Rock Band "Just a Part" of Musicians' Jobs, Says Harmonix

[Keane Ng]

Rock Band "Just a Part" of Musicians' Jobs, Says Harmonix

While some professional musicians have nothing but scorn for music games, Harmonix thinks that for most pro music makers, incorporating Rock Band into their music is "just a part" of their jobs.

The potential for music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero to affect the way musicians make music and how listeners consume it has been touted for some time now, and it's still up in the air whether that potential has come close to being fulfilled. Alex Rigopulos of Harmonix, however, seems pretty set on how significant a part Rock Band plays in the lives of music makers.

"It turns out that many major artists have taken advantage and are moving quickly to bring content to the platform," Rigopulos said in a talk at Microsoft HQ in Cologne for Gamescom. "Creating Rock Band levels is just part of what they do now."

That comes as a contradiction to the outspoken opinions of some legendary musicians out there who have little to no affection for the music game craze. Well, I guess those folks are just ornery old gents who need to get with the times.

And considering the volume of major music artists in Rock Band, sure, I'd say that for a decent amount of musicians out there music games have some sort of role in how they distribute their songs. But I'm sure it's not the case for everyone out there, yet. Harmonix probably thinks the same way - that's the problem they want to solve with their recently revealed Rock Band Network, a service that lets any musician - you included - create and sell their songs in Rock Band.

[Via VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2009/08/18/rock-band-is-just-part-of-many-major-musicians-jobs-says-rigopulos/]]

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[Casual Shinji]

God, I hope not.

If that's true then good music as we know it is f*cking doomed.

 

[scotth266]

God, I hope not.

If that's true then good music as we know it is f*cking doomed.

How so? This article is basically saying that music makers out there are merely considering Rock Band as a additional sales platorm when they go to distribute their music. It's not like it's affecting the quality of said music.

I'm not terribly surprised by this. Rock Band has proven that music DLC sells like hotcakes, so artists are going to start partnering up more with Harmonix to get in on those juicy sales, and the gamer gets loads of content to play. It's a win-win-win situation for everyone.

 

[TaborMallory]

You know what else it does? Kiddies everywhere are suddenly the biggest fan of some band, yet only know the songs featured on these games.

 

[FloodOne]

You know what else it does? Kiddies everywhere are suddenly the biggest fan of some band, yet only know the songs featured on these games.

Umm, kiddies today can look up said artists on YouTube and discover the bands entire catalog. My little brother started playing Guitar Hero III a couple years back, and now he knows most of Metallica's songs, and a good chunk of Guns 'N Roses' music.

Don't assume, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups.

 

[saintchristopher]

You know what else it does? Kiddies everywhere are suddenly the biggest fan of some band, yet only know the songs featured on these games.

Umm, kiddies today can look up said artists on YouTube and discover the bands entire catalog. My little brother started playing Guitar Hero III a couple years back, and now he knows most of Metallica's songs, and a good chunk of Guns 'N Roses' music.

Don't assume, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups.

Great, so now your brother is a huge fan of shitty bands. Thanks, Guitar Hero!

i think the most important art of this article was basically relegated to a post-script: The Rock Band Network, which allows artists to personally upload their work into the game if they want, cutting out record label men and red tape like that. How rights management will be dealt with remains to be seen, but it seems now more than ever it's up to the artists to put their songs in if they want to so that everybody* can hear and "play" them. and maybe garner some major label attention, too.

[small]*and by "everybody," I mean 360 owners. we PS3 people can just fuck right off, apparently.[/small]

 

[Casual Shinji]

God, I hope not.

If that's true then good music as we know it is f*cking doomed.

How so? This article is basically saying that music makers out there are merely considering Rock Band as a additional sales platorm when they go to distribute their music. It's not like it's affecting the quality of said music.

I'm not terribly surprised by this. Rock Band has proven that music DLC sells like hotcakes, so artists are going to start partnering up more with Harmonix to get in on those juicy sales, and the gamer gets loads of content to play. It's a win-win-win situation for everyone.

I honestly don't give a flying fig about Rockband or Guitar Hero. And I feel a little disturbed by the fact that some people think they can make music by playing on plasic toys. And if serious musicians start thinking that why, then heaven help us.

 

[Artemis923]

Hrrm. Harmonix doesn't give a mummer's fart about death/black metal fans.

Seriously...if they had some Dissection or Necrophagist for DLC, I'd totally buy it.

