Rock Band Network
Music Store now open.
More than 4,000 New Authors and Peer Reviewers Registered Since Open Beta Launch in January
CAMBRIDGE, MA and NEW YORK, NY – March 4, 2010 - Harmonix Music Systems and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced that the Rock Band Network Music Store opens to the public today, giving Rock Band fans and music lovers a new avenue to discover music and providing musicians and labels the opportunity to produce and promote tracks for the Rock Band platform. The Rock Band Network, announced in July,is aground-breaking initiative that gives musicians, publishers and record labels the ability to author their original recordings into gameplay files to promote and sell their music as playable Rock Band tracks through the Rock Band Network Music Store (RBN Store).
In addition, it was announced today that T-Mobile has signed on as launch partner of the Rock Band Network to develop an “Artist-of-the-Month” feature beginning in April 2010 to help fans identify and connect with new talent in the Rock Band Network.
“The Rock Band Network Music Store gives artists at any level the opportunity to reach new fans through our deeply engaging interactive platform,” said Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music Group. “This new pathway for discovery is a huge win for passionate music fans, as well as an opportunity for artists to promote themselves while positively impacting their bottom line.”
Artists who submit songs for the Rock Band Network Music Store are able to choose from multiple pricing tiers for individual tracks and receive a royalty of 30 percent of the retail selling price (excluding tax) for every track purchased through the RBN Store. There are currently more than 100 songs available for purchase in the Rock Band Network Music Store from artists including The Shins, The Hold Steady, The Main Drag, Bang Camaro, of Montreal, Jonathan Coulton, Skeleton Witch, 3 Inches of Blood, Lacuna Coil, Stroke 9, and Steve Vai*. There are more than 300 artists in the RBN pipeline, with additional tracks already on the way from Flight of the Conchords, The Smashing Pumpkins, Twin Atlantic, All That Remains, Clutch, Prong, The Gaslight Anthem and many more coming soon.
*see below list for full day one track listings!
With more than 1,100 tracks available to date in the original Rock Band platform, the Rock Band Network Music Store will immediately boost the number of available songs, further securing MTV Games and Harmonix’s position as the leading provider of downloadable content for music-based video games.
“The response to and interest in the Rock Band Network has been even greater than we originally expected,” said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems. “We’re very excited about the number of bands and labels who have geared up to participate in the Rock Band Network, as well as the number of enthusiasts who have signed up to participate in the Peer Review and Playtest processes.”
Since launching the Rock Band Network open beta in January, more than 4,300 new users have registered as authors and peer reviewers on http://Creators.RockBand.com, the site where songs are submitted before they are approved to be sold. Authors create Rock Band song packages and submit them to the site to go through two processes: Playtest, where the community delivers feedback on a work in progress track, and Peer Review, where revised and final drafts are vetted and approved for sale. During Peer Review, songs are tested for playability, adherence to the authoring standards of Rock Band and checked to check for violations of XNA Creators Club Online community standards (vulgarity, adult content, original content, etc.).
Peer reviewers have the unique opportunity to play Rock Band Network content for free, well in advance of a track’s commercial release. These fans can help shape the track’s final versions, providing crucial feedback and flagging issues throughout Playtest and Peer Review that ensures songs are up to the high standards set by Harmonix. Any music fan with Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and an internet connected PC can join the Playtest and Peer Review processes by purchasing an XNA Creators Club Online Premium membership through http://creators.xna.com/membership.
Once tracks are approved, they are transferred to the Rock Band Network Music Store, an in-game music marketplace where the millions of Rock Band fans will be able to explore this constantly growing set of new content. In an exciting turn of events, for the first time in the Rock Band franchise, users will be able to download sample gameplay of each track to try before they buy! Songs will debut exclusively on Xbox 360 for 30 days. A selection of standout tracks will then be made available on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system from Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Wii™ home videogame console from Nintendo.
How to get started:
• Wondering How to Submit a Song? http://creators.rockband.com/docs/Website Scroll down to “Adding a song to the pipeline."
• Want to Become a Peer Reviewer? http://creators.rockband.com/docs/Playtest_Process
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About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company’s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.
About MTV Games
MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.
About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc
Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of groundbreaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit www.harmonixmusic.com.
© 2010 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harmonix, Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Rock Band Network and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., a MTV Networks company. Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band Network developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. MTV: Music Television, MTV Games and all related titles and logos are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.
Songs Now Available in the Rock Band Network Music Store
Song / Band
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
PRESS CONTACTS:
For MTV Games / Harmonix:
Jeff Castaneda
Phone: 212-846-6774
Email: jeff.castaneda@mtvstaff.com