Your Song On Rock Band…

Get your music into the Rock Band Network

Any existing or new TuneCore artist can deliver a song into Rock Band’s online store for video game play. As always, TuneCore will take no back end profits from the sale of the music. At first the songs will only be available via XBOX Live, with other platforms rolling out later in 2010.

Get YOUR Music On RockBand with TuneCore

TuneCore works with The Authority

For a limited time offer flat fee of $999, TuneCore, working with The Authority, a leading game authoring firm, will take on the complex process of mixing, mastering, authoring, transcribing your song and also provides distribution into the Rock Band Network while taking no rights and no revenue from the sales of your song.

TuneCore might do yours, FREE!

In addition, TuneCore will randomly choose one band per month to deliver a song to Rock Band.

For more information regarding the service contact info@authoritymusic.com.

Get YOUR Music On RockBand with TuneCore

Things You Should Know

What do you need to participate in RBN?

To have your song prepared (”Authored”) for Rock Band, Audio Stems from your song are required. An Audio Stem is an audio file of a specific instrument within the song’s format. A total of nine Audio Stems are required for the Authoring process.

Specifically, you will need an individual Audio Stem for each of these:

1. KICK* – Kick Drum: Mono.
2. SNARE* – Snare Drum: Stereo with any effects.
3. TOMS* – Stereo: For reference when authoring.
4. DRUMS* – Kit Mix: Stereo, cymbals, rooms etc. (including Tom tracks).
5. BASS* – Playable Bass Part: Stereo.
6. GTR* – Playable Guitar Part: Stereo.
7. VOX* – Playable Vocals Part: Stereo with effects.
8. TRACK* – Any music not already part of a stem, (incl. background vocals): Stereo.
9. Reference Dry Vox*: Mono 16k (Lead Vocal File with no effects) This file is used for a vocal reference, not for playback.

All files should be:

16 bit
44.1 kHz .wav audio (24-bit files can be used but are not suggested.)
No louder than -0.5db.

We also require:

*Lyrics. (Essential for vocal charting)
*A Reference mix of the song being authored.
*Live footage if available. (This helps us with our character animations)
*Song information – Tempo, meter, tab/chart if possible.

How Its Done

After we receive the Stems we convert them to the Rock Band playable format. This is a two-stage process:

1. The Music:

This includes taking the stems and creating the parts used in game-play -Drums, Bass, Guitar and Vocals. We make sure that each part is playable at every difficulty level within the game, from easy to expert. We will make sure that every level is authored accurately so that any player can play the game no matter how complex the original drum or guitar part may be. By the time we are done we have visited every note or beat in the song several times. Through this intimacy with your material we will intend to create the most authentic, lifelike and accurate feel for your song possible, whilst not forgetting it should be an enjoyable experience for the gamer.

2. The Visuals:

We also control and program on-screen player animation. Thus we can make the characters act like they are performing the song. We control and sequence all the lighting cues that accompany the song in the venue itself. Lighting displays can be customized per song. We also direct the camera angles and cuts to maximize the visual excitement of the song.

After these 2 stages are completed we play-test the tune internally to make sure the Authoring conforms to our rigorous standards. Nothing will leaves until we are totally satisfied. This is the first level of quality control.

We then submit your song to the Rock Band Creators Club for Peer Review. Here it is play tested by the Creators community. Fellow Creators give us feedback on game-play. This is the second level of quality control.

Once a track receives the required amount of positive peer reviews, it will be ready to be placed in the Rock Band Network store, and available for download worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get into the RBN store?

The time required to author a track and upload it into the store depends on:

a) The song’s musical complexity. The more complex the arrangement and musical parts, the longer it will take to Author.

b) The length of the song. A 3-minute pop tune will take less time to author than a 7- minute Prog-Rock epic!

c) The Peer review process. Through rigorous internal play testing we will ensure that the Peer review process is as rapid as possible. Once it has completed the Peer review process and gained Microsoft certification, it should be available, in store, within 72 hours.

Being a completely new format and process, the actual timeline is currently difficult to determine. As the Rock Band Network develops and evolves, we will provide a more accurate timeline. Our current estimate is for the entire process to take up to a month.

How do I get paid?

Every time your song is bought the Rock Band will pay 30% of the download fee, and as always we pass 100% of this back to you. The maximum RBN fee is $3 per song. So, for example, from a $2 download fee you receive 60¢.

What If This Is Not A Song I Wrote and I am Covering Someone Else’s or I Do Not Control the Rights to the Masters?

If you wrote the songs and control the recording, you have all the rights you need and are good to go. If you did not, you need to get the rights from the publisher and/or label that control the rights. This is a synch download, so if a record label owns the masters (if they paid for the recordings), you would need their permission to use the songs in Rock Band. The Download Royalty income would be split between the label and the copyright owner/publisher. Usually the label splits their cut with the artist. The specifics however depend on your deal with the record label, so you would need to check your recording contract. If you (the Artist) own your own masters – you will make more money.

If you have a co-publishing deal, you will have to split the download income with the co-publishers. Once again you must check your contract to determine how. If you own the copyright to your songs, this is not an issue.

How Often Will I Get Paid For Sales Of My Song

Harmonix distributes download income every quarter. (Four times a year.)

More Questions?