Unofficial "We Refuse to Spend $3 On One Song" Thread

[hmxhenry]

Or spend 240MSP, the price of "Atomic," on 3 songs at 80MSP, all of which will likely be much more fun than that song.

Also, for the record, HMX could've charged anything for the Cartman song and I'd still buy it. It transcends earthly concepts like price.

This is the part of the argument that I really take issue with. I'm all for a discussion of pricing, and I'm all for promoting the visibility of this thread (please do not bump it, I will pass it along to the RBN folks regardless of whether it's at the top of the page) but a lot of this boils down to personal opinion.

You say (half jokingly, I'm sure) you would pay anything for Cartman singing Poker Face because "It transcends earthly concepts like price." but do not hesitate to knock the pricing of Atomic. Who is to say that the song won't sell well? Who is to say that female vocalist, an intense section of the RB community, won't be thrilled to pick up another song by a popular female vocalist? Who gets to decide how much a song is worth and whether or not it's fun enough to justify a $3 price tag? Do you judge by length? Quality of chart? Challenge? Fun?

Well it's up to the label and it's up to the members of the RBN community. If you don't think Atomic is worth $3 you don't have to pay the price. Same goes for any $2 or $1 (or free) songs floating around in the RB set list. But the $3 option has been common knowledge for a few months now, and I'm sure this won't be the last song we see with that pricing. It's unfair to use words like "extortion" or "insulting" just because you don't feel like this particular song measures up to your personal guidelines of what's worth $3.

Pricing in RBN can be changed, so I'd really rather not get into a similar discussion every time a song is priced at $3, since it's clear that there are people in this thread who would be willing to pay $3 "for the right song"... so please use your own judgment in determining which songs are "the right songs". Otherwise, try to keep this thread focused on general discussion of $3 pricing rather than $3 pricing for one specific song.

[T-Hybrid]

I don't want this thread to devolve into bickering and personal insults.

Little late for that buddy.

Blondie's classic song "Atomic" is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, as part of the RBN.

However, it is being sold for 240MSP/$3, in a blatant effort by a dying label in a decaying industry to make a quick buck off of us, at the same time insulting the intelligence of every single one of us who they expect to play their game.

As a show of integrity and solidarity, I have created this thread to express our intense dissatisfaction with this extortion, and to show that we will not entertain the fantasies of money-grabbing record labels who are panicking because nobody's buying their product anymore. Please post if you agree with this, and will refuse to buy this song and any other songs the major labels think that we'll pay more for.

And since we're revisiting it:

...at the same time insulting the intelligence of every single one of us who they expect to play their game.

There are things that will insult my intelligence.

A band charging $3 for optional content they have produced is not one of them.

However, some whiner on a forum taking it upon themselves to speak for me and telling me when I should be offended does. Quite a bit actually.

[bigmf]

Three bucks is the wrong price for most people, I suspect. I certainly won't buy it if it comes to the PS3. I can't say there is much I would buy for $3. I'm glad this thread was brought up. I think it's probably pretty important that people get a feel for what the community will and will not pay for Rockband songs.

[Nitz13]

Wasn't planning on buying it anyways. Though I'll happily purchase a song for $3 if It's one I love or from one of my favourite bands. For most people they are gonna look at the list and see numerous songs for $1 and others for $2, they are gonna skip this one altogether when they see the $3 price. Bad choice on EMI's part.

[Ehfahq]

Wow, really? We were listening to Blondie the other day and this song came on, and I really wanted it to be in RB.

Id pay 4 bucks for it.

[Troodon]

TWell it's up to the label and it's up to the members of the RBN community. If you don't think Atomic is worth $3 you don't have to pay the price. Same goes for any $2 or $1 (or free) songs floating around in the RB set list. But the $3 option has been common knowledge for a few months now, and I'm sure this won't be the last song we see with that pricing. It's unfair to use words like "extortion" or "insulting" just because you don't feel like this particular song measures up to your personal guidelines of what's worth $3.

/amen. Finally someone gets it. You think something (and this applies to anything, not just Rock Band DLC) isn't worth what the seller is charging for it, vote with your wallet and don't buy it, problem solved.

[GeneralGilliam]

Wow, really? We were listening to Blondie the other day and this song came on, and I really wanted it to be in RB.

Id pay 4 bucks for it.

...Or for 40 cents more we could make that an Extra-Large! that's three times as many songs for only 40 cents!

[Thom1234]

Little late for that buddy.

No, I'm sorry, but that is an obvious attempt to derail this discussion by continuing to justify what this thread is turning into.

And I agree that my choice of words in the OP was inappropriate, I was very annoyed at the time.

[JoshuaB81285]

HMXHenry has spoken!!! Let it be.

[T-Hybrid]

Who gets to decide how much a song is worth and whether or not it's fun enough to justify a $3 price tag? Do you judge by length? Quality of chart? Challenge? Fun?

This needs to be quoted, recorded, and printed on a banner on the top of the forums.

Regardless of what one person thinks, somebody else will have a different view. Heck, I just dropped 240 MPS on a Twins MLB jersey for my 360 Avatar the other day. To me, being able to show off my favorite team's colors was worth the price of the item. And I'm sure if I told another person (even a Twins fan) that I did that...they'd look at me like I'm crazy.

And what's funny was when the 360 Avatar Marketplace hit, I scoffed at the idea of buying gear for them. But then look what happened, something I liked enough came along and I did it.

But like you said, everybody (yes EVERYBODY) has that one song they will cave in and spend $3 on. Maybe for you that's not "Atomic", but I bet for somebody else it will be.

Just like I said in the thread complaining about indie artists charging $2, people will always come up for an excuse as to why the price of an RBN song isn't fair. Heck, we see it all the time in RBDLC where people complain that Song Y should've been free for whatever reason.

You wonder why I'm not getting the torches and pitchforks like the OP would want? You wonder why I'm not acting like Blondie or EMI just descrated the graves of my ancestors? It's because I know that while "Atomic" isn't a $3 song for me...at some point there's going to be a $3 song that I cave and buy.

And when I do, there's going to be somebody else that looks at me and says: "Wow? That was really worth it to you?"