Akon's record label are claiming that the hip hop star is the "highest selling master ringtone artist of all time" - 'master ringtones' being those that use excerpts from original recordings rather than polyphonic reinterpretations (what I call realtones). This is despite major US phone firm Verizon Wireless announcing it was axing the singer from its ringtone platform after objecting to that video that showed Akon dancing on stage in a sexually proactive manner with an under age fan.
The label, Universal's SRC imprint, says that the latest stats show Akon has scored cumulative mastertone ringtone sales in excess of 11 million, thanks to the popularity of tracks 'Smack That', 'Don't Matter' and 'I Wanna Love You' in the ringtone domain. SRC chief Steve Rifkind told reporters this week: "We're thrilled that Akon has now surpassed all other artists of this era and has cemented his place in music history".
With Akon's continued popularity in the ringtone space it seems Verizon may have backtracked on their opposition to the artist, with reports that his ringtones are now once more available to the mobile firm's subscribers.