Beatles: Rock Band. Could HMX use Kickstarter?

[grashopper_]

I was just thinking today, with the new popularity of Kickstarter in game development...Could Hamonix use it to fund Beatles: Rock Band 2 or DLC? At least toss it out there to see if there is enough demand for it. I am assuming the budget is the main issue holding back development on Beatles songs. They are a slow pain to make and expensive to license. I was hoping we could throw money at HMX to make the profitability of the project more likely.
Would any of you support the idea?

Come on Harmonix, we need more songs!

[Doc_SoCal]

I don't think money is the first hurdle.

If the first hurdle was overcome, the second would be cash and time which are virtually interchangeable.

[GNFfhqwhgads]

Harmonix paid $5 million up front just to work on the game. You raise that, then come back and we'll start step 2.


I feel like I've said this before.

Edit: Oh, I did.

[Hetz]

Well, I don't think that it would require a 5 million dollar payment for more DLC to be worked on....but who knows. I would contribute to any kickstarter that got more Beatles in Rock Band.

Heck, I would contribute to any kickstarter that tried to get any big bands that are not in Rock Band yet or haven't been in years, (ie. Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Genesis, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith)

[Lowlander2]

Well, I don't think that it would require a 5 million dollar payment for more DLC to be worked on....

You're right, I think it was $10 Million!

[SheSaidSheSaid]

Well, I don't think that it would require a 5 million dollar payment for more DLC to be worked on....but who knows. I would contribute to any kickstarter that got more Beatles in Rock Band.

Heck, I would contribute to any kickstarter that tried to get any big bands that are not in Rock Band yet or haven't been in years, (ie. Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Genesis, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith)

In none of those cases is venture capital the stumbling block. Unless you're talking about money to allow HMX to hire new people to chart regular DLC while people go to England to work on the Beatles (or vice versa). Or would you be okay with 1 song a week for the core platform (if that)?

Sorry, I know your heart's in the right place, but grassroots fundraising ain't gonna make Jimmy Page change his mind about music games.

[AskariNari]

Heck, I would contribute to any kickstarter that tried to get any big bands that are not in Rock Band yet or haven't been in years, (ie. Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Genesis, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith)

I know someone from HMX tweeted directly about this and said that they have offered them money to work on GnR tracks, but that they aren't interested and they don't need the money enough to the point that they're willing to compromise their beliefs and allow the tracks to be released.

Also, RS tracks are an issue because of the rights being split between parties that aren't cooperative and because the masters are so old, which is why GH got live versions for a lot of the bigger songs. We'll probably get a three pack down the line, but money, once again, isn't the issue here.

As for Aerosmith, I can see the band/label/whomever controls the rights not wanting to create competition for the band centric game they had a while back by licensing tracks for another platform. I know it's been a long time since the game was released, but I'm sure that the rightsholders still have this mindset and if they don't then they probably changed their minds recently. From the point that they change their minds or would no longer be against it HMX needs to get to a point where they're willing to try again (because the rightsholders won't just pick up a phone and call HMX the second they change their mind, HMX would need to initiate the deal, which they won't if they still believe that they don't want to license the tracks). From there, it takes a bit of time to get a DLC pack released, so don't hold your breath or think that money is the issue here with this either.

I'm not going to bother touching on LZ (except for poiting out that there music probably wouldn't be that fun in the game to warrant even a fraction of the requests the band gets) and I don't know enough about Genesis to crush all of your dreams at once, so as far as I and you know, next week we're getting a 24 pack of the greatest Genesis tracks ever.

[hmxhenry]

Guys, we don't like to go into detail about licensing specifics, but I hope everyone realizes that none of the bands mentioned in this thread need money.

[samjjones]

Guys, we don't like to go into detail about licensing specifics, but I hope everyone realizes that none of the bands mentioned in this thread need money.

Are you sure?

Not even for...ONE BILLION DOLLARS????

[grashopper_]

Guys, we don't like to go into detail about licensing specifics, but I hope everyone realizes that none of the bands mentioned in this thread need money.

I didn't mean it in a way that they need money. I just meant I knew they were expensive to license and took a long time to convert the tracks to be played.
So more like funding HMX to go through the annoyance of doing the work and the time it takes.