Byrd’s Nest #7: How Rock Band 3 will save the Music Industry

It is undeniably that the Rock Band franchise has changed the music industry. Several songs on the Rock Band Network have outsold the song on iTunes. Older Bands can reconnect their music to a younger generation and indie bands can try to go mainstream by releasing songs in Rock Band. Rock Band is already shaping up to be a revolutionary game. With new peripherals, new songs and endless importing, Rock Band 3 is primed and ready to be one of the defining games of it’s generation. But it will also change the world in another way. It will save the music industry.

Look at the setlist for Rock Band 3. How many songs from 2000 and on do you see? No that many. What you will see a lot of is songs from anywhere between the 60′s and the 90′s. A mixture of Classic Rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Ramones, The Who and Whitesnake and New Wave bands like Tears for Fears, Devo and The Cure. Crunching the numbers it appears the average song come from somewhere between 1975 and 1988. So why are there so many classic songs instead of modern songs. Because most modern songs suck.

Whether it’s Ke$ha, Lady Gaga or Katy Perry. Music has reached an oversaturation of shallow, materialistic, 3-minute ballads on clothes, parties and drinking. Music used to mean something. It was an art form. Now it’s bargain bin trash. And no one bothers looking back at all the great songs of past generations. I have asked several of my peers who the bands listed above were and I was met with either confusion or talking about how bad and lame they were. It’s a shame. However, as corny as this sounds, Rock Band 3 is here to save the day.

With it’s awesome retro soundtrack, Rock Band 3 could help popularize good music. The Beatles: Rock Band sparked a new interest in The Beatles among a younger generation. Why can’t this game do the same except on a broader scale. It could get people thinking. Why should I listen to this modern pop crap when I can play/listen to these awesome Rock Band tracks. It could completely change how the music industry thinks. Instead of a pop focused industry, it could be a rock focused industry. Think about it. It’s not that crazy.