Making Money on Rock Band Network, can it be done?
Let me first declare – this is likely the most unbiased blog posting you’ll read. I’m not trying to sell you something, and frankly don’t know how as an attorney I can “cash in” on the Rock Band Network (if you know an idea, please leave a comment). Harmonix, or Apple for that matter, is not negotiating with your band/publisher/songwriter. So this is purely for informational purpose and hopefully your group can gain something from these articles I’ve noted and my opinion at the end. Article continues after the jump…..
http://gighive.com/the-buzz/2010/03/how-to-get-your-music-on-the-rock-band-network/ (Gig Hive)
http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/03/04/news-hands-on-with-rock-band-network.aspx (Game Informer)
My favorite quote, “Nordhaus said the worst part of the Rock Band Network development process was the legal tangles. He said the legal hassles added months to the launch of the service. When developers want to do anything new with user-generated content, Nordhaus said lawyers will get involved, and the inclusion of music made this particular process doubly complicated”
Older article (Kotaku) on putting content in, included again because I frankly think it’s the most clearly written on this topic. (Important note: 35 cents to label/artist, 65 cents to PSN)
For completion’s sake, the RBN official starting point.
__________________________________________________________
Comparisons to Itunes:
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/q-how-much-of-a-99/ (Their answer, 34 cents to Itunes, 55 cents to major label, 10 cents to the artist)
Some Itunes demographics (75% of songs downloaded at least once)
NY Times article explaining how much Itunes is making, and why.
As usual, saved the “egghead” stuff for last… http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=952019 (Jonathon Sprigman, The 99 Cent Question) Excellent article for either the band’s manager, or the economist.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Here’s my take, purely commentary.
Cons: Even though I love Rock Band personally, (I purchased Rock Band 2 myself), it is not well known among music buyers. Furthermore, there are no established avenues to publicize your music. There are of course the Harmonix featured tracks, but even their Website does not tell how they are selected. Unlike Itunes which can be easily advertised over the internet, I do not know that Harmoix or PSN accept ads “pushing” a certain song. So outside of word of mouth, how is someone to find your music on Rock Band Network?
Pros: Most people who have Rock Band are real fanatics about bands. And if their favorite band has songs, they are probably much more inclined to buy than if it’s just on Itunes. (You get to play AS the band). The other factor is that while Itunes has an installed base of 7 years, tens of thousands of choices as well as podcasts and TVs/movies, RockBandNetwork has merely hundreds of choices and soon going into the thousands. That’s still a fraction of the competition of Itunes. And there are success stories(1Up) such as Aerosmith and others who make as much or more through game downloads as through Itunes.
Photo Attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangiechan/2626880129 (Creative Commons no derivatives, flickr)
Jay Moffitt is a Tennessee attorney. This blog is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not consitute legal advice or create an attorney/client relationship. Jay Moffitt is not certified as a specialist in this area by Tennessee and Tennessee does not certify specialists in this practice area. All comments will be answered promptly and courteously as long as they are germane to the discussion and do not contain specific game names or incidents.
