Create and Sell Rock Band Songs With The Rock Band Network

Keane Ng

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Sep 11, 2008
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Create and Sell Rock Band Songs With The Rock Band Network



Anyone will be able to create, upload and sell Rock Band songs later this year when Harmonix and MTV launch the Rock Band Network.

Amateur and professional musicians alike will have a chance to see their songs in Harmonix and MTV Games' Rock Band later this year when the companies launch the Rock Band Network [http://creators.rockband.com/], a service that lets anybody create, upload and even sell (for real money) their music on Rock Band.

This means that everyone from established musical acts who want to see their music in Rock Band to unsigned acts that don't have the time or brand power to get into the game to your buddy who plays acoustic guitar and thinks he's the next John Mayer can be a part of Rock Band. If you own the rights and aren't completely technologically boneheaded, it can happen for you.

Here's how it'll supposedly work: Musicians will use what MTV Games is calling a "set of serious professional tools" to create their Rock Band tracks using their own master recordings and a number of Harmonix-supplied authoring plugins.

From there, you submit it to peer review by people on the Billboard.biz [http://creators.xna.com/en-US/news/harmonix]. The song(s) will go through checks for quality, explicit lyrics, copyright infringement and more. If your song gets the go ahead, it'll get posted on the Rock Band Network store (separate from the regular Rock Band store) where you can price it for 50 cents to $3. Creators will get 30% of profits.

Because of how closely the service is tied to the XNA Creators Club, the Rock Band Network is so far a 360 exclusive service (when it comes to selling and buying songs, not creating them), though Harmonix says that "select songs may also appear on PS3" and possibly Wii.

The Rock Band Network is currently in closed beta and will go into public testing (sign up [http://creators.rockband.com/] at the official site) later this summer, with a full launch scheduled for later this year.


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Sevre

Old Hands
Apr 6, 2009
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Wow, that actually is a good idea for us musicians! MTV did something useful!
 

Gunner_Guardian

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Jul 15, 2009
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How revolutionary.

I've always imagined internet services evolving to this point (users creating AND selling music or something). Hopefully it does well.
 

maxusy3k

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May 17, 2008
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Heard about this on the official site, and I'm really excited about it. The potential is amazing, not just in terms of songs getting on Rock Band, but in terms of the potential for music and broadcasting content.

Exciting times!
 

Radeonx

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Apr 26, 2009
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Great, now the musicians can take part in Rock Band, and make a name for themselves. My hat goes off to MTV and Harmonix.
 

Xvito

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Aug 16, 2008
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This is extremely good news!

Especially for all of us Piracy-sympathizers... They've finally realized that selling records ain't going to cut it in the 21st century.

--Xvito, keeping it excellent.
 

Credge

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Apr 12, 2008
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I don't really understand this bit.

the Rock Band Network is so far a 360 exclusive service (when it comes to selling and buying songs, not creating them)
Eh?
 

FinalHeart95

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Jun 29, 2009
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Me and my friend WERE writing a song. Although all we have at this point are the guitar and bass parts... and it's a pretty simple song as well.
 

Adoptedbarrel

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Jun 28, 2009
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I thought the point of these Guitar games was to play songs we all knew together for fun?

I guess it's good idea , but I wouldn't want any of the songs made by people , it's not what I'm playing the game for.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Songs that will be out on the first day

Original Power Rangers Theme
Tribute - Tenacious D
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
One Winged Angel - FF7

(That's not released, just what you KNOW that people will be releasing)
 

scotth266

Wait when did I get a sub
Jan 10, 2009
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The_root_of_all_evil said:
Songs that will be out on the first day

Original Power Rangers Theme
Tribute - Tenacious D
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
One Winged Angel - FF7

(That's not released, just what you KNOW that people will be releasing)
From reading the article, this sounds less like what Guitar Hero did for World Tour, and more like a toolkit for garage bands to sell their stuff, if it's good enough. It seems like this isn't just something that anyone will be able to pull off, so no Bohemian Raphsody if this part of the article is worded correctly:

From there, you submit it to peer review by people on the XNA Creators Club as well as a community of Harmonix-trained developers, according to a report on Billboard.biz. The song(s) will go through checks for quality, explicit lyrics, copyright infringement and more.
That's fine by me. I love the whole idea, and it gives small-time bands a whole new avenue to gain a following with. Go go garage bands!
 

cleverlymadeup

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Mar 7, 2008
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Credge said:
I don't really understand this bit.

the Rock Band Network is so far a 360 exclusive service (when it comes to selling and buying songs, not creating them)
Eh?
me either

The_root_of_all_evil said:
Songs that will be out on the first day

Original Power Rangers Theme
Tribute - Tenacious D
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
One Winged Angel - FF7

(That's not released, just what you KNOW that people will be releasing)
and they will be pulled the same day too
 

Scrythe

Premium Gasoline
Jun 23, 2009
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John Cage's 4'33" would be the greatest Rock Band song ever.

 

maxusy3k

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May 17, 2008
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The_root_of_all_evil said:
Songs that will be out on the first day

Original Power Rangers Theme
Tribute - Tenacious D
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
One Winged Angel - FF7

(That's not released, just what you KNOW that people will be releasing)
Paying a minimum $50 subscription fee just to get yoinked on uploading copyrighted material would be a little on the stupid side, methinks.
 

super_smash_jesus

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Dec 11, 2007
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I approve of this, because once guitar hero had a song creator, but did not allow you to include vocals, I lost interest rather quickly. Although, I have a feeling that it is going to be reminiscent of youtube songs, which I just would not pay for. But still a grand idea, and I hope it goes well.