If you are using music that is created by someone else, you are required to pay the right fee in any case.
If you develop ringtone distribution into a business, you will have to cope with strict problems such as difference of right fee. In any case, there will be no problem when you are presenting your own music.

In the case of melody ringtone, you will have to pay copyright fees to the composer. Normally, your payment will be done through JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers). Since right relation is simple, it can be said that entering into melody ringtone distribution business is comparatively easy.

In the case of song ringtone, you extract sound from CD, therefore you will have to pay for the master tape in addition to what you pay for the composer. In order to create and sell song ringtones, you are required to get licencse from and pay right fee to the record label that owns right of master tape. It could be a record company or a music production company that owns the right of master tape.