14 DAY TRIAL // After spending quite a considerable time in a closed beta stage, as we should have expected, considering the concept, Rock Band Network is finally being released to the masses. While the Rock Band 2 store for the Rock Band Network hasn't opened up shop just yet, the developing software is ready to be put to use by aspiring musicians. The work tools can be downloaded from the community site, but that's not all that can be done right now. Members can have the privilege of a quick audition of the existing Rock Band Network tracks, thanks to the peer review process.
"The Rock Band Network opens the Rock Band universe to musicians at any stage of their career, empowering them to release the songs they choose, on their timetable, via our proven music distribution platform," the Senior Vice President of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music Group, Paul DeGooyer, said.
Harmonix was glad to share its thoughts on the project as well and Alex Rigopulos, the CEO and co-founder of Harmonix, said that, "We are excited to democratize the Rock Band platform and expand the music discovery experience to the greater music community with the Rock Band Network. We believe this will be great for fans, music lovers, bands and the music industry as a whole." However, it looks like Harmonix doesn't think that democracy applies to everyone, and not all composers have equal rights.
While the RBN has been given a green light for public testing, that doesn't mean that everyone can access it. The open beta for the network is only available for Xbox 360 users at the moment, Xbox Live Gold members to be more precise. More to add to the market restriction, you need an XNA Creator's Club subscription to fiddle with RBN, and this one isn't free either. The four-month deal for it costs $49, while the full-year one is $99. As time passes, the tracks will reach the PlayStation 3 and Wii as well, but until then, Microsoft and its console is the only way to go.