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Mommy and Daddy fighting: Warner Music no longer playing nice with Rock Band? photo

According to a Billboard report, the future of Warner Music Group artists appearing in Rock Band is in jeopardy. The report indicates that MTV and the home of some of the world's biggest artists simply can't come to agreement about, you guessed it, money.

Last summer, Warner Music Group chairman publicly stated that he didn't feel labels (his in particular) were making enough dough off of these here newfangled music games. Billboard reports that while MTV and WMG have trade offers, they've yet to reach a compromise. 

Again, WMG is home to a frightening number of labels and artists, and the loss could be a pretty big hit to the Rock Band series. Feel free to peruse WMG's site to see what kind of damage we're talking about here. It's interesting to note that Metallica is a Warner Act, more specifically, on Elektra; the Activision-published Guitar Hero: Metallica hits stores this month.

On one hand, I just want to shake all parties involved and say "figure it the f**k out! I want artists X, Y, and Z in Rock Band stat!" But on the other, the business of money sure can get trick, and with Variety reporting that MTV is already losing cash on the Rock Band hardware, perhaps it's not quite that easy. Admittedly, the Rock Band franchise needs the music more than Warner needs its artists to be in the game. It is, however, in the best interest of both parties to come to an agreement.

So yeah ... figure it the f**k out, guys. I want artists X, Y, and Z in Rock Band. Stat.

[Via Variety]


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22 comments | showing # 1 to 22

pascuz46's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 08:13
pascuz46
I don't know what the hell Warner is thinking, they don't make any money selling a hard copy of music anymore and Video games provide that. Hope they get this straightened out.
atastysammich's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 08:23
atastysammich

All you music companies want is MORE, MORE, MORE, MORE, MORE!!
Valentia X's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 08:55
Valentia X
Oh, for fuck's sake.

It's practically free money. They've already produced the songs, they're already available; it's not like you're looking to recoup production fees for most of them. It's an added bonus. Are they considering the benefits of releasing songs? Not only do they get licensing fees, they'll be attracting a new fanbase, so they get fringe benefits in the form of Itunes downloads, new fans to go to concerts and buy swag, etc.

Just give it up, WB. You're already an industry whore, just take it and be happy.
geekjutsu's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 09:03
geekjutsu
Record company execs must be the greediest and stupidest people in the world. Why can they not see that having their artists in the game is great PR and exposes their artists to a new audience of potential buyers? Not only that, but they pay YOU to be able to do the prior; win/win right? No, instead they have to bitch and moan about how they aren't making enough money off someone elses work? Fucking babies.
ParaParaKing's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 09:10
ParaParaKing
HEY, give us some of that internet money.

This is why the music industry is having problems, because they simply can't get enough.

Let's celebrate this and download random Warner Music mp3s.
Zero_armada's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 09:25
Zero_armada
Record companies have to be greedy, but Warner Music must be filled with dick executives. They don't seem to want to do anything right anymore. This, the Youtube audio thing, and MULTIPLE other incidents...
BluDesign's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 10:26
BluDesign
Awesome, thanks Warner.

Fuck up your relationship not only with Harmonix, but MTV as well.

I'm sure that won't affect you guys at all to have a shitty relationship with MTV.
Projectexodus's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 10:41
Projectexodus
Warner must be the most annoying corporation these days, especially after they started purging Youtube videos.
aaronf's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 10:47
aaronf
Labels are obsolete and they know it.
Drach's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 10:50
Drach
Uh.. If you have a real guitar, Neither Warner nor MTV can tell you what you can play on it. Yet.....
>goes off to play "Motorbreath" on his acoustic<
akathatoneguy's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 11:29
akathatoneguy
@ Drach-

Great point. It's awesome that you let us all know what you're going to go play on your acoustic, too. Sooooo cool. I always let people who totally don't care know what I'm about to do to show how cool what I'm about to do is.

>goes off to have sex with a totally hot supermodel<
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 11:30
AgentMOO
Come on Warner, beggars can't be choosers. They should embrace change - their main means of operation is obsolete.
Stahlbrand's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 11:38
Stahlbrand
If they wanna be bitches about it, the joke is on them.

Rockband DLC is the only time I've paide for music since, oh, I don't know, Tool's last album, and before that probably RATM - Renegades of Funk.

Fookin dinosaurs.

All that said, RB is my plastic instrument game of choice and I hope this doesn't become a problem.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 11:42
Holyetheline
I just want more Radiohead in Rock Band. If they can get that done I'll be set.
CountingConflict's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 12:18
CountingConflict
Rock Band sucks
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 13:32
Chronic Logic
OH COME ON. There are millions of songs from thousands of bands. Each song pack is like ten bux to get. Do the math and you get like BILLIONS of dollars a year! How much money do they want?! What exactly do they want so much money for? What do they buy with so much money?!
Tet's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 13:40
Tet
@Drach - Record companies have been chasing tab sites for a long time. So yes, they've been trying to decide what can be played.

And what's with people playing a real guitar? I do to but you don't see me getting all pissy over a video game.
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 14:03
AgentMOO
@CountingConflict
OH NO YOU DIDNT GIRLFRIEND
Hoss's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 14:12
Hoss
any actual musician would be able to distinguish RB/GH from playing actual instruments

let me help you out, were talking about the video game
Rupert Scarr's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 16:18
Rupert Scarr
Brb, pirating all Warner-owned music out of spite.

Just kidding. Some of the lengths Warner has gone to in order to ''protect'' its content have been absolutely ludicrous. Youtube fiasco aside, this sounds like yet another facepalm moment for the music industry- RB has such potential for epic profit from selling song packs and individual songs to tons of gamers willing to pay for them. Hell, there's even potential exposure to a new fanbase which would bring in even more money. Warner, instead of accepting what is pretty much money for no work on their part, wants to milk someone else's product instead of putting their own effort out there to make money.
Aziel13's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/04/2009 03:26
Aziel13
@atastysammich: leave the Music companies alone
just leave them ALONE!
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