[quote name='mtxbass1']
I don't recognize half of these artists in the singstore, which is kind of surprising to a degree.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='bornrunnin31']The SingStore pretty much sucks. Period.
[/QUOTE]That's because of the following reasons:
-No UMG songs in the SingStore. There never will be. Anyway UMG artists people want to see in the SingStore, it will never happen, period (I know you know this, but this is something everyone should know).
-Warner Music Group is now on hold, when it comes to bringing music digitally (whether its SingStar, Rock Band, etc.).
-Due to SingStar sticking to the fixed $1.49 pricing, the latest or more popular artists are not happy with that. They feel their music is worth more than songs by artists people either don't know well or older songs. The amount SingStar songs would have to cost is $1.99 or up (allow for variable pricing) to please artists. This is what holds up UMG from ever supporting SingStore (too much proof about it) and it's why some Sony BMG artists aren't even in the store. If SingStar songs were cover and/or lacked music videos, they could have gotten away with the $1.49 pricetag.
-SingStore is intended for a global audience, no doubt. When you look at the songs in each update, at least 80% of them have charted in the year they debuted. However, it's like some debut towards the top in the U.K., Australia, or NA. Due to SingStar having its biggest popularity in Australia and the U.K., that explains why its artists may be more skewed to those regions. If each SingStore was heavily region specific where SCEA had to deal with artists for the U.S. Store, SCE Aus. dealing with Australia, etc., we'd probably see artists people are more familiar with. Although they try to go global, not all licensing is. Some popular songs which may perform better in the U.S. (such as Heaven is a place on Earth, YMCA, etc.), are distributed by UMG in NA, and since UMG has not agreed to support the SingStore, SCEE London cannot put their music on the U.S. Store. One time, there was a mistake where the Scorpions "Rock You Like A Hurricane" showed up (which UMG had the rights to in NA), and it ended up getting removed because of that.
-Partially, EMI is one of the bigger companies putting music on the SingStore. They are a company who is just happy people want to use their music. Since they are based in Europe, most of their music does come from Europe.
So when you remove the most popular company (UMG) who owns the entire Motown backlog, most rap/hip-hop, and most current hits from every appearing in the SingStore, that's a lot. While WMG isn't as big, they still have the rights to Madonna, Metallica, etc. While Sony BMG may have AC/DC, they are exclusive to RB. Some might think that licensing Sony BMG music would be easy since it says Sony, because it's no easier for SCEE London than Harmonix to license their music. Sony's divisions all operate separately, where its even been said some of them have tried to sue one another before.
What does help discs releases in a way is a few things (which is why the artists are usually good):
-It's actually cheaper/less complicated to licenses artists for discs. Artists can be paid various amounts to have their music on a disc, unless a fixed price like the SingStore. UMG, WMG, Sony BMG, EMI, etc. all support discs.
-Every disc is region specific. They will put songs on each disc to cater to each region. Songs which Europe knows but the U.S. doesn't, isn't likely to appear on a U.S. disc (and that's one reason the U.S. has to wait for their SingStar games).
In other news, SingStar Queen officially confirmed for NA and the patch:
April 16, 2009 - Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced the upcoming North American release of SingStar Queen for the PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems. Available as a standalone disc on August 18, 2009 SingStar Queen marks the franchise's second foray into artist specific content, providing fans with the ultimate interactive singing experience set to the rock hits of Queen.
SingStar Queen for the PS3 system features 25 chart-topping tracks from the iconic pop-rock group including, 'Another One Bites the Dust', 'We Are The Champions', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Under Pressure' and many more. With SingStar Queen for the PS3 system, players have additional access to a catalog of hundreds of downloadable songs featuring real artists and videos, via the PS3 online SingStore. Players can choose songs across multiple genres to create their own personalized party playlists. Providing a truly interactive singing experience, players can share their musical performances with family and friends via the online SingStar community, My SingStar Online.
SingStar Queen for the PS3 system will come equipped with a new voice control menu which will enable players to scroll through the song carousel and select the track they'd like to sing by simply speaking into the microphone. Players can additionally use the voice control menu to search for and purchase songs through the SingStore. The new feature set will be available early next week via a global patch release and will be compatible with all SingStar PS3 discs. In addition to voice control, the patch provides support for over 30 trophies including 'Super Singer Gold', 'Keep it Cool' and 'All Eyes on You', quick song purchase functionality and an enhanced redesign of the SingStore and My SingStar Online.
The SingStar franchise continues to expand its growing PS2 music library with the addition of SingStar Queen for the PS2 system which features 20 popular hits including, 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Will Rock You','Fat Bottomed Girls' and more.
Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Queen formed in 1971, and over the ensuing 20 years wrote and recorded such multi-platinum albums as News of the World, The Game, A Night at the Opera, A Day At The Races, A Kind of Magic and Live Killers. Their timeless hits include "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Killer Queen," "We Will Rock You," "We are the Champions" and "Under Pressure." Queen has sold more than 40 million albums in the United States and bands like Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day and My Chemical Romance have all cited Queen as a major musical influence.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated SingStar Queen for PS2 "T" for Teen. For more information about the ESRB visit
www.esrb.org.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/973/973642p1.html