Today's up-to-the-minute celebrity gossip sites and programs mean that fans always know what their favorite musicians, actors and athletes are wearing, who they're dating and where they're partying. They also influence fickle fans to express their appreciation and dissatisfaction through a variety of ways such as going to concerts and movies, buying CDs, and commenting on social media sites. Believe it or not, even ringtone sales can track the pulse of celebrity hot buttons. For example, when it was announced that the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch had cancer, his ringtone sales jumped 64 percent.
Zed, a leading digital entertainment company, analyzed sales of ringtones from a number of its carrier partners and found that celebrity gossip does influence fans' purchasing decisions:
...when Michael Jackson died, his ringtone sales soared more than 9,544 percent!
...when T.I. went to jail, his ringtone sales jumped up 19 percent week over week.
...when Fergie got married and Kevin Jonas got engaged, ringtone sales dropped 10 percent and 16 percent respectively.
...when Chris Brown and Rihanna suffered domestic issues, ringtones dropped 18 percent and 28 percent respectively.
The phone remains one of the most personal forms of expression and ringtones present a very audible way for fans to express their approval or dissatisfaction.