Weird, animated phone things are ineligible...

Nokia Crowdsources New Ringtone   

Nokia are offering $10,000 for the person, band or team to compose the next Nokia Tune ringtone.

The Nokia Tune once evoked an air of 'success' about the person whose pocket it rang from. That was 1994, and a lot has changed since then. For example, now the Nokia Tune evokes little more than a roll of the eyes and suggestions on how to find the latest Android handset or iPhone deals online.

I'm not a Windows Phone 7 fan, but it seems Nokia are. This summer saw them ditch Symbian OS and choose Microsoft's phone OS across its entire range instead. It's a brash move for the dying phone co. but cynics amongst us might note that Nokia's new CEO, Stephen Elop, used to work for Microsoft...

Anyway, the competition! It is being held on AudioDraft, a crowdsource website which opens the doors for the public to get involved in these types of musical challenges. You have to sign up before you can download the "Nokia Tune Remix Kit", which contains all previous Nokia Tunes showing how the simple 13-note riff has evolved from the 1994 2110 to 2011's N9.

View all the current entries at:

http://nokiatune.audiodraft.com/

Apparently of particular interest are: "boy choirs, ukeleles, trash cans, opera singers, steel drums, finger pianos [as opposed to what exactly, knee pianos? -Rich] and dusty synthesisers".

Rednecks and Pavarottis amongst you, get composing!