After being announced last July and going through 2 beta programs it looks as if the Rock Band Network is finally set to launch today.
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Edit 1: Confirmed: The store is now open
Edit 2: The site was down for a bit thanks to the unreliable hosting of Media Temple (they had a cluster go down). Should be back up and good hopefully.
According to Billboard.com the Rock Band Network is set to open some time today. No confirmation from Harmonix or MTV just yet and many rumors had been swirling that the network would be revealed next week at SXSW. A post from the official Rock Band twitter accounts tells followers to stay tuned for a big announcement later today.
So what is the Rock Band network? Well, Rock Band basically gave out all of the same tools they use build and mix songs into the game to anyone willing to sign-up for a developers license and hopefully a little bit of audio engineering background. These new developers can now offer their services to any band or label seeking to have their music in the game. One of these authoring companies is Rock God Games who is comprised of touring musicians and studio owners.
“We’ve spent the last 15 years working as full-time musicians touring with the now defunct band Codeseven (Equal Vision Records). During that time frame we built our own studio and have been recording various bands and our own side projects. We know music and the music biz better than anyone and working with the Rock Band Network has been very natural and fun for us. All of those hours of transcribing music as a kid has really paid off now” – Rock God Games
Rock God Games offers a discount rate for unsigned artists at $574 a song and for signed artist start a $250 setup fee and $175 a minute of music with rates going down the more songs you have authored. Other authoring houses like Tunecore start out at $999 a song and will be upping that price to $2500 soon according to their website.
For Rock Band fans you will now have a plethora of new music to choose from which will be consistently uploaded daily. Currently there is 119 songs to choose from in the network and 300 more just waiting in the wings. Well known artist like “Steve Via” or “The Shins” all the way down to your average local band will be available for download. Prices will range from $1 -$3 bucks (MS credits will be used to actually purchase the song) which the artist or label will determine from song to song. You will also be able to search and sort for songs by genre, label, author and all the way down to the “difficulty” level. Before you buy you can download a free demo of the track to see if you like it, which I think will be 30 to 60 seconds of the song.
Will unsigned bands be discovered? Can this new format possibly save the music industry? It’s hard to say but it all looks very promising and could add some significant revenue for all the struggling record labels. Offering a rock band track with the purchase of an album? Wow the possibilities could be endless!
Jeff Marshall explains the Rock Band Network
Songs Now Available in the Rock Band Network Music Store:
A Drug Against War–KMFDM
Angel Lust–Fake Shark-Real Zombie!
Another California Song–Zack Wilson
Arigato–Gandhi
Australia–The Shins
Backyard Buildyard–Steve and Lindley Band
Battles and Brotherhood–3 Inches of Blood
Buried Cold–Rose of Jericho
Burn it Down–Five Finger Death Punch
California–The Kimberly Trip
Can I Stay–Stephanie Hatfield and Hot Mess
Cease and Desist–The Main Drag
Children of December–The Slip
Creepy Doll–Jonathan Coulton
Crushed Beyond Dust–Skeletonwitch
Day of Mourning–Despised Icon
Disengage–Suicide Silence
Don’t Let Me Down (Slowly)–The Main Drag
Dove Nets–The Main Drag
Drunken Lullabies (Live)–Flogging Molly
End Quote–Full-Source
Even Rats–The Slip
Fade Away–Of Last Resort
Far Away from Heaven–Free Spirit
Fight Back–Ron Wasserman
For the Love of God (Live)–Steve Vai
Fortune–Kristin Hersh
Get the Hell Out of Here–Steve Vai
Give–The Cold Goodnight
Goth Girls–MC Frontalot
Grumpytown–Speck
He Sleeps in a Grove–Amberian Dawn
Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse–of Montreal
Homosuperior–The Main Drag
Horses in Heaven–Fake Shark-Real Zombie!
How We’d Look On Paper–The Main Drag
Hyperbole–Glass Hammer
Icarus’ Song–Furly
If Not Now When–Color Theory
If Trucks Drank Beer–Error 404 feat. CJ Watson
Ikea–Jonathan Coulton
In Memories–Giant Target
Inside Out–Nick Gallant
It’s Good–The Humans
It’s Not You, It’s Everyone–Full-Source
Juke Joint Jezebel–KMFDM
Kick Some Ass ‘09–Stroke 9
Lady in a Blue Dress–Senses Fail
Lemon Juice–Scratching The Itch
Lilith in Libra–You Shriek
Limousine–Stars of Boulevard
Liquid Smog (StompBox Remix)–WaveGroup Feat. Becca Neun
Little Black Backpack ‘09–Stroke 9
Liverpool Judies–The Fisticuffs
Love During Wartime–The Main Drag
Mechanical Love–In This Moment
Megatron–The Main Drag
Mississippi Kite–Kristin Hersh
Moonboy–The Dirty Love Band
Nancy Drew–Pink Flag
No Direction–Longwave
No Heroes–You Shriek
Not My Fault–Ultra Saturday
Ox–Zack Wilson
Paper Valentines–James William Roy
Parhelia–Heaven Ablaze
Persistence of Vision–Matter in the Medium
Race The Hourglass–Audio Fiction
Red Sky At Morn–Full-Source
Requiem for a Dying Song–Flogging Molly
Rip’er–Lead the Dead
River of Tuoni–Amberian Dawn
Running for the Razors–Fake Shark-Real Zombie!
Rx–Wounded Soul
Sequestered in Memphis–The Hold Steady
Sestri Levante–Fake Shark-Real Zombie!
Sick–Bif Naked
Signs–Giant Target
Sissyfuss–Surprise Me Mr. Davis
Sleep On–Glass Hammer
Stand for Something–Skindred
Still There–Bojibian
Superhero!–Ultra Saturday
Survive–Lacuna Coil
Tadpole Search and Rescue–Chaunce DeLeon and The Fountain of Choof
Talk About–Dear and the Headlights
Talk Them Down–The Main Drag
Teeth, Face, Outerspace–The Main Drag
The Attitude Song–Steve Vai
The Buddy Disease–Scratching The Itch
The Complexity of Light–Children of Nova
The Future Soon–Jonathan Coulton
The Heist–DnA’s Evolution
Tongue Twister Typo–Blackmarket
Top Back–Alias Unknown
Tricky Girl–The Main Drag
Trippolette–Andrew Buch
Turn Yourself Around–Nick Gallant
VP of Booty Reports–Speck
Watch It All Go Down–Foreword
We Are the Best–C&O
Whatever Is Wrong With You–Marillion
What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur?–The Main Drag
You Got That–The Everybody
You’re My Everything–Scratching The Itch
