SAN FRANCISCO-Men and women alike use ringtones, but there are big differences between the sexes when it comes to other mobile services.
A new study from M:Metrics finds females are significantly less likely to use mobile data services compared with men, but they are about 6-percent more likely to download ringtones. Women also are more likely to purchase pop ringtones then men, while men prefer hard rock or heavy metal ringtones. Across both genders, hip-hop is the most popular music genre, accounting for 20 percent of all downloads.
“This data indicates that the female predilection to accessorize extends beyond the material world: Women are picking up the hottest pop ringtone like they would a new pair of shoes or handbag,” said Mark Donovan, vice president, product and senior analyst at M:Metrics. “Males, on the other hand, prefer to project their masculinity through their preference for hard rock and nonmusical ringtones, such as sound effects and celebrity voices or movie clips.”
The study found while women are heavier ringtone users, men lead in the adoption of ringback services.
“The ringback data illustrates a consistent finding with new mobile technologies,” noted Donovan. “Although ringbacks are a form of personalization, today they are first and foremost a novel technology, and males are consistently more likely to embrace new technologies and gadgets.”
Other findings include that most mobile subscribers are interested in moving music tracks from their computers to their phones, while less than 9 percent said they likely would subscribe to a mobile music service during the next year.
