A concept called the Rock Band Network was unveiled to us back in July last year, and in January 2010 a beta program of the same was released. Now Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that the Rock Band Network Music Store has opened to the public. It gives Rock Band fans a new place to discover music, as musicians and labels can produce and promote tracks for the Rock Band platform.
It was also announced that T-Mobile has signed on as launch partner to develop a feature called ‘Artist-of-the-Month’. This begins in April and will 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,” Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music Group said. “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 RBN will be able to select from multiple pricing ranges for individual tracks. They will receive royalties of 30 percent of the tax-excluded retail price for every track purchased through the RBN Store. There are already slightly over a hundred songs available from the RBN Store, with even more on their way.
“The response to and interest in the Rock Band Network has been even greater than we originally expected,” stated 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 the beta launched in January, more than 4,300 new users have registered as authors and peer reviewers. Authors can create RB song packages which are then submitted for Playtest and Peer Review. Fans can register at the official Rock Band Web site.