Yes, Being In Rock Band Or Guitar Hero Helps Bands Sell More Music
from the among-other-things dept
Last week, we mentioned that it was silly for musicians (and labels) to complain about their music being in the video games Guitar Hero or Rock Band -- which some folks challenged in the comments. Yet, just in time, the Associated Press comes out with an article detailing how being in any of those games significantly increases sales of music, sometimes more than triple what they were prior to their inclusion in the games. Some musicians are also making a lot more due to image and likeness deals, but on the whole being in those games is a boost to traditional sales.The article does note that the labels are upset that they don't think they're getting enough, because the labels, in their typical short-sighted view, only focus on how much they get directly from the game makers, whining that it's less than they would get from selling a bunch of albums. Well, duh. But, they conveniently leave out that being in the games increases sales of the albums too. It also notes that Edgar Bronfman's earlier whining is a bunch of meaningless fluff -- because if Bronfman ever stopped allowing Warner Music songs in those video games, a significant number of musicians would look to switch labels, since they actually recognize how valuable the games are. Bronfman's mistake is to think that it's the music that's valuable, but basically everyone else realizes he's got the equation backwards.
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Filed Under: guitar hero, music, rock band, video games
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EA and Activision also benefit from including those songs in their games or they wouldn't be seeking them out. Its not just the game that makes the music more valuable, the music makes the game more valuable. The same game mechanics set to computer generated music patterns would not be the hit that it is now. The draw is in pretending to actually play THE MUSIC.
It doesnt have to all be about one or the other. THE GAME needs THE MUSIC. Is one more important to the equation? Probably. But lets not pretend that its hitting colored gems in sequence is compelling all on its own. A little humility on both sides is in order here.
As for money goes, the question is: are the musician being properly compensated for increasing the sales of Rock Band and Guitar Hero?
Isn't there some possibility that they are undervaluing the material they sell to the music game companies?
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Sure, the music adds value to the game, no one's denying that. But why is the exposure that the game generates not enough compensation? The game isn't lost without your music, but you're pretty dumb if you don't see the advantages of being features in there.
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You must be forgetting the original Guitar Hero. It lacked music industry cooperation and was full of cover songs and poor recordings. Yet it spawned an entire genre.
Granted, the digitally remastered songs on the newest games make the game much better, but with the advent of Music studio (a portion of the game that allows users to create their own music) mainstream music can take a back seat.
Labels should be looking for new venues, like gaming, to seek out new audiences for their old, stale and formula made music (if you can call it that).
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You're aware that Harmonix did not invent the "pressing buttons in time to music on plastic instruments" genre, right? They got some great songs and polished the gameplay and pushed it mainstream on the backs of the musicians that they did covers of.
I dont know one way or the other if record labels and artists are being taken advantage of by Activision and EA or just being greedy. But outright dismissing either possibility from your armchair simply because "they get something too!" seems ridiculous.
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If the music industry can't see that Guitar Hero and Rock Band are not only free advertising but free distribution (for them), than that is their fault. At this point both games could go with all indie music and give them the publicity. They are both "big name" enough that they could get away with it.
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Still, the main point is that the lables are COMPLETELY missing the fact that being in Rock Band/Guitar Hero is free advertizing. I can't imagine it costs then anything to say, "yes, use our music," and yet they still want more money. They're being near-sighted and stupid, and the fact is that the games don't really *need* them. If nothing else, idependant artists can take the place of mainstream music and almost no one would bat an eye.
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Let me explain: you're right in a previous comment that Harmonix did not invent the rhythm game concept. However, they did do something new and risky by applying that concept to a game that required a bespoke, expensive, peripheral in order to play correctly at home. This was a massive risk. In order to help them, the record industry did nothing, yet the game was successful, and may have helped sell many copies of the original songs covered in the games.
Now, the music industry is *demanding* higher cuts of the games' profits because they became successful. Yes, original recordings do help the games sell more copies, but then the games help expose a new generation of listeners to songs and artists they may never have heard or considered buying before. That's actually a fair trade, especially when the songs are legally licensed to begin with.
Despite this, the music industry is doing essentially nothing to help these games become successes (other than licence already-recorded songs). The game makers are doing all the work transposing the songs into a playable format. They are also taking all the risk - no record label is going to lose money if the next Guitar Hero or Rock Band doesn't sell (is anyone really going to play Guitar Hero instead of listening to the song? Unlikely.), but the game makers could end up millions in debt.
Why, exactly, should the record labels get more money than (their already agreed licensing fee + extra sales from free advertising in the game)? The only reasoning we've heard so far is that the games have been more successful than the labels first thought when cutting the deals. Why does that entitle them for more, while doing zero work to earn it? FTA:
"Aerosmith made more money off the June release of "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" than either of its last two albums, according to Kai Huang, co-founder of RedOctane, which first developed "Guitar Hero.""
Did Aerosmith actually do anything to create that game other than allow the use of work they already did? Why should they expect more than they're already getting?
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Air-Head
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Re: Air-Head
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This is like saying putting a radio in a car sells more cars... so the recording industry should get a cut there to.
Fact is... the songs they're putting in these products sold 6 copies yesterday, and the day after the game comes out they're selling 600.... and the music industry says its all about the songs! WTF!
Guitar Hero has sold more music than the music has sold Guitar Hero.
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Obviously, situations like this are always ripe for a business deal accommodating the respective interests of each party. Of course, a beneficial outcome depends heavily on each party having realistic expectations. Despite the obvious discord, it is not at all clear that each party is being reasonable, and in the end each party may be cutting off their nose to spite their face.
