Music Labels Turn to 'Ringles' to Save the CD

Looking for new ways to keep sales of CDs afloat, the music industry will begin selling "ringles," which combine three songs with a ringtone from a specific artist.

The original version of the song, plus a remix and an older song would be combined with a ringtone download for a single price. While the RIAA has approved the "ringle" term and plans to push for it industry-wide, only Universal and Sony BMG have signed on so far.

Industry executives believe adding a ringtone download to singles will help keep the format alive amidst competition from digital downloads. Sony will have about 50 ringles ready by November, with Universal releasing about 10 to 20 during the same period.

CD sales have seen a sharp decline since a peak in 2001. Sales are already down 14 percent this year when compared with last year. This was preceded by a 4.9 percent decline from 2005 to 2006, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

Discs that would have easily sold millions of copies several years ago are now having trouble even reaching one million. So far, the best selling debut this year was Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight, which sold only 623,000 copies.

Ringles will retail for $6-$7 USD, and it is believed that stores will pay around $4 per disc to carry them. So far, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and Amazon have all agreed to sell the discs, although it was not clear if all would support the format immediately after launch.