Viacom Promised Big Money to Beatles' Rights Holders

[Tom Goldman]

Viacom Promised Big Money to Beatles' Rights Holders

Viacom is going all in on its hopes that The Beatles: Rock Band will be a huge seller.

We all knew that using The Beatles in a Rock Band game couldn't have been cheap, and not surprisingly, it wasn't. The LA Times has revealed that Viacom guaranteed The Beatles' rights holders a minimum of $10 million, with another $40 million if The Beatles: Rock Band meets sales expectations. According to Martin Bandier, chairman of Sony/ATV Music Publishing: "The royalty rates on this are not even comparable to anything that has been done before."

Set to release on September 9, The Beatles: Rock Band looks to do more than just shove another band into a music game. The mythos and psychedelic imagery behind The Beatles' journey, and the eventual phenomenon that they became, are incorporated in an attempt to at least make the game appear different than the rest. I have purchased a Guitar Hero and Rock Band title from time to time, eventually getting bored after a day or two as they degenerate into memorization exercises (they're lots of fun, but just not lasting experiences for me personally), but even I am interested to try The Beatles: Rock Band.

So, maybe The Beatles: Rock Band will bring the music game genre out of its current rut? The LA Times states that according to the NPD Group, "sales of music [videogames] have plunged 46% in the U.S. this year." Rock Band has been a "consistent money loser" for Viacom, mostly due to manufacturing and shipping costs of its instruments. However, based on initial orders, Scott Guthrie, general manager of MTV Games, expects production costs and the promised $10 million to be recouped on day one. It's The Beatles, after all, the biggest band of all time, so how could it not sell well? You just never know in the current retail landscape.

Source: Joystiq [http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-beatles31-2009aug31,0,2943351.story?page=2&track=rss]




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[TxMxRonin]

This is what I hate about being a musician. So much legal b.s. that you can't understands.

 

[Rigs83]

I would buy Rock Band: The Beatles except I work in retail so I hear a Beatles song piped in at least fifteens times a day so I hate them.

 

[The Great JT]

I'm not buying The Beatles: Rock Band for two reasons.

Reason the first: "I'm Only Sleeping" isn't on the set list.
Reason the less stupid: I don't own Rock Band 2.

 

[theultimateend]

I'm on the line thinking art should be free. If i ever made it big with my guitar i would refuse to sell CD's for more then the production cost and instead get money from Concerts and Merchandise. Maybe they should cut the price of the game a couple of dollars. Its 150 Dollars roughly here. It was released when?

I'm a fan of people getting things I create for free as long as they credit me and don't try to make money off of it themselves.

I figure if people like your ish enough they'll donate to you. Seen it done quite successfully in the past. (One instance in particular someone made enough in donations to quit their actual job).

PS. There might be some contention here about the beatles being the greatest band of all time. I believe that the Jonas Brothers called dibs on the title.

Sure they can't sing, can't really dance, and aren't any more attractive than your average high school male but come on...

 

[samsonguy920]

I feel a harbinger that Beatles Rock Band will probably be the last Rock Band title. RIP Rock Band.

 

[majorcat]

I feel a harbinger that Beatles Rock Band will probably be the last Rock Band title. RIP Rock Band.

Hmm.. I don't think it'd be the last.. Harmonix isn't likely to just fold as a company, and music games are their thing.

Plus the RB Pearl Jam / Green Day announcements.

Though I dunno if I ever need another Rock Band / Guitar Hero game since Rock band 2 still awesome and the songlist just keeps growing.

Thinking of pre-ordering Beatles:RB but just the game -- can't take anymore plastic instruments :|.

 

[Ph33nix]

viacom? wasn;t that the company of Dr. evil in austin powers? ok back to seriousness

wow thats alot of of cash to those share holders. it makes them seem almost...greedy...

 

[samsonguy920]

I feel a harbinger that Beatles Rock Band will probably be the last Rock Band title. RIP Rock Band.

Hmm.. I don't think it'd be the last.. Harmonix isn't likely to just fold as a company, and music games are their thing.

Plus the RB Pearl Jam / Green Day announcements.

Though I dunno if I ever need another Rock Band / Guitar Hero game since Rock band 2 still awesome and the songlist just keeps growing.

Thinking of pre-ordering Beatles:RB but just the game -- can't take anymore plastic instruments :|.

The next thing to keeping the franchise alive, would probably be just licensing the instruments, let someone else eat the cost. Might just turn into a win-win.

 

[Andronicus]

PS. There might be some contention here about the beatles being the greatest band of all time. I believe that the Jonas Brothers called dibs on the title.

Sure they can't sing, can't really dance, and aren't any more attractive than your average high school male but come on...

No. Just... no.

OT: I can't wait until 9/9, I'm practically tearing my nails off with my teeth in nervous anticipation (damn, there goes another one...). However, it does occur to me that the Beatles have probably garnered sufficient money from various re-releases of their work over the years to constitute a slightly more reasonable price. That's AU$350 if anybody is wondering...

can't take anymore plastic instruments :|.

I wonder how many DJ Hero peripherals they actually intend to sell? I wouldn't touch one of those with a 10 foot pole. If anything will spell the death of the music videogames, it's DJ Hero.

 

[Teh_Doomage]

Reason the less stupid: I don't own Rock Band 2.

It's stand alone, don't need any other Rock Bands for it, just the instruments.


I'd give it a rent at best.

 

[Lusulpher]

Umm, didn't Micheal Jackson own much of the Beatles rights??

And wasn't he killed by his doctor before the game was launched?

Conspiracy? I know Nixon had Kennedy killed, I wonder if Paul would do it to Jackson...that is a bigass bonus from Viacom afterall.