With the massive success of the rhythm game genre over the last 3 and a half years you would think that the music industry would be banging on Harmonix’s, Activision’s, and MTV Games’ collective doors. Well, you would be wrong.
Even though Aerosmith reportedly earned more from their GH title than they did from any one of their albums, and even though consumer interest in “old†bands has returned as the games introduced them to a new generation of shoppers, it turns out that the music industry - not surprisingly - thinks that they aren’t getting paid enough.
Edgar Bronfman, CEO of Warner Music Group, says, “The amount being paid to the music industry, even though [these] games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small.†Mr. Bronfman went on to say that unless rhythm game makers start makin’ with the cha-ching, then “we will not license to those games.â€
MTV Games, publisher of Rock Band, responded by boycotting the Warner Artists label and is currently in negotiations with them trying to hammer out a deal.
Could this be the end of master tracks?
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. According to this article on Wired:
How does this play out? Gamemakers could respond by using cover versions of songs from the Warner catalog, but Bronfman already has that move blocked. He also runs the giant music publisher Warner/Chappell, and he could deny the game companies access there, too.
Do you think record labels are entitled to a bigger cut? Share your thoughts below.
If you want to read the full article, you can find it HERE.
This post was submitted by mikewithe.
