Slashdot Mirror
Rock Band To Allow Independent Artists To Add Their Own Songs
Bakkster writes "Independent artists will be able to use the XNA Creator's Club to produce the Rock Band note-charts for their music and sell them in game later this year. Bands will use their original song masters and generate a MIDI file that produces the game 'gems' to which players can follow along. Tracks must pass a review process with other XNA members, and then a final approval from MTV Games. Songs will be sold for between 50 cents and $3, with the artist getting a 30% cut after MTV and Microsoft take their cut. The best tracks will also make their way to the Wii and PS3 after a 30-day exclusive period."
Comparing the summary, article, and official site:
Summary and article: prices range from 50 cents to $3 per song
Official site: Final pricing has yet to be determined
Summary: Artists get 30% after MTV and MS take their cut
Article: Artists get 30% of each sale
Official site: Artists get "a cut" of each sale
Where did the figures in the article and summary come from?
that said, they are requiring that you get the premium subscription to the XNA creators network ($100 per year) according the link.
Whats your point? There has to be SOME barrier to entry. (and the $100 cost to produce iphone apps hasn't even come close to stopping the flood of garbage)
Like I said, I don't have a problem with a simple delay. If Microsoft has the best system for developing content, and/or Harmonix got the best deal with them, fine, give them a limited(!) period of exclusivity. But here's what I have a problem with:
I believe the community you were referring to is other song creators, not the public at large, and the wiki page's mention of peer review would tend to reinforce that. It seems reasonable to me that songs that are effectively in beta testing aren't publicly available. Rereading the press release with the peer review in mind, it's possible that by "stand out tracks" they meant "tracks that passed review", but that's not clearly spelled out in the press release, and the other platforms aren't mentioned at all on the wiki.
Of course there's a $100 per year fee to be in the XBL Marketplace in the first place.
There's also a $100 per year fee to be in Apple's store. So why do so many Slashdot users put down Microsoft but give props to Apple?
At least in the U.S., cover versions of any publicly-distributed songs are covered by compulsory licensing
As I understand it, the U.S. compulsory license applies to pure sound recordings, not to audiovisual works that include synchronized media such as "gem" charts.