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Musicians giving up on videos, looking to TV shows, movies to promote songs
...yet the band has no record label, no music videos and no previous mainstream exposure to speak of."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081223/entertainment/music_selling_songs
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It's called business
Actually, they get *PAID* for this advertising! If only every other business was like this. Let me pay you money for YOUR product so I can expose it to more people so you make MORE money!
If the music industry thinks they are entitled to more money because of the success of GH, then by all means increase the licensing fees during negotiations.
If they spent more of their resources in understanding what their product is worth in various marketplaces, instead of on lawyers and suing everyone into the ground, they might make more money.
Here is an example of this:
In the slot machine business the majority of licenses are time-limited. Many of the themes that were used 5 years ago are no longer out and playable. On top of this, the owner of the license typically gets a fee for each slot machine that is produced *AND* for every day being used. Paramount gets 25 cents for each Top Gun Slot machine that is currently being operated PER DAY and WMS Gaming can only operate it for a few years (or renew).
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These two statements are not consistent.
If music is not valuable, then increased sales of said music would not be valuable. That's patently nonsense, so we must throw away the idea that music is not valuable, since they're, you know, getting value for it.
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There's a difference between value and price, or value in general versus monetary value.
I'm not sure what you're arguing here... The labels are over-valuing their music's role in the video games, but the exposure from the video games for their music is valuable insofar as it increases sales and insofar as it grows a fan base (like Metallica apparently noticed).
What's the contradiction? I think you're just muddling the meaning of the word value and confusing a whole bunch of valuable things involved...
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WHO NEED USE FOOT PATCH?
1. The people who love beauty and slim
2. The people who have health problem such as:
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3. Improve sleeping quality, relieve fatigue, help solve astriction problem, help solve halitosis, keep fit and slim.
4. Remove toxin, purify blood, clear body odour and foot odour.
5. Dispel internal moisture, relive stress on the foot and joint.
6. Replenish vital essence, activate cells, lighten your skin, and slow the aging process.
HOW TO USE:
1. Clean foot
2. Attach the foot patch onto your vola (the non-woven fabrics side should touch your skin) before you go to bed. We strongly recommend you to use the foot patch when you are sleeping. Because when you are lying down, every part of your body will be on a same level, in this situation, the blood circulation will be much easier. Therefore the detox foot patch can absorb more toxins when the blood flew through the vola.
3. In the morning, remove the foot patch, and use warm clean water to clean your feet.
According to your health status, the color of the foot patch will be different. When your health status is bad, the color will be darker. When your health status getting better, the color will be lighter.
If you did not ever use the detox foot patch, please continuous use it for 3 months. After the 3 months, you can use the foot patch 2 times a week at least, in order to keep you fit all the time. When your health situation is not good, use it everyday until your health status changed into good situation again.
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The Japanese Medical Dept. has been researching the bamboo for 26 years, after the 26 year’s researching, they discovered an amazing fact: A mature bamboo will absorb a great many of water per day from the underground. The bamboo has the super-absorb ability. Put the high quality bamboo under high temperature, after several days, the researchers got the bamboo vinegar liquid, which also have the super-absorb ability. But the bamboo vinegar liquid can not be delivered and used conveniently. In order to solve this problem, the professor invented special high technology to solve this problem. Use this special technology, the PHD distilled the bamboo liquid. And finally get the bamboo vinegar extract. Then he added other essential factors: vegetable fiber (which can supply microelement to human), tourmaline (which can give out far-infrared ray), and so on. Finally, he invented the detox foot patch.
The main ingredient of detox foot patch is the bamboo vinegar powder, which was distilled by bamboo vinegar liquid by using modern high technology. The detox foot patch can dispelling toxins,clear odour, Bamboo vinegar extract’s cell is tiny, it has high penetration, can remove dirty things and toxin deeply in human body.
WHO NEED USE FOOT PATCH?
1. The people who love beauty and slim
2. The people who have health problem such as:
Astriction, halitosis, body odour, foot odour.
3. Semi-healthy people.
4. The people who use computer for long time
The people who have big working pressure
5. The people who stand or work for long time
6. The people who is suffering neck, shoulder, waist pain
7. The people whose leg or foot pain and swelling
FUNCTIONS:
1. Detox foot patch, used 100% natural herbs. When you apply the detox foot patch onto the accupunche points which on the sole of foot, it will speed up the moves of the intestinal, enhance the metabolism, dispel the toxin and moisture which were stored in your body.
2. The dotox foot patch absorb toxins and waste oil out from the vola, after using one night, you can see the foot patch changed into brown or black color. You can see the black oily toxins by your eyes!
3. Improve sleeping quality, relieve fatigue, help solve astriction problem, help solve halitosis, keep fit and slim.
4. Remove toxin, purify blood, clear body odour and foot odour.
5. Dispel internal moisture, relive stress on the foot and joint.
6. Replenish vital essence, activate cells, lighten your skin, and slow the aging process.
HOW TO USE:
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2. Attach the foot patch onto your vola (the non-woven fabrics side should touch your skin) before you go to bed. We strongly recommend you to use the foot patch when you are sleeping. Because when you are lying down, every part of your body will be on a same level, in this situation, the blood circulation will be much easier. Therefore the detox foot patch can absorb more toxins when the blood flew through the vola.
3. In the morning, remove the foot patch, and use warm clean water to clean your feet.
According to your health status, the color of the foot patch will be different. When your health status is bad, the color will be darker. When your health status getting better, the color will be lighter.
If you did not ever use the detox foot patch, please continuous use it for 3 months. After the 3 months, you can use the foot patch 2 times a week at least, in order to keep you fit all the time. When your health situation is not good, use it everyday until your health status changed into good situation again.
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