Amy Lee from that Evanescence
The Rock Band Network, MTV Games' initiative that will enable anyone to get their songs into Rock Band, is set to launch today according to the Wall Street Journal.
While it's looking like a useful tool for established acts, however, it doesn't sound like it will be the oasis of smaller, less well known talent music fans might hope for. The Wall Street Journal reports that - if you don't have the technical wherewithal to make tracks Rock Band-ready yourself - you're looking at around $500 per minute of music to get a third party to do it. That's not massively enticing for an unproven act.
The Network will launch on the Xbox 360, with the initiative due to migrate to other systems as some vague, undisclosed point in the future. At this time, royalties for the RBN will be handled by Microsoft.
The service, which enables anyone to make cash (70% of the revenue) from their own tracks, will feature materiel from such lesser-known aspiring acts as... Creed and Evanescence. Sub Pop, the record label formerly behind Nirvana, will be offering such music from such up-and-coming acts as... The Shins, Flight of the Conchords, Mudhoney, Sleater-Kinney and The Postal Service.
"At $3 apiece nobody's looking to Rock Band as a discovery tool", said Tony Kiewel, head of artists-and-repertoire at Sub Pop. "That's not going to happen."
MTV's Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president for electronic games and music, said, "We expected this to be an initiative that would appeal to unsigned artists. What was surprising to us was how many artists with hit records have offered themselves up."
More on Rock Band network here.
More in the WSJ story.
While it's looking like a useful tool for established acts, however, it doesn't sound like it will be the oasis of smaller, less well known talent music fans might hope for. The Wall Street Journal reports that - if you don't have the technical wherewithal to make tracks Rock Band-ready yourself - you're looking at around $500 per minute of music to get a third party to do it. That's not massively enticing for an unproven act.
The Network will launch on the Xbox 360, with the initiative due to migrate to other systems as some vague, undisclosed point in the future. At this time, royalties for the RBN will be handled by Microsoft.
The service, which enables anyone to make cash (70% of the revenue) from their own tracks, will feature materiel from such lesser-known aspiring acts as... Creed and Evanescence. Sub Pop, the record label formerly behind Nirvana, will be offering such music from such up-and-coming acts as... The Shins, Flight of the Conchords, Mudhoney, Sleater-Kinney and The Postal Service.
"At $3 apiece nobody's looking to Rock Band as a discovery tool", said Tony Kiewel, head of artists-and-repertoire at Sub Pop. "That's not going to happen."
MTV's Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president for electronic games and music, said, "We expected this to be an initiative that would appeal to unsigned artists. What was surprising to us was how many artists with hit records have offered themselves up."
More on Rock Band network here.
More in the WSJ story.
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Comments
deleted 19 Jan 2010 12:23
1/1
so 70% of revenue is $2.10 per download, if an artist invests $2000.00 into a four minute track, that means aout 950 d/l sales needed to recoup not to bad really. sell 1000 copies and have money to buy some Sex, Drugs and an Elivs CD!!