DLC Prices: Basic math breakdown

[Stevenam81]

This is only speaking for XBOX 360. Every point equals $.0125.

Rock Band:

1 pack = 440 points = $5.50

146.667 points per song in pack = $1.83 per song

159 points for individual song = $1.99 per song

As opposed to Guitar Hero pricing:

1 pack = 500 points = $6.25 ($0.75 more)

166.667 points per song in pack = $2.08 ($0.25 more)

I think it's a fair price. Of course anything below what Guitar Hero charges is a welcome change. I can get 9 songs for Rock Band for what 8 songs would cost for Guitar Hero, when comparing the pack prices. Also, I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence. I just wanted to put things in perspective.

[Qweets]

yeah its not bad at all but I can easily see spending a BUTT TON of cash buying these packs if they truely are going to release as many as they say, and god knows how much full albumns will be.

[SmokaCola]

It's actually really good. Funny how today in the dentist's office I was calculating how many songs I could get at 180 points each and then I get on and find the real prices, I was so happy :D

[BiffMan]

While I personally am fine with the pricing as is and will happily buy whatever I want, I do still think they missed the mass-appeal price point. They've talked before about wanting to hit the "Grandma" factor in making the game approachable to anyone who sits down at it and it seems the logical extension of that is that once you've hooked that person, you'd like for them to consider buying the game and ultimately getting DLC for it. But Grandma's not likely to pay $2/song while she very like would pay $1-1.50 per song.

Again, I've got no problem with the price point as is, but I think they're missing out on an opportunity for greater profit through volume. Perhaps if they can prove the model works and get wider market penetration and higher volume, we'll see lower prices in the future.

[Pandacon]

They sell ringtones for $2, this pricing for rockband songs are the awesome.

[Keebler]

We're getting twice the playability on these songs for a lower price. It's a steal.

[MysteryMan]

Just because these prices are better than prices that are a flat-out ripoff, doesn't mean these prices are a steal :(

[Edgehopper]

The prices aren't a steal, but given the twin factors of additional licensing costs (Apple just has to pay the music publisher; Harmonix has to pay both the music publisher and Microsoft or Sony) and additional development costs (Apple just slaps the file on a website; Harmonix has to write and test notecharts and animations, and then go through certification), $2/song is reasonable with some sort of bulk discount. I still preferred a ZunePass type option, but that was probably impractical at this point. Maybe a few years down the line when there are hundreds or thousands of songs available?

Still. Rock Band offers about 3 times the playability per track that Guitar Hero does, at a lower price. I'm happy.

I'm even more happy that Harmonix isn't using a fixed price system. This means that indie tracks (like, I say with my fingers crossed, GH1 & GH2 bonus songs?) should come out at that nice $.99 price point. I would rebuy every bonus song from GH1 & GH2 for $.99/song, except for the two Made in Mexico tracks and Red Lottery.

[Magnet]

Since no one really knows how much licensing fees + Microsoft/Sony hosting fees + cost of work going into tracks really comes out to, we have no idea how good of a deal we're getting or how much profit they're actually making with all those costs to factor in. We likely may never find out. All we have to compare it to is the GH2/3 DLC pricing, and the only conclusion people can come to (with factoring in the additional work that goes in Rock Band's tracks and additional playable content) is that, indeed, Activision has been ripping everyone off. No one can say whether Rock Band's DLC pricing is really a bargain or a rip-off on its own terms without knowing all of the costs behind it.

[ZkDotNet]

Unless they scored some sort of special deal, licensing fees for DLC is the iTunes standard: $.70 per song per download. MS XBL tax is 30%.