 

[scotth266]

I honestly don't give a flying fig about Rockband or Guitar Hero. And I feel a little disturbed by the fact that some people think they can make music by playing on plasic toys. And if serious musicians start thinking that why, then heaven help us.

Did you just ignore what I wrote above? The serious musicians aren't going to just drop everything in favor of Rock Band: they're just getting more interested in adapting their songs for it. That's what the article is about: artists saying that they consider Rock Band as much a part of the distribution system for their music as they do digital downloads and CDs.

Besides, your argument would mean that you don't consider anything made on a synthesizer to be music either. Is techno suddenly invalid as a genre because people don't play instruments to make it? I didn't think so.

 

[FloodOne]

You know what else it does? Kiddies everywhere are suddenly the biggest fan of some band, yet only know the songs featured on these games.

Umm, kiddies today can look up said artists on YouTube and discover the bands entire catalog. My little brother started playing Guitar Hero III a couple years back, and now he knows most of Metallica's songs, and a good chunk of Guns 'N Roses' music.

Don't assume, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups.

Great, so now your brother is a huge fan of shitty bands. Thanks, Guitar Hero!

Yeah, shitty bands that are bound for the rock and roll hall of fame.

We can't all like Nickelback.

 

[squid5580]

I don't understand the hate from musicians. Is GH or RB really all that different from breaking out your air guitar for an epic solo? Where were all these complainers when back in the day there was air band competitions?

 

[maxusy3k]

I honestly don't give a flying fig about Rockband or Guitar Hero. And I feel a little disturbed by the fact that some people think they can make music by playing on plasic toys. And if serious musicians start thinking that why, then heaven help us.

I still can't decide if this knee-jerk idiot response is posed by people deliberately trolling or trying to be elitist. I'm pretty certain anybody with a modicum of musical sense would realise the banality of such comments.

I really don't think anybody, anywhere, thinks playing these games is anything akin to playing a real instrument. People can brag about their gold stars on Through the Fire and Flames all they want but I think they'll know they won't have the slightest chance of producing the same effect if you handed them a six-string. The only possible comparison I can think would be the drums, since it actually teaches pretty valuable drumming techniques - rhythm, limb independence etc - but the fact I'm fairly competent on the fake plastic drums doesn't make me think I could sit behind a real kit and hammer out Slayer or what have you.

As for the validity of Rock Band / Guitar Hero as a music platform, there's a whole bunch of bands I hadn't heard of, and probably would never have listened to, if I hadn't been 'forced' to play the songs on these games. Coheed and Cabria are my favorite example simply because they're now one of my favorite bands.

The experience of playing the games, however faux-rock and simulated it may be, has inspired me to finally pay attention to the cast-off guitar gathering dust in the corner of my room and I'm starting to practice with a serious view to starting my own band, simply because the feeling I get when I'm playing Rock Band is one of pure, undiluted fun, and I can't imagine that would hold anything but the tiniest of candles to the real thing.

I think these games are truly turning a new generation of people onto music they wouldn't have ever heard of otherwise, and perhaps in a few years we may well start to see the rise of bands who were inspired to make music because of nights lost playing their over-priced Fisher Price music set. Sure, in some cases it might only be one or two songs, but I know several people who have become fully fledged fans of bands they've heard first from these games.

And as an aside... I think it stands to point out that (nearly?)all of the artists who have denounced the Rock Band / Guitar Hero phenomenom - Nickelback and Jack White spring to mind - all have songs featured in those games. Look it up.

Apparently the notion of hypocrisy isn't a necessity in being able to legitimately play an instrument and forge a career in music.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I honestly don't give a flying fig about Rockband or Guitar Hero. And I feel a little disturbed by the fact that some people think they can make music by playing on plasic toys. And if serious musicians start thinking that why, then heaven help us.

Did you just ignore what I wrote above? The serious musicians aren't going to just drop everything in favor of Rock Band: they're just getting more interested in adapting their songs for it. That's what the article is about: artists saying that they consider Rock Band as much a part of the distribution system for their music as they do digital downloads and CDs.

Besides, your argument would mean that you don't consider anything made on a synthesizer to be music either. Is techno suddenly invalid as a genre because people don't play instruments to make it? I didn't think so.

NO, that's not what I mean. I'm simply criticizing Rockband and Guitar Hero of trying to worm their way into the music industry. I just don't trust it. Call me old-fashioned.

