The eagerly awaited Rock Band Network launches tonight, an event that will hopefully usher in a new era for the rhythm-game genre. No longer will players and music lovers be at the mercy of Harmonix and MTV as the only source for new music DLC. No longer will players have to wait until Tuesday for new music, as the Rock Band Network will see a steady stream of new content every hour of every day.

In anticipation of its imminent launch, I have whipped together a guide that covers every aspect of the Rock Band Network, from how you can create your own music tracks, to how tracks are approved and you can make money from your efforts.

What is the Rock Band Network?

After paying a small fee ($160), anyone can become a member of the Rock Band Network. Once you are a member, you can begin the process of using supplied software from Harmonix to create your own tracks for Rock Band, including all instrument sections. Once your tracks are approved, they will appear for sale on the Rock Band Network at a price-point of your choosing. Players do not have to be members of the Rock Band Network in order to purchase new music. An XNA Premium Membership and Xbox Live Gold account are required.

Why is the Rock Band Network So Important?

Now anyone with the rights to specific music can create, upload and sell their creations. This is great for new bands and small music publishers, as each has a new avenue for promotion and exposure. Basically, the floodgates are now open and Rock band should benefit from a massive wave of new music that covers every genre imaginable.

Which Music Publishers Are Embracing the Rock Band Network?

SubPop Records is embracing the new tools and will have music available very soon from the following groups:

The Shins

Flight of the Conchords

Mudhoney

Sleater-Kinney

The Postal Service

Three big rock acts will have music available soon after launch:

Creed

Evanescence

Billy Idol

The WaveGroup, a game audio production team, will be releasing the music from the following acts:

Steve Vai
Widespread Panic
Gov’t Mule
Reverend Horton Heat
Stroke 9
Galactic
Rebelution
Bif Naked
Assembly of Dust
Nick Gallant
Kid Beyond
RX Bandits
Jet Black Kiss
Doug Doppler
Austin Willacy
The Humans
Rain Dogs

What Tools Do I Need to Create Rock Band Tracks?

After you have become a member of the Rock Band Network, you will need to download a few programs.

You’ll want to make sure your music track has the proper mix and MIDI setup. Harmonix has a handy guide for this you can read here.

You will need Reaper, a Digital Audio Workstation, that will assist in converting your music to MIDI.

You will need Magma, a PC tool, that takes all of your elements and creates a package file suitable for the Rock band Network.

What are the Price Points for Songs?

80, 160 or 240 MS Points ($1, $2, $3)

Who Gets the Money?

You’ve created a track, it managed to get approved and now it’s for sale. Who gets the money? You, as the creator, get 70% of the sell price while Harmonix keeps the remaining 30%. Creators will be paid quarterly, with a minimum $50 payment.

So I Can Make and Sell Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin Tracks Now?

No. Let me repeat that. No. You MUST, as the creator of a Rock Band track, OWN the Publishing rights to any recording that you plan on submitting for the Rock Band Network.

The Rock Band Network has been created so small music publishers can easily, and cheaply, get their music in front of a new audience. It’s also a great way for unsigned bands to get additional exposure, assuming they are willing to put in the work required to create a custom Rock Band track.

Do I Need to Know Music to Create a Rock Band Track?

The more you known about actual music composition, the better. The software supplied by Harmonix is created by musicians for musicians. You can probably stumble your way through if you are really hell-bent though.

What’s The Process of Creating a Rock Band Network track?

It goes like this:

Creator uses Reaper (supplied by Harmonix after membership approval) to create MIDI tracks for drums, guitars and lyrics. This is where you break a song down into various button presses, the heart of the game.

After you are happy with the MIDI breakdown of your song, you pull its information into another program called Magma, which allows you to test your song using Rock band instruments. Magma is also used for allocating cover art, adding text like lyrics, difficulty levels, etc.

When you’re happy with your creation, you upload your work via the XNA Creators Club.

All submitted songs go through a detailed approval process, which is:

All songs must be reviewed by at least 8 people.

All songs will be checked, both manually and via software, for any copyright infringement.

All songs will be play-tested for one week and peer-reviewed between two days to two weeks.

Then, your song is quarantined for two days.

Emerging from quarantine, your new music track will appear on the new Rock Band Network Store, where players from all over the world will be able to download your music.

Censorship

Your song must be “radio-friendly”. No bad words. No new versions of the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Sir Psycho Sexy” with all words intact, sorry.

What About Playstation 3?!

For the moment, you will have to look on in envy at Xbox 360 owners. Harmonix is working with Sony to figure out a system, but considering Sony doesn’t have their own version of XNA, it may take awhile to hammer out an infrastructure.

I Have a Band But I Don’t Want to Make My Own Tracks! Can I Hire Someone?

Indeed. Check out this thread for an ever-growing list of track wizards who can help you bring your music to Rock Band.