Threat of music piracy one reason Rock Band 4 isn’t coming to PC for now

[Victorious Secret]

 

 

 

Now, before all you master PC gamers get mad and start giving Harmonix crap over not respecting your gaming needs, lets understand why Rock Band 4 isn't coming out on PC and whether the reasons make logical sense. 

 

See, Rock Band includes the same music you are free to pirate already, only it contains multiple tracks. For each instrument. For vocals. Basically the entire song before someone presses "export" and creates the .wav master file from which every other version is spawned. So that can be a big deal to the rights holders (aka the music industry) because they clearly don't want what amounts to studio quality files being thrown out. They have a point, rarely do you see studio quality leaks (much less multiple track versions of songs) because that stuff just doesn't happen all the time. I can think of only one song in recent memory that had even a .wav leak. 

 

Does this mean Rock Band 4 will never come out? Who knows. Maybe they will figure out some crafty DRM that secures the songs or otherwise learn to deal with the environment and just release it. But there it is. Want to grove on to music in a game that is arguably based on a fun series? Go get a platform that isn't a PC. And before you all shit over Harmonix, this was a record label(s) decision. Harmonix doesn't get to say no to what they want when they need songs for their game. 

 

 

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Harmonix Product Manager Daniel Sussman cited those "security issues" in discussing why a PC version of the new rhythm game wasn't currently in the works. "There's something comforting about the closed network that comes along with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One," Sussman said. "That's important to our partners in the music industry."

 

In a follow-up statement, Harmonix further clarified that it was music rights holders, and not Harmonix itself, that were concerned about the piracy implications of a PC release. That's not that surprising considering the music industry's long-running issues with computer-based piracy and the high-quality, multi-track recordings that are distributed with Rock Band games.

 

The kind of security that protects those tracks from copying on modern consoles could be done on the PC, but Harmonix would be responsible for it, the statement said. While a PC release is "not off the table for the future, however we're first focusing on delivering Rock Band 4 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this holiday."

 

 

 

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/06/threat-of-music-piracy-one-reason-rock-band-4-isnt-coming-to-pc-for-now/

[Guest Kloaked]

They can do some weird encryption thing that Spotify does.

[Misanthrope]

They can do some weird encryption thing that Spotify does.

 

They could sure, but something they can do it's just fuck off.

[Syntaxvgm]

They can do some weird encryption thing that Spotify does.

I've copied spotify music before

 

And this is mentally fucking retarded. 

"Oh gee, until this game came out, I had no place to pirate this music"

give me a fucking break

[Guest Kloaked]

I've copied spotify music before

 

And this is mentally fucking retarded. 

 

How'd you do it?

[Syntaxvgm]

How'd you do it?

ssssh shhhsssssss 

Not as easy as pandora, but it can be done. As long as something is played back on your browser, you can get it. 

I generally don't fuck with it, I just did it just to win yah know 

[79 Potatoes]

If they put the same files in a different platform I don't see how does it make it "unpirateable"

[Trik'Stari]

Guitar hero was better anyways.

 

(I preferred the round notes to the square bar thing that rockband does, can't adequately explain it.

 

Been a long time since I played guitar hero, but every time I hear a track that was on it, I have flashbacks to hard mode (never could get the hang of expert)

 

edit: except two songs, which I knew so well I 100% them on expert the first time I tried them on expert, Iron Man, and Carry on My Wayward Son.

[Victorious Secret]

I've copied spotify music before

 

And this is mentally fucking retarded. 

"Oh gee, until this game came out, I had no place to pirate this music"

give me a fucking break

 

The game doesn't hold single tracks versions of the songs. It holds multiple tracks of a song. Individual streams if it were. That stuff is never seen outside of a studio environment for the most part, THAT is what the record companies don't want getting out there. They have a legitimate reasons for not wanting a PC versions at this point in time. 

[alexyy]

If I wanted to pirate music I don't fucking buy a game to then work out how to rip music off it.

[Rohith_Kumar_Sp]

i mean, if consoles never existed, what'd they have done ? what are the alternate solutions ?

[Syntaxvgm]

I really don't think this is a major decision for them, these "part games" are probably bigger sellers on consoles by  far anyway. 

[Trik'Stari]

The game doesn't hold single tracks versions of the songs. It holds multiple tracks of a song. Individual streams if it were. That stuff is never seen outside of a studio environment for the most part, THAT is what the record companies don't want getting out there. They have a legitimate reasons for not wanting a PC versions at this point in time. 

 

Do any of you even read the fucking articles or do you just start shitposting? 

Personally I got to the word "rockband" and didn't care anymore because I preferred Guitar Hero.