And I do consider synthesizers instruments since Daft Punk is one of my favourite bands. I also consider Rockband and Guitar Hero periphirals instruments, to play games with.

 

[MasterMuffinMan]

I can't work out which side of the debate I'm on. On one hand, I'm pleased that more people have experienced the sheer awesome that is Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover. However, if I have to endure one more person asking "is that the song from Guitar Hero?", I might just have to stab them in the face.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I honestly don't give a flying fig about Rockband or Guitar Hero. And I feel a little disturbed by the fact that some people think they can make music by playing on plasic toys. And if serious musicians start thinking that why, then heaven help us.

I still can't decide if this knee-jerk idiot response is posed by people deliberately trolling or trying to be elitist. I'm pretty certain anybody with a modicum of musical sense would realise the banality of such comments.

I really don't think anybody, anywhere, thinks playing these games is anything akin to playing a real instrument. People can brag about their gold stars on Through the Fire and Flames all they want but I think they'll know they won't have the slightest chance of producing the same effect if you handed them a six-string. The only possible comparison I can think would be the drums, since it actually teaches pretty valuable drumming techniques - rhythm, limb independence etc - but the fact I'm fairly competent on the fake plastic drums doesn't make me think I could sit behind a real kit and hammer out Slayer or what have you.

As for the validity of Rock Band / Guitar Hero as a music platform, there's a whole bunch of bands I hadn't heard of, and probably would never have listened to, if I hadn't been 'forced' to play the songs on these games. Coheed and Cabria are my favorite example simply because they're now one of my favorite bands.

The experience of playing the games, however faux-rock and simulated it may be, has inspired me to finally pay attention to the cast-off guitar gathering dust in the corner of my room and I'm starting to practice with a serious view to starting my own band, simply because the feeling I get when I'm playing Rock Band is one of pure, undiluted fun, and I can't imagine that would hold anything but the tiniest of candles to the real thing.

I think these games are truly turning a new generation of people onto music they wouldn't have ever heard of otherwise, and perhaps in a few years we may well start to see the rise of bands who were inspired to make music because of nights lost playing their over-priced Fisher Price music set. Sure, in some cases it might only be one or two songs, but I know several people who have become fully fledged fans of bands they've heard first from these games.

And as an aside... I think it stands to point out that (nearly?)all of the artists who have denounced the Rock Band / Guitar Hero phenomenom - Nickelback and Jack White spring to mind - all have songs featured in those games. Look it up.

Apparently the notion of hypocrisy isn't a necessity in being able to legitimately play an instrument and forge a career in music.

I'm not criticizing the people who play these games, but rather the suits behind the scenes who're trying to get a foot in the door of the music industry. And there by getting a voice in how music will be made from then on. I just don't trusy companies that grow to big to fast.

If the games made you wanna pick up your guitar and start playing again then that's great. I myself am a hopeless creative who grabs any chance to get that bit closer to the real thing. Maybe I am being a bit of an elitest prick. I guess every one is a little elitist about something.

 

[Kedimay]

I can't work out which side of the debate I'm on. On one hand, I'm pleased that more people have experienced the sheer awesome that is Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover. However, if I have to endure one more person asking "is that the song from Guitar Hero?", I might just have to stab them in the face.

So true.
I play electric guitar and Guitar Hero as well, so I have no side.
But when I play songs to people on my Electric and they ask
'Oh, that one off Guitar Hero?'
NO!
It was an awesome song before Guitar Hero had and that's when I learnt it.

But I'm split on a decision about this.
YES, Musicians will have an extra marketing scheme and everything.
YES, It's enjoyable to play and pretend - but only pretend.
(I'm not taking anymore "I can do GH Expert, Guitar can't be that much harder")

But also on the other hand,
It's bad for bands because they are recognised by Guitar Hero rather than their own productions and advertising.

 

[Carnagath]

I don't see what the fuss is about to be honest. It's just another way for bands to bring their music to the audience, which is awesome. As for the arguments about plastic instruments wiping out normal instruments, they are so hilarious that I don't think they are actually comment-worthy. It's like protesting the release of Gran Tourismo 5 because you believe it will wipe out real world driving.

As for the games themselves, I am completely indifferent and see them in pretty much the same way as cybersex. I know they work for some people. I can assume why, sort of. But when I try it, I feel nothing, I fantasize about nothing although I know I'm supposed to, I just feel like an idiot wasting his time. Well, to each their own I guess.