How the Beatles became a video game

[2 articles]

How the Beatles became a video game

http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/08/19/how-the-beatles-became-a-video-game/

by Philip Elmer-DeWitt
August 19, 2009

Leave aside for the moment the rumors that Apple Inc. (AAPL) has
invited a number of music industry professionals and press to an
iPod/iTunes special event on Sept. 9.

We know for a fact that Apple Corps and EMI have scheduled the
worldwide release of the original Beatles catalog ­ digitally
remastered for the first time ­ in compact disc format on 09/09/09,
an event timed to coincide with MTV Games' release of The Beatles:
Rock Band. (Press release here.)

And thanks to Jeff Howe's long piece in the current issue of Wired
Magazine, we have the back story of how the Beatles became a video
game ­ a tale that begins with a meeting between George Harrison's
son Dhani and Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks, on a secluded
Caribbean beach nearly three years ago, long before Rock Band was
released and became a hit.

It's a fascinating glimpse into the complexities involved in doing
anything new with the Beatles' musical legacy, whether putting the
songs in video game format or bringing them, at long last, to the
iTunes music store.

Take, for example, this passage from Howe's piece:

"Licensing music for games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band is a fairly
complicated procedure. Gamemakers pay a chunk of cash upfront to
several parties to license both the master recording and the
publishing rights to the underlying song. Licensing the Beatles,
however, is trickier. The recording rights belong to the band's
longtime label, EMI. Most of the publishing rights, on the other
hand, are held by Sony/ATV (a joint venture with the late Michael
Jackson). Complicating matters even further, additional publishing
rights for certain tunes are held by Harrissongs, an independent
entity set up by George Harrison, as well as by Starr's publishing
company, Startling Music.

And that's just behind the music. In order to develop the game's
digital doubles, MTV had to license the artists' likenesses from
Apple Corps, which meant appealing to the Beatles and their
descendants­famous for conflicting views on how to manage the Beatles
brand­to reach an agreement. On top of that, the company had to
obtain separate rights for any materials it wanted to use for the
game's marketing."

And then there's Yoko. Howe's story ends with a scene that reads like
something Fake Steve Jobs had already imagined:

"By spring, the Harmonix crew had completed a rough build of the
entire game. Yoko Ono, whose involvement up to then had been minimal,
decided to fly to Boston to provide her own distinct brand of input.
"She gave the designers hell," DeGooyer says. "She's an artist,"
Rigopulos adds, "so she was very concerned with the look of the game.
She really held our feet to the fire." Ono made specific suggestions,
like proposing that the game's final scene­the Beatles' infamous
rooftop concert on the Apple Corps building in Knightsbridge­look
windier. Her criticism sent Harmonix scurrying to improve the
graphics. At that point, the E3 conference and the game's debut was
just three months away. 'We were like, oh, gee. Thanks,' Rigopulos
says. 'It would have been nice to know that six months ago, but yes,
thank you very much.'" (See here for MTV Networks and Harmonix' angry
reaction to this section of the story.)

Steve Jobs, of course, is a great Beatles fan and was negotiating for
digital rights to the catalog long before MTV Networks got into the
act ­ negotiations complicated by the fact that Apple had been in and
out of litigation with Apple Corps since 1978.

But to imagine that Apple Inc. would stage Jobs' return to coincide
with the remastered CDs, the Rock Band game, and an announcement that
the Beatles have come to iTunes … well, that's pure speculation.

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Ringo Starr's Rock Band struggle

http://musicnews.virginmedia.com/entertainment/news/music/2009/08/18/ringo_starrs_rock_band_struggle

18 Aug 2009

Beatles legend Ringo Starr has admitted he may struggle to even play
his own parts when the Fab Four version of Rock Band is released next month.

The drummer reckons he is barely able to play along with the computer
game because he cannot concentrate on the on-screen cues.

Starr, 69, told the New York Times he had tried to play Rock Band
only once: "It's impossible. I cannot watch the line going down and
play at the same time."

The musician - about whom bandmate John Lennon once quipped "he's not
even the best drummer in The Beatles" - said that those who were good
at the game were not really able to make music.

He said: "The kids are getting really great at this game, but they
couldn't suddenly go and play the Staples Centre."

He added: "They're playing a game, they're not making music. The
music is already made."

Beatles Rock Band - in which fans can play along with dozens of the
band's hits - is being released next month, at the same time as the
band's remastered back catalogue.

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