The artist/studio should be responsible for the instrument charting.

[Boioioing]

music games have it all wrong, and this is why they're fading off the radar. Each game's developer should NOT be responsible for the instrument charting. The artist/studio should be. When we buy a track, we should buy it directly from the artist/studio. The artist/studio would provide us with a particular type of file, which contains the multitrack data as well as the charting. This file would be portable across ALL platforms that support this file type. It would then be the game's responsibility to build the experience around these tracks, providing visuals, story, multiplayer, and game modes however they wish. The gamer would then choose which experience is right for them, and any songs they bought would be immediately available to play on that game.

This relieves pressure on the consumer, who is likely aware that switching games means ditching some songs, and switching games developed by different studios means ditching ALL songs. It also relieves pressure on the game developer, as they no longer have to worry about licensing issues and charting, and can focus more on a polished gameplay.

As it stands now, buying music game songs are equivalent to buying songs over a certain music service, and you can only play the songs on that particular piece of software. Not only that, but if you want to listen to different songs bought somewhere else, you have to open a different program, or perhaps pull out a different MP3 player. Oh yeah, and the song only works on an HP PC, don't even think of playing it on a Dell.

Flame shield engage!

[bjyaritz]

RBN allows all of that. Bands/labels will make their own decisions on what suits best.

[GNFfhqwhgads]

Oh, so Harmonix turns to all the labels they've established relationships with, says, "Chart it yourself," and THAT'S how easy it is to fix the genre?

Why, I see no downsides to that at all!

[BohemianMatt]

OP pretty much described most of what Rock Band does, and what Guitar Hero doesn't. Which is why Guitar Hero is gone for now and Rock Band isn't....

[raynebc]

It'd be more like buying Mac software and expecting it to work in Windows. DLC for a game is not much different when it's simplified. I generally don't agree with OP's idea as being feasible.

[Boioioing]

RBN allows all of that. Bands/labels will make their own decisions on what suits best.

That doesn't solve the issue, because the issue is still that the tracks are bound to the Rock Band platform only, when they should really just be common files portable across all systems that recognize them, like the .MKV format for videos. This is why people lost interest in music games: they don't like the feeling of their content being held hostage and being forced to abandon it when the next big title comes out.

You wouldn't buy MP3's for your iPod (nth generation) while being fully aware that they will not work with the iPod (n+1th generation), would you?

[Boioioing]

It'd be more like buying Mac software and expecting it to work in Windows. DLC for a game is not much different when it's simplified. I generally don't agree with OP's idea as being feasible.

It's more like buying songs on a Mac and the songs not working on any Windows machine.

[PowerGamer990]

As it stands now, buying music game songs are equivalent to buying songs over a certain music service, and you can only play the songs on that particular piece of software.

I know, right? I like how I can play my Call of Duty DLC on Street Fighter. Why can't Rock Band do that?

...Wut?

[Boioioing]

Oh, so Harmonix turns to all the labels they've established relationships with, says, "Chart it yourself," and THAT'S how easy it is to fix the genre?

Why, I see no downsides to that at all!

I'm not saying it can be fixed, I'm saying it was being done the wrong way since the beginning. But why would a studio even want to sell their artist's songs at $3 a pop, right?

[Boioioing]

I know, right? I like how I can play my Call of Duty DLC on Street Fighter. Why can't Rock Band do that?

...Wut?

Call of duty and street fighter don't have anything in common. Your comment screams non sequitor.