Rock Band and Guitar Hero Don't Pay Music Studios Enough, Complains Warner

Ahh, great thread. :)

Looking back at how the whole music industry fucked up the entire napster thing I wonder if the video game industry is going to make the same mistake with piracy. Piracy is still rampant on open waters, just the leaders have learned to stay behind the scenes. People that bought music are now putting up a big FU to music business for constant rising prices and refusal to bend to consumer preference (like no DRM). It looks like they gave in a little too late. Part of the appeal of the Itunes service was a really light DRM compared to other services.

If you look at the hey day of Napster, it really took devotion to steal, you had to find the song you wanted, and download it over your slow as connection compared to modern times. The devotion gets higher the farther back you go.

One big example of huge piracy of is Adobe Products. Who can afford Photoshop or Creative Suite Pro for personal use? No one your talking $500-$2500 of software depending upon which programs you need. In a business environment the products are honestly worth that much, for some one working out of their home it will never be. In short a pirated Adobe product is some one that would never have bought it to begin with.

Now back to the music argument, most the people stealing were college kids who work entry level jobs and can not even afford to feed themselves properly (remember the days of hot dogs, ramen, and hopefully free booze). For the most part people will by things they want, its like a huge penis enlargment to own shit. The more we own the better we feel, even if it is trivial shit like CD's.

Example: We all know the guy that has way too many DVD's, he has entire room dedicated to storing them, and his living room is over taken by movies to watch. You walk in and say "holy shit you have an awesome DVD collection." When he hears those words it brings the same amount of joy to his heart as a girl licking his balls. People like to one up another.

This new thing with the gaming industry trying to add more DRM than gameplay (yeah over the top I know) seems like the same mistake. Pirates are people who would not buy your product to begin with, please don't screw your customer by raising prices or adding DRM that merely annoys us.

Every one has stolen, most of us have stolen multiple times. I pay for everything as the gas station everyday, and I could easily steal from it. The gas station doesn't make me jump through hoops to pay for what I want thought.

Dear Mr. Bronfman,

Shut the fuck up.

Yours Truly,

Everybody Not In The Music Industry

Great, I look forward to an all small label version of guitar hero. It's about time, actually. With a little effort you could dig up 60 wicked songs that I'm not familiar with, and I'll be all the happier for it.

It's a win-win-win; the game designers get their content, the bands get their exposure, and the gamers get something fresh.

They have a problem boosting royalties and sales of old titles? Don't license it to Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Those avenues of revenue dry up, and packaged commercial music continues its steep year-over-year sales decline. Problem solved!

[ lol ]

They are lucky they are getting any money at all. Stuff like Audiosurf isn't even licensed.

Solution: Don't license your products to RB or GH. It's not like you have to. If it wasn't worth it you wouldn't do it now would you? WTFever.

I think I speak for everyone when I say... FUCK EM.

He's right -- I remember reading about how Activision kidnapped the executives and put guns to their heads forcing them to license their songs at a rate they did not originially agree with

boohoo, hey retard, you should be paying them for the advertising. well not really but you know what i mean

They need to factor in how often the songs that appear in Rock Band and Guitar Hero get played on the radio simply because the song is in those games. Not to mention that I'm sure it is introducing people to new music that they otherwise would not have listened to and will likely boost sales to some degree.

Think of it as someone who is paying you to advertise for you. In my view, it's a very symbiotic relationship which Warner should be embracing whole heartedly rather than saying "we want more money".

Too many businesses can't see past their own nose, unfortunately. Makes you wonder how they stay in business in the first place.

Oh no! The poor record company is being forced to put their music in the games. Boo hoo! If you don't think you are getting paid enough then take your music and go home! Warner has a gaming division. Make your own music game and put every single Warner recording artist on it and take all the money if you don't like the current terms.

Seriously, every time some new medium comes along that gets wildly popular which lets people rebuy the same fucking song for the 5th, 6th or 7th time, these guys start fucking whining.

"with Warner label Roadrunner noting a sales bump in DragonForce albums after the band was exposed to a wider audience in Guitar Hero III."

Hey asshead, right there is your extra revenue from "music-centered" games.

I can play the Gutiar like no one else

First developer (of either rockband or guitar hero) who threatens to just bundle a few of songs and 'audiosurf' any CD's inserted into the drive (while copying them an available hdd too) would shut this greedy fuck down almost instantly.

Who needs to pay a license fee when you don't need to distribute songs for the game to work?...

Dear Music industry,

Please cry more.

So how much is 'far too small'? Also are the artists getting too small an amount too?

The Led Zeppelin? Hah!

MoneyMoneyMoneyMoneyMoonnneeeyyy! MONEY!

They get money from being featured in the game AND they noticed increase sales as a result of it? What the fuck else do they want? Well, more money obviously. >:(

"video game? uhh sure, you can license these songs... psh, whatever. thanks now go away. "

...later, in the moneyhat cave....

"HOLY SHIT THEY'RE MAKING MONEY!!"

*negotiates contract in good faith with game companies*

GOD WHY DON'T WE MAKE MORE MONEY

Yes, the music companies need more money, otherwise A7V, Green Day, and Paris Hilton might end up on the streets.

RAWRR, MORE MONEY! MINE. MINE. MINE.