Discounting DLC's after a certain time and grouping into one large pack

[imagine]

Are there any plans to do this in the future/ I really want to play more then the basic set list of songs i have bought quite a few but you can only play with others that have those songs and in the ONline play that is next to never to get everyone to have them.

So maybe after songs have been out a 5 months or so sell them at a discounted rate in a large bundle pack or something?

[MaximusDM]

You just need to make friends that buy them so you can play them online.
I have bought pretty much all the packs thus far except a few single songs and the Bowie pack. I plan on getting the Black Sabbath pack later today.
Harmonix did say something about offering discount to people that buy a lot of special deals or something possibly in the future. But it was all kind of sketchy and not definite.

[ThePaska]

I think discounting them after a while would be a good idea, especially once sales of them start to diminish.

I also wish that if you bought 3 single songs that it would be equivalent to buying a 3 song pack, and be cheaper. I don't know how possible that would be though.

[Apples]

Song packs aren't like Halo maps and other types of downloadable expansions. For every copy sold, licensing and other fixed costs must be paid in some manner. So the notion that song packs could become free/discounted after some period of time is slightly unrealistic.

As an example, Guitar Hero 2 song packs are 6+ months old and have not once waved from their initial price point.

[Bakkster]

Song packs aren't like Halo maps and other types of downloadable expansions. For every copy sold, licensing and other fixed costs must be paid in some manner. So the notion that song packs could become free/discounted after some period of time is slightly unrealistic.

As an example, Guitar Hero 2 song packs are 6+ months old and have not once waved from their initial price point.

Look to iTunes as an example. The music industry doesn't do discounts after music has been out for a long time. In fact, you pay just as much for the new Foo Fighters album as you do for a Rolling Stones album from the 60s. I think that right there kills the idea of discounts after a time.

I can imagine there being expansion discs of some kind, where by bundling a larger number of songs together they can persuade the labels to allow them to use a flat licensing cost (like on the game disc), rather than a per-song royalty (like for DLC).

[Bluvox]

Look to iTunes as an example. The music industry doesn't do discounts after music has been out for a long time. In fact, you pay just as much for the new Foo Fighters album as you do for a Rolling Stones album from the 60s. I think that right there kills the idea of discounts after a time.

iTunes hasn't done this, but "bargain bin" albums have been a mainstay for as long as I can remember. I remember getting Aerosmith's Greatest Hits album for the "$8.88 real deal" price back in the day. Their new album back then was $15.

It's not unheard of, but doubtful, at least not for a few years. Apples is right - currently the distribution pricing practices for online are fixed as I remember it. On iTunes I've read it's 49cents to the Record Company, and 49 cents to Steve Job's, or something similar. If iTunes lowered the price to 79 cents, I'm sure the record company would still want their 49cents, leaving Jobs with 39cents.

And remember, there are 2 3rd parties take a cut - Sony/Microsoft and the Record Label/Artist. So it's a 3 way split, and I'm not sure that 2 of those 3 would be happy with a profit reduction.

[dfjdejulio]

I think we're more likely to get the occasional free promo track. For example, for XBox users of GH3, they can download a Steve Vai rendition of the Halo theme for free, it was part of a promotion around Thanksgiving.

I can definitely see that sort of thing happening with Rock Band. For example, imagine if the next time a new James Bond movie came out, they made a bunch of theme songs from earlier Bond movies available within Rock Band for free. That'd be cool, eh?

[jonfitzsimon]

wasnt there a release saying that they were going to put certain songs "on sale" from time to time? I am 99% sure i read that somewhere, but i cant look it up right now.

[resident360]

A discounted price doesn't necessarily mean a decrease in profit. The reason they would lower the price is because sales have tailed off. Just look at the new Xbox Live Arcade Hits as an example. I'd be willing to bet Small Arms is making more money now at a $5 price point than it was last month as a $10 game that is over a year old.

[Bakkster]

A discounted price doesn't necessarily mean a decrease in profit. The reason they would lower the price is because sales have tailed off. Just look at the new Xbox Live Arcade Hits as an example. I'd be willing to bet Small Arms is making more money now at a $5 price point than it was last month as a $10 game that is over a year old.

But Small Arms doesn't have a royalty payment as part of its cost. DLC songs do. That royalty payment will never change, so either MS, HMX, or both would be taking the hit at a decreased price.

They might still decrease the price, but they probably won't make more money off of the increased sales.

[SoulScreme]

I think that cheaper DLC would more likely come as part of an agreement between Harmonix and the band involved, than over time. I mean, some of this DLC is for songs that are 30+ years old. Music doesn't degrade over time. It's more like wine.

[murph]

I don't know the answer to the question, but I can guarantee you this....

If there is any possibility of future price drops or discount bundling, they are NOT going to announce it now, when the game and DLC has been available for less than a month.