Quoted from BMS:
MTV Networks and Harmonix announced today the planning and preparation of the "Rock Band Network", a way for new acts and unsigned talent to get their work into the Rock Band series.
The system allows any group with access to their own master tracks to create their own notecharts or have a team of Harmonix trained charters create the game tracks for the Rock Band engine, and then upload them to a special service for download in the main game.
Prices will be able to be set by the creators of the content, from 50 cents up to $3 per track, with 30% of sales going to the creators. The artists will receive these payments as royalties through a payment system that also provides them with automated accounting. The system will work similarly to Microsoft's Community Games, with tracks being approved for quality, playability, and content by the rest of the community before the tracks are available for purchase.
This seems to be part of what was hinted at before when Harmonix stated they were working on something more in-depth to combat the Guitar Hero series' GHTunes program, and it should allow for tons of new and independent acts to get their music into the public eye and give their fans a new way to enjoy their music.
The idea that the notecharters will be Harmonix trained, and Harmonix style charting guides and documentation will be available should help to keep the playability very high, and it should be very interesting to see what comes if this.
The program is currently in closed beta, with a public beta scheduled for late August in the United States. The service will provide a "sophisticated toolset" and documentation on how bands to begin the trek of authoring Rock Band game play files. Submitting songs will be done via a specialized Web site - Creators.RockBand.com - where they will be playtested and reviewed by peers.
If you don't own a 360, though, don't get in a sweat. While the tracks themselves will be made available on the Xbox 360 format first, access to standout tracks on the service for those on the Playstation Network and Nintendo Wii will follow some time thereafter. Our press release indicates, though, that these songs will have a full 30-day Xbox 360 exclusivity before they swing to other systems.
One other note of interest for those looking to download these brand new tracks from up-and-coming artists is the demo feature. Players will be able to demo samples of the songs before they make a purchase. Whether or not this just means listening to audio sample or being able to preview a short note chart example is unclear, but I would be led to believe it will just be an audio sample.
We'll be sure to keep everyone updated as more news becomes available on the Network.
Now, I assume that all (or most) doujin bands are unsigned. This means that now they have a chance to appear in the real game.
I'm willing to talk to them about this opportunity and see if they are willing to submit their music for this game. I will not chart them, as I will allow the professionals do their work instead. Considering that I'm a huge Rock Band fan, I'm really excited.
Of course, there's a few problems with this. One obvious problem for me is that I have no idea how to speak to them in japanese. Unless they understand english, I have no way of communicating with them, so I'll likely need a translator for me.
Second, I'll need their e-mail or some way to contact them. I'm pretty sure there are people here who knows at least some of them.
Third, they most likely don't even know the series. The game itself is very unknown over in japan, since they have GF&DM controlling the market there. But if I mention that they can earn money, it MIGHT help them agree to this.
Fourth, and probably something we definitely need to keep in mind, is ZUN. The fact that they're arranging his music makes me wonder if it's okay to do this without his permission. I'd rather contact him as well to better be sure about it, especially in a huge game such as RB2, but if it's not necessary, I wouldn't want to bother him as well.
This definitely won't be easy, but I'm hoping to bring some of them into the game. I can try my best to promote them, and I'm willing to download their songs for any price range.
I'll be asking other sites that may be willing to help. I'm hoping to get Demetori, CROW'S CLAW, MyonMyon, and many others into the game. Don't worry about the lack of vocals though. It is not required.
