RBN - Suggested Etiquette for Contacting Bands

[hmxhenry]

Hey gang,

So by now I'm sure most of you have heard about Rock Band Network. For those of you that haven't I would suggested checking out this thread. Now I'll give you a moment to let that sink in.

...

Pretty amazing, right? RBN brings a whole new level of empowerment to bands and fans a like, and grants them a greater level of control over what you will see available as DLC in the coming months. The response to RBN has been overwhelmingly positive and we're thrilled to see so many of you on the forums taking an active roll in this initiative, even those of you that aren't in bands.

Many of you have already started contacting bands that you know and love, spreading the word of RBN to those groups that you hope to see in RB at some point. That is awesome. But there's been a bit of confusion between bands and fans and we wanted to provide a few suggestions to help make the process as smooth as possible for all involved.

If contacting band be sure to be honest and clear. Let them know that you are a fan of Rock Band and a fan of their music and let them know that you'd love to see them in Rock Band.

The best thing you can do is point them to any of the links below, as that will provide all of the information that bands should need to get involved with RBN.

RBN Press Release - http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152225
RBN Creators Club - http://creators.rockband.com/
RB Support Email - feedback@harmonixmusic.com

Don't spam bands that you'd like to see in RBN. Nobody likes getting their inbox flooded, and I can't imagine that getting 100 emails from the same person will make any band want to rush over to check out RBN. Email them once, be polite, and encourage your friends to do the same.

I've included a short little template below that you can feel free to cut and paste if contacting bands about RBN.

“Hey [Band / Label Name Here], have you heard of the Rock Band Network yet? It’s an initiative that gives bands and labels the ability to bring their own music to the video game Rock Band. I’m a huge fan of Rock Band and I’d love to see some of your songs in the game. You can head over to http://creators.rockband.com/ for more info. I hope to see you in Rock Band soon!”

Ferocious Q posted a similar template which would also be a good starting point for contacting people who may not be familiar with RBN or even with RB.

Again, we think it's awesome that there's already been so much activity surrounding the announcement of RBN, but we've still got a lot to do before everything is up and running. We want to help make sure that everyone is on the same page as we move into the Beta stage, and we hope to provide bands and fans with clear and concise info whenever possible.

If you have any questions about RBN or contacting bands please do not hesitate to send a PM to one of the HMX people you see on the forums and we'll be happy to help you out in any way that we can.

Thanks so much for being a part of the Rock Band Network! Whether you know it or not, you're already involved.

-HMXHenry

[kingtonyx]

Thanks. I'll send this on to a few bands, I'd mostly been sticking to bands I thought I could message on more of a friend level.

[rocker820]

all the bands that I want to email don't have email links on their websites, lol

[Nickalos N]

Cool thanks Henry now I know what to send to the bands I want to email

[davidshek]

Don't spam bands that you'd like to see in RBN. Nobody likes getting their inbox flooded, and I can't imagine that getting 100 emails from the same person will make any band want to rush over to check out RBN.

I swear to god, if I get one more email from Starfleet_Rambo...

all the bands that I want to email don't have email links on their websites, lol

So message them on Myspace. Even if the band themselves don't run their Myspace page, the person who does run it probably has a way to get in touch with them.

[nk40699]

I don't want to be harsh or anything but i dont think that the template is very good. I think that it needs to be a little more personable and should include something that has to do with the band, because otherwise there is a chance that they will think that its spam. Bands probably get lots of spam.

Here's my template:

Hi, this is just a big fan of your band that would love to see your inclusion into the Rock Band Series. Recently Rock Band has created a new part to the game, called Rock Band Network, where any band with masters of their songs can create and sell their music for download in the Rock Band Music Store. What this means is that your band's song could make it onto Rock Band without having to go through all of the liscensing issues. This is a very new thing and I would love to see (Insert Band Here) make their debut in the series. I think that your songs, would be some of the more fun songs to play on the game, especially because of how (something positive about their band) they are. Also, for every download that you get in the store, you get a cut of the money that the buyer pays. Anyways, I would appreciate it if you could get back to me and send me your response. I don't need anything much just a "nope," a "maybe," or a "yes."Thanks for your time. Here are the links to the information below. I would love it if you could give them a glance.

http://www.rockband.com/forums/showt...54#post2730754
http://creators.rockband.com/


i think that because its a longer message that says something positive about their band, they are less likely to think that its spam. I've gotten quite a few responses too.

[Ferocious Q]

it's great finally getting some recognition

[Rise 2 Fall]

haha right on

[hmxhenry]

Thanks. I'll send this on to a few bands, I'd mostly been sticking to bands I thought I could message on more of a friend level.

And please continue contacting those bands that you're on a "friend level" with. My post wasn't so much a suggestion that everyone should go out and email every band they've ever heard of as much as it was an acknowledgment that there is already a very vigorous email writing campaign going on, and I just want to make sure that the flow of information is as clear and professional as possible.

I don't want to be harsh or anything but i dont think that the template is very good. I think that it needs to be a little more personable and should include something that has to do with the band, because otherwise there is a chance that they will think that its spam. Bands probably get lots of spam.

The above template was by no means a hard and fast rule. I can't control what you guys write in emails, I can only give you a starting point. If you love a band tell them! If you saw them play recently and they were amazing tell them! You're right, you shouldn't stifle your love for a band just to adhere to some rigid form letter. I just want to make sure the template was provided so that people knew what the key points are.

But as far as over sharing goes...

What this means is that your band's song could make it onto Rock Band without having to go through all of the liscensing issues.

Also, for every download that you get in the store, you get a cut of the money that the buyer pays.

...I would avoid comments like those listed above. Bands will be able to find out for themselves what the licensing / ownership process entails and how much money they will be making. Mentioning details like these in an email may give them impression that you're more familiar with the issues at hand, and when a band replies with "What kind of licensing issues?" or "How much money will we make?" then things will really get tricky.

My advice is to keep things concise. Those specifics will be touched on in the Creators Club or further down the road in Beta and can be addressed by an HMX person if need be.

As long as people are 1) mentioning that they are writing as a fan 2) pointing to the RBN press release of the Creators Club info and 3) polite then that's what really matters.

[sonicnerd23]

This is my email format:

"Greetings. First off, I would like to thank you for giving the master recordings of tracks such as (Song) and (Song) to Harmonix for their video game, Rock Band (If they haven't, then I remove this section). Recently, Harmonix has announced the Rock Band Network, an expansion of their growing music store. Read more about it here:

1. http://www.rockband.com/forums/showt...54#post2730754
2. http://creators.rockband.com/

Perhaps it could serve as a new way to promote your music/music by the bands on your roster.

Thanks for reading this."

Perhaps it's too serious.