MTV to Let Artists Upload Own Songs to "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 17, 2009 - 8:11am.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games plans later this year to launch a service that will let any musical artist upload and submit their songs for possible inclusion in its "Rock Band" music video game, Billboard reported.

A public beta test of the Rock Band Network is scheduled to begin next month, with an eye towards launching before year's end.

Developers with MTV's Harmonix studio will review submissions for playability, lyrics and copyright issues before adding tracks to a new, separate Rock Band store.

Artists will be able to set their own song prices, ranging from 50 cents to $3 each.

The new service will initially be available only for the Xbox 360, with support coming later for PlayStation 3 and the Wii.

"We've figured out how to make it so anybody who owns and controls masters and publishing can put music into ["Rock Band"] at their own pace," Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of electronic games and music at MTV Games, told Billboard.

"We're talking about a set of serious professional tools to allow people on the front line of writing and recording songs to completely control their destiny with respect to interactive products and then giving them direct access to the download store."

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/nfoq6 (Billboard)

http://www.rockband.com