What happened to the ringtone?[ Thu, 09 May 2013 18:01:38 EDT ]In the early- to mid-2000s, the ability to play a customized sound for incoming calls -- usually a blaring few seconds of a favorite song called a "mastertone" -- was a fun novelty for people buying their first cellphones. But there has been a sharp decline in ringtone sales over the last half-decade.