News 

At a tad under £20, Magix ringtone maker allows you to opt out of the £120mn industry by creating your own ringtones rather than play £1.50 and risk being scammed by disreputable companies abusing reverse SMS charging and so on.

The software allows you to create your own ringtones from existing music files, although the BPI points out that 'Virtually all music commercially released

ADVERTISEMENT

in the United Kingdom is protected by copyright law'.

It supports a range of file formats for import, including CD audio, WAV, mp3 and music files from the Internet. The BPI warns: 'It is illegal to use Magix ringtone maker to make ringtones from any recording that is protected by copyright without first obtaining express permission from the copyright owners (record company and music publisher).'

You can remix tracks, add effects, set start and end positions, and even overlay your own dulcet tones. When you're done you can 'copy' the ringtone to a phone via Bluetooth, infra-red or USB as mp3, WAV, AMR, ADPCM (with support for SMAF). The BPI cautions: 'Infringements of copyright law may be subject to criminal prosecution or civil remedies, including damages'.

The foolhardy will be able to purchase Magix ringtone maker from 18 March at stores such as Amazon, PC World and from publisher FastTrak.