- Aug 24, 2001
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With the open beta launch of the Rock Band Network for the Xbox 360, Harmonix is making it possible for users like indie bands and others to create tracks to be added to its games. Unsurprisingly, Harmonix believes that user created content will be a driving force for music games going forward. But competitor Neversoft agrees.
In an interview with Edge, Guitar Hero Project Director Brian Bright said, I think user-created content is key to the evolution. If you cant create or edit licensed music due to copyright laws then youre limited to pretending to play someone elses music. I think the key is to create music, but make it compelling to create, so the game is in the creation, not the playback.
Harmonix founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos agreed by adding, "User-generated content will be absolutely critical to the ongoing success of the genre, I think. To be clear, though, when I talk about users in this context, I dont necessarily mean end-users or players. Im talking about a huge community of power-users skilled music creators providing their music to the audience. The launch of the Rock Band Network will be our next defining moment.
If user-generated content takes off, this will be welcome news to a genre that has struggled recently with lagging sales for music games. Especially as the Rock Band Network and Neversoft's eventual Guitar Hero competitor make their way to the PS3 and Wii as well. However, creating songs for Rock Band Network is still an involved process despite Harmonix's efforts to simplify it. It is currently estimated to take around 40 hours of work per track along with the purchase of a Live Gold Membership ($30-$50 per year), XNA Membership ($99 per year), and the Reaper software ($60). However, some intrepid entrepreneurs are offering authoring and distributions services for the low low price of $999 per track. Which is a $1,500 discount off their normal $2,500 price.
In an interview with Edge, Guitar Hero Project Director Brian Bright said, I think user-created content is key to the evolution. If you cant create or edit licensed music due to copyright laws then youre limited to pretending to play someone elses music. I think the key is to create music, but make it compelling to create, so the game is in the creation, not the playback.
Harmonix founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos agreed by adding, "User-generated content will be absolutely critical to the ongoing success of the genre, I think. To be clear, though, when I talk about users in this context, I dont necessarily mean end-users or players. Im talking about a huge community of power-users skilled music creators providing their music to the audience. The launch of the Rock Band Network will be our next defining moment.
If user-generated content takes off, this will be welcome news to a genre that has struggled recently with lagging sales for music games. Especially as the Rock Band Network and Neversoft's eventual Guitar Hero competitor make their way to the PS3 and Wii as well. However, creating songs for Rock Band Network is still an involved process despite Harmonix's efforts to simplify it. It is currently estimated to take around 40 hours of work per track along with the purchase of a Live Gold Membership ($30-$50 per year), XNA Membership ($99 per year), and the Reaper software ($60). However, some intrepid entrepreneurs are offering authoring and distributions services for the low low price of $999 per track. Which is a $1,500 discount off their normal $2,500 price.
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