Compilation of questions answered by HMX (indexed)

[Sayburr]

So, what disc based game can we expect for 2011? RB4? A band game?

HMXHenry said ...And just to make it perfectly clear, people shouldn't expect to see a new Rock Band title this year. Between Chris's comment in the Game Informer article that "we’re not planning a Rock Band 4 disc release in 2011" and Drake's recent comment in a RockBandAide interview that "At this point, it’s safe to assume that we’re focused on the digital expansion of Rock Band in lieu of multiple disc releases" it should be clear that we're focusing the vast majority of our energy on kicking as much ass as possible with RB DLC in 2011.

We're not lying about what we're working on and we're not stalling to stun you with a big RB title reveal at E3. We won't see RB4 or an artist specific RB title in 2011. What you will see is a lot more amazing DLC every week, continued label outreach in RBN, more artist interviews, more dev commentary, more contests and giveaways, and more honest and direct dialogue about the RB world from the Community Team. We still have a few surprises up our sleeves as well so keep posted!

[Sayburr]

How about some covers for bands unwilling to license music, for those with missing masters, or for those who don’t want HMX to have the master tapes?

HMXHenry said, [Covers need to have a licensing agreement to use the song, even if it is cover.]

[As for the others, we don’t really need to resort to covers] There's no shortage of amazing artists and there's not a lot of artists (or any that I know of?) that have definitely said "NO, I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER BE WILLING TO HAVE MY MUSIC INCLUDED IN ROCK BAND" so I don't know how urgent the need is to release covers.

At the dawn of RB covers (or sound alikes or the as made famous by versions) were a necessary evil because there were masters that were missing or because there were artists unwilling to share their masters. Since then we've gained a lot of trust and bands are more willing to share their stems with us and we've been able to turn to creative solutions such as live versions and modern re recordings to provide a more authentic experience. I don't think we'll see covers again any time soon, but I also think that won't deny us the opportunity to access plenty of amazing content.

[intropee]

SayBurr,
Excellent Thread!!!

[skymac72]

Question: For the PS3 personnel who have not abandoned their consoles in lieu of hacking and software upgrades; what is the absolute, drop dead, No Later Than date we will have access to DLC?

[SirDavidTLynch]

I like how even though the title makes it clear that this is an FAQ compiling stuff Harmonix have answered elsewhere, people still think that this is a thread to ask questions.

[UltraPrimez]

I still want to know. Why has some songs been removed from the store and are we ever going to see them?

[SirDavidTLynch]

I like how immediately after I point out that the title makes it clear that this is an FAQ compiling stuff Harmonix have answered elsewhere, people still think that this is a thread to ask questions.

[Bront20]

I still want to know. Why has some songs been removed from the store and are we ever going to see them?

The Airborne song was removed when they pulled the pack and re-released it.

The 2 DLC songs pulled from RB3 aren't in the RB3 store, and likely aren't coming back, but they work in RB2.

A few RBN songs were pulled from the store for licensing reasons.

Outside of that, nothing's been pulled from the store.

[FujiSkunk]

The Airborne song was removed when they pulled the pack and re-released it.

The 2 DLC songs pulled from RB3 aren't in the RB3 store, and likely aren't coming back, but they work in RB2.

A few RBN songs were pulled from the store for licensing reasons.

Outside of that, nothing's been pulled from the store.

One of Snoop Dogg's songs also got killed.

[Sayburr]

Harmonix, why will you not tell me when [my favorite band] is coming to Rock Band? Is it about money or something else?

HMXHenry said: I'm not sure what people expect when they ask if their favorite band is going to come out as DLC sometime soon. It's not as if just asking about it means that we're going to throw the announcement schedule, licensing agreements, production time line, first party approvals, etc out the window and just confirm it over Twitter. Other than that, I try to answer everything else that actually has an answer.

There are a lot of reasons beyond the financial why a band may not be in RB (yet). We've pointed these out before, but here's a quick run down of additional reasons why [INSERT BAND YOU LOVE HERE] may not be in RB / doesn't have more songs in RB:

- Usable masters don't exist
- Usable masters exist but no one knows where they are or how they are sorted
- Usable masters exist but bands / labels / management won't give us access
- Masters / licenses are owned by multiple parties who can't agree on use
- No one knows who actually owns the rights to music we request (frightening, but it happens)
- Some artists simply aren't interested in being in a music game (for now)
- Some artists aren't comfortable with digital distribution
- Some artists deny our track requests and instead offer... less than exciting material
- Some artists / labels hold off for future events (releases, tours, announcements, etc)
- Some artists aren't interested in DLC, only a fully dedicated band game

We've been working with bands and labels longer than just about everyone in music gaming, so we've built some pretty good relationships that allow us to revisit conversations. If a band wasn't able to get involved 3 years ago at the RB1 launch the conversation didn't end there, and it's likely we've been in touch with them consistently to find the right timing, the right content, the right agreement that works for them, for us and for all of you playing the game. Rest assured, we're aware of all the big names, we've talked to them at one point or another, and we'll continue to do everything we can to add as many bands as possible to the already enormous RB library.