The Rock Band Network will build upon the already thriving online community of gamers and music lovers who play and enjoy the game Rock Band. Central to that community will be the Rock Band Network store, from within which any musical artist can release their own songs, in the Rock Band game format. These songs are then available for download at prices between $1 and $3.

The Rock Band Network is merging with the current Harmonix DLC store to create a one-stop shop location to purchase all your favorite songs and artists to play in Rock Band. Essentially it is like an iTunes for Rock Band, where artists can distribute their music and earn income from download sales.

It is possible for any artist to prepare and release songs into the Rock Band Network.

The tools are available here: http://creators.rockband.com/

The process of converting a song into the Rock Band game format is called Authoring.

Millions of people worldwide, young and old alike play Rock Band.

With your tunes in RBN you are able to reach an audience of millions of potential new fans around the world, who can download and personally interact with your music in a format that is new, exciting, and fun. The promotional opportunities are immense.

Your music gets played as well as heard, it elicits an emotional response from the player beyond simply the auditory. It creates a new level of engagement with the artist and their work. Many artists have seen a marked increase in popularity, greater album and song sales, increased concert ticket sales, and increased web traffic from direct involvement in Rock Band. It is not only a way to feature new releases, but also a way to revisit and revitalize back catalog. Rock Band has already featured many songs from the past century and introduced them to a new audience of eager fans today. You can now attract a new audience and build popularity through the game.

And you get paid! Having material in RBN provides a new stream of income beyond CD and MP3 sales.

The Authority is a full service-authoring house. We take your music and put it into a format playable in the game Rock Band. We then guide it through the rigorous review process into the Rock Band Network store.

Stem Making - if you cannot or would prefer not to prepare your own stems, we can do it for you. If you send us the audio we can mix the song and create the appropriate stems. With over 20 years of audio experience we can create a stem mix that matches the original mastered release.

We also offer an analog tape transfer service if your masters are recorded on analog tape.

The Authority can also provide archival or forensic audio work. We can help revitalize old masters and back catalog allowing them to be used for game play. The cost of this will be determined on a project-by-project basis. Please contact us for details.

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

• The song's musical complexity. The more complex the arrangement and musical parts, the longer it will take to Author.
• The length of the song. A 3-minute pop tune will take less time to author than a 7- minute Prog-Rock epic!
• The Play–Test /Peer review process. The Play-Test process is where the community test and give constructive feedback on the authoring of a song. If changes are necessary we implement them. Once the Play-Test period has been completed the song is submitted to Peer Review, where the community give it a final once over. Once it has received the allotted amount of positive reviews, the song is approved and it should be available, in the store, within 72 hours.

As we depend on the community to review songs we cannot guarantee an exact timeline for this process. Currently the average turnaround time for the Play Test /Peer Review process is 4-8 weeks. Our songs do, in general, tend to proceed rapidly through the review process.

The Rock Band Network was designed to be a “do it yourself” service where anybody can author their own music and submit it to the RBN store. It is similar to iTunes in that you can release your tunes and earn royalties from download sales. It is however a highly complex and time consuming process. That is why we exist; if you cannot or prefer not to do it yourself we are here to provide that service for you. The Authority offers a flat fee/per song-pricing model.

We offer discounts for multiple submissions. More songs = better deal.

We will do what we can to make this a viable option for any one wishing to get involved in RBN.

For more details regarding your pricing options, contact The Authority.

Download income is split three ways.

Microsoft and Harmonix split 70%

The artist gets 30%.

The submitter can price songs for $1, $2 or $3. The artist's share equates to 30c per $1 of download price. So, for example, from a $2 download fee you receive around 60c. Microsoft distributes download income every quarter. (Four times a year.)

While The Authority or Harmonix cannot guarantee downloads, there are songs featured in the Rock Band DLC (Down-Loadable Content) site that have sold several hundred thousand downloads. In the two years since the DLC site opened, there have been more than seventy four million (74,000,000+) paid downloads of the twenty-one hundred plus (2100+) songs currently available to date. The potential for increased income from song copyrights is clear to see.

The artist/submitter must own all the rights to the songs. If you do not own the copyright, publishing rights or song masters, such as if you’re signed to a label or have a publishing deal, you will need to get permission from those parties involved. If another party holds any rights to your material you will probably have to share the download income with them.

• Rock Band has a Teen rating. This means that it should not contain explicit lyrics and mature subject matter. References to sex, drugs and violence may be prohibited.
• No covers songs or songs with uncleared samples allowed. The Authority is not liable for any copyright infringement claims.
  The only languages supported are English, Spanish, French and Italian. If your song is not in one of these languages, it is ineligible for Rock Band currently. Additional languages may be added in the future.

• A new income stream.
• Access to a new audience: Get your music heard around the world.
• Promotion: Exposure in a diverse and influential market
• Create a new level of interaction between your music and fans.
• A Potential Increase in music and concert ticket sales. Increased web traffic.
• Be at the forefront of an exciting new format of entertainment.
• So your friends and family can play your songs! (With several million other people!)
  
  

The Authority has been working closely with Rock Band developers Harmonix, since the beta period for RBN. Harmonix trained us in the authoring process and we are included in their "Recommended Authors" list, a privilege given only to beta testers who successfully completed the extensive training program. Continuing our close relationship with Harmonix we have been further trained by them to author the new standard features on Rock Band 3, such as keyboards, background vocals and the pro mode. We will be amongst the first to be able to offer that service in early 2011.

All our Authors have been trained to the same rigorous high standards that we adhere to and are skilled musicians as well as experienced gamers. The people who would author your songs understand the intricacies and feel of a real performance, so The Authority will create the most authentic, lifelike and challenging game-play possible, whilst ensuring that it should be an enjoyable experience. The Authority's motto is "Made By Musicians, for Musicians". Our client artists will feel confident that their performances will be charted accurately, missing none of the subtle nuances or dynamics. We are dedicated to accuracy and musical integrity. Our extensive internal review process assures that the same high standards will be applied to every song we author, keeping delays to a minimum and quality control to the maximum.

With over 20 years of experience in the music industry - playing, producing, mixing, engineering, and programming music for major and independent label releases, The Authority understand the need for a competitive quality product. We understand the need for the game to be an exciting, enjoyable, and rewarding experience. We will take your material, make it sound, look and play the best it can. It will stand out from the other material.

The Authority understands the need for a competitive quality product that is exciting, enjoyable, and a rewarding experience. We are a professional reputable business that produces high quality, reliable work. We have accrued thousands of hours of experience authoring songs for Rock Band. Your song masters will be safe in our hands. Our extensive, impressive client list attests to these facts.