Nokia offers ringtone remixers $10,000

FINNISH PHONE FIRM Nokia is asking music and ringtone fans to give its signature tune a remix.

The tune, a simple ditty that you will recognise, has been common on Nokia's handsets since 1994, but the firm wants to update it.

"It's a classic, we all know it when we hear it and it's been around since 1994. It's that short series of tones, that when we hear it, we instantly know that somebody owns a Nokia phone," wrote Nokia as it announced the challenge.

"What are we talking about? The iconic sound that is the Nokia Tune. How would you like to create your own version to win up to $10,000 US."

The firm is offering the main prize of $10,000 to the winning entrant, who will also get to see, or rather hear, their composition on the firms 2012 releases. Nokia expects sales to run into the billions, but time will tell.

The five most popular entrants, and a further five, will be selected for presentation to a panel of judges. Of these one will win $10,000 and five more will win $1,000 each.

"Of course, the $10,000 prize is enough to make anybody want to compose their own small melody, however having your very own Nokia Tune heard over 1 billion times a day is an exciting enough reason in itself," said the firm as it announced the competition. "It is the world's most recognised audio brand asset."

That's a bold claim, but the tune is indeed instantly recognisable, if only because so many of Nokia's users have failed to realise that they can change it for an alternative.

The entries so far are interesting and all of the ones we endured used the same tones in some way. If we had to choose, or rather were forced to choose, we'd probably flip a coin.

Nokia and its panel of esteemed music and brand experts might prefer to conduct a more considered evaluation, however. µ