The Big Drive Open Thread...

Okay, the Nitro and I are heading to San Francisco tomorrow for AES. Assuming there are no snowstorms, I’ll be driving all day tomorrow, so no posting. I’ll post some thoughts and pictures from AES when I get back to my hotel, and I’ll update my Twitter feed throughout the day, so if you’re intensely curious, watch that.

Anyhow, until that lofty event occurs, you’re on your own. The subject of discussion this time is this article. In a nutshell, if you don’t feel like reading it, record labels (well, Bronfman anyhow) think that Activision should pay them more because of the success of Guitar Hero et al. Activision says “bah. If anything, you should pay us, bitches. Look at how many copies of Joan Jett’s Greatest Hits you’ve sold because of us!” What we have here is a symbiotic relationship. I mean, if Guitar Hero just had random indie rock tracks (which are the kind of tracks you can get for free) then it wouldn’t had sold as well as it has, and neither would back catalog move.

When it comes to music in movies, background music in games, commercials, department stores, etc. I’m firmly of the opinion that the licensee should pay through the nose, repeatedly and with vigor. Music helps move those products. However, a situation like Guitar Hero is a special case, where the success does in fact equal income for the label. But the author of the article correctly points out that if the labels have to pay to get songs in the game, they’re going to just give the game authors a bunch of bullshit they want promo for, rather than what the game authors envisioned, which is apparently of the “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” variety.

Thoughts?