[Misanthrope]

How'd you do it?

 

You can record audio for anything you're playing on your PC with something like Audacity (but it will usually record windows sounds if you don't mute em) Also a second device works ok (i.e. play on your mobile phone and connect a cable from headphones to your microphone input on the pc)

 

It's usually more trouble that is worth though.

[Rohith_Kumar_Sp]

I really don't think this is a major decision for them, these "part games" are probably bigger sellers on consoles by  far anyway. 

hence my quarry, would this game ever exist if consoles never existed ? 

[Syntaxvgm]

You can record audio for anything you're playing on your PC with something like Audacity (but it will usually record windows sounds if you don't mute em) Also a second device works ok (i.e. play on your mobile phone and connect a cable from headphones to your microphone input on the pc)

 

It's usually more trouble that is worth though.

not how I did it, I literally captured some of the playback without recording the whole thing

[Syntaxvgm]

hence my quarry, would this game ever exist if consoles never existed ? 

probably not 

[jbslayer]

Rock Band has never been on the PC anyway. To get the most out of Rock Band, you have to play the game with friends with a good amount of space so you can place all the instruments out and on a TV so everyone can see their notes clearly. To achieve all that you have to play in the living room, where consoles would commonly be and PC's are uncommonly.

[Misanthrope]

Rock Band has never been on the PC anyway. To get the most out of Rock Band, you have to play the game with friends with a good amount of space so you can place all the instruments out and on a TV so everyone can see their notes clearly. To achieve all that you have to play in the living room, where consoles would commonly be and PC's are uncommonly.

 

Yes because that's literally impossible on PC

 

*looks at news of steam machines just below the thread*

 

Oh shit...

[jbslayer]

Yes because that's literally impossible on PC

 

*looks at news of steam machines just below the thread*

 

Oh shit...

I didn't say PCs in the living room are impossible, I said they're uncommon. Don't spin my words around.

[Syntaxvgm]

Yes because that's literally impossible on PC

 

*looks at news of steam machines just below the thread*

 

Oh shit...

it's not impossible it's traditionally uncommon. 

[Shakaza]

Huh, I never realized people played these sorts of games on the PC anyway. I always thought these were so much better to use on a TV, and I can't imagine that many people specifically setting up their PCs for that...I could be wrong, though. Maybe a lot of people have small PCs or have TVs next to their computers and/or have long cables? I know that some people use TVs as their main monitors, but that can't be common enough for the game to be worth putting on the PC, right?

 

Can someone explain, please?

[Victorious Secret]

I didn't say PCs in the living room are impossible, I said they're uncommon. Don't spin my words around.

 

Don't mind him, thats what he does around here. Always takes it to the utmost extreme. 

 

You're right. It was and still is uncommon. I have people over and I want to do split screen in most modern games. Consoles? I can. Can I take 4 people who were doing split screen custom games in Halo 3 online with me in matchmaking for Big Team? Yup. All off my projector. Its nice. 

 

Computer? Oh wait. Most FPS games on PC don't have that. Very few games on the PC are designed for that. PC gaming is decidedly a very "lonely" orientated approach still. Playing with friends is not a norm for games. Even with Steam Machines, that doesn't solve the problem that games just aren't designed for that the same way console games are designed for it. 

 

I think he also conflated the issue. Having PC hardware at your HT setup isn't abnormal. Thats never been a problem. Its having games designed around that social experience that is uncommon for PC gamers. It just doesn't happen, maybe thats why they're not happy. IDK. 

[Misanthrope]

it's not impossible it's traditionally uncommon. 

 

So are local co op games rare because PCs are not commonly on living rooms or is it the other way around? I guess we won't find out because fuck pirates right?

[Victorious Secret]

Huh, I never realized people played these sorts of games on the PC anyway. I always thought these were so much better to use on a TV, and I can't imagine that many people specifically setting up their PCs for that...I could be wrong, though. Maybe a lot of people have small PCs or have TVs next to their computers and/or have long cables?

 

Can someone explain, please?

 

Plenty have PCs by their HT setups, thats never been an issue. Its that PC gaming has decidedly been catered to "lonely gamers" (its true, they don't market PC games or PCs in any social context, especially not in the way that they market consoles and console games). So whats the point? Yea ,they could make Rock Band 100% compatible for PC but who does that in enough numbers to make it worth it? Not many people. 

 

That won't change till PC developers as a whole give PC games the same "social friendly" considerations that console games get. Console games get split screen, multiple local player play and all that fun stuff without any hassles. PC games? Pfft. Be lucky to find that at all these days.