, ratings and comments.
“Our customer are some of the most creative and prolific people around, so this Studio V exclusive application is deal for them to customize mobile content as well as connection with the larger mobile community, along with the added benefit of earning cash towards their Virgin Mobile account,” said Dom Tolli, VP of mobile data services for Virgin Mobile USA. “The ability to upload and share creations is another step in our effort to expand peer-to-peer connections with user-generated content within social networks.”