Controversial Subject: 4'33" and others like it.

[woodwindpizza]

4′33″ is a three-movement composition by American avant-garde composer John Cage. It was composed in 1952 for any instrument (or combination of instruments), and the score instructs the performer not to play the instrument during the entire duration of the piece. Although commonly perceived as "four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence", the piece actually consists of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed. Over the years, 4′33″ became Cage's most famous and most controversial composition.

Will songs that are mostly or entirely silent be allowed on Rock Band Network? How will songs like the aforementioned be perceived?

[OakTea]

No over-charting!

[HMXEnosity]

You will need to author at least one note per playable instrument and have at least one playable instrument.

4'33" consists of only rests so It'd not be possible to chart... only possible to overchart

[asiansteev]

You will need to author at least one note per playable instrument and have at least one playable instrument.

4'33" consists of only rests so It'd not be possible to chart... only possible to overchart

solution: add a bad-ass cowbell solo.

[davidshek]

Will songs that are mostly or entirely silent be allowed on Rock Band Network? How will songs like the aforementioned be perceived?

Why would you even bother to try? Anybody is going to know from the preview or downloadable playable demo that it's just silence and nobody's going to buy that.

And that's assuming that it would get past peer review.

[Kit_Kat]

if i paid any amount on a song, and it was just the black scroll with no notes, i'd be pissed. Any song that can be described as 'sit around and listen to awkward silence' is not music.

edit: and to be clear, it really isn't art either.

[alex_rb]

lol I remember when my Cultural Currents teacher played this for us, we all thought it was the sound of the movie playing in the other room and everyone was telling him to turn up the volume. Awesome.

[asiansteev]

lol I remember when my Cultural Currents teacher played this for us, we all thought it was the sound of the movie playing in the other room and everyone was telling him to turn up the volume. Awesome.

yeah, that's an incredible demonstration of the point of this piece. the "music" is the ambient background noise, the noise of the audience, et cetera.
and it's art. that's non-negotiable.

[AKALink]

You can chart the audiences reactions to vocals.

[Belcebu]

Well, this proves one man's art is another man's garbage.

Or was it the other way around? I get confused sometimes.