We’re all familiar with Rock Band—you know, that awesome game that allows you to vicariously live through legendary rock stars no matter how tone deaf you may be. Until now, the Rock Band catalog has been limited to pretty well known songs, and predominantly marketed towards music fans, not musicians. Enter Rock Band Network, the groundbreaking new idea from Harmonix Systems and MTV Games that “gives musicians and record labels the ability to author their own original recordings into gameplay files and sell their music as playable Rock Band tracks through the newly-created Rock Band Network Music Store.” That’s right. Any solo musician or band, at any point in their career, who has a master recording can insert the track into the enormously popular video game, which is available to millions of users nationwide.
Face it, music is essential in gaming. And it goes without saying that this game is centered around music, music that could belong to you! Yes, there are a few flaming tech hoops to jump through, and publishers must pay a required fee of $49.99 for four months or $99.99 for a year to become a member of Microsoft’s XNA Creators club. But, the marketing potential makes the maze-like navigation well worth the pains. Artists even control their own pricing, and can set their track anywhere between 50 cents and 3 dollars receiving 30% of sales. The beta platform is scheduled to launch in late August and offer detailed instructions on how bands can convert their master tracks into gameplay files. Study up here for some explanation and here for a tutorial video before it goes live!
