mmw-127 -- Music Games- Big Hit in Japan

[mmw at mailman.japaninc.com]

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 J at pan Inc Magazine Presents:
 M U S I C   M E D I A   W A T C H
 Commentary on Japan's music technology news
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 Issue No. 127

 Tokyo

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CONTENTS

++ FEATURE: More Thoughts on Music Games

++ NOTEWORTHY NEWS:
   ** Two men arrested for operating illegal mobile music site
   ** Yudo to develop music games for iPhone
   ** Roland releases updated sound modeling system for bass
   ** Sony unveils new line of Rolly robot music players
   ** YouTube signs agreement with JASRAC


++ FEATURE: More Thoughts on Music Games

Following straight on the heels of the Wii Music release last month and the
announcement of
several new mobile music games from Taito, Japanese game developer Yudo came
out with a
press release last week saying it will create its own set of
instrument-simulation games for the
iPhone (see newsbrief below). Along with Plato's Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06
and similar
releases last year for the Nintendo DS platform, these latest offerings from
Japan's music game
developers mark a definite trend away from rhythm games and toward
instrument simulation
using mobile devices and controllers.

One thing that all of these new music games have in common is that they put
far more emphasis
on the music creation and performance aspects and much less on the
competitive gaming element.
In fact, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has been quoted
as saying 'I don't
know if we should even be calling Wii Music a video game. I have been
likening Wii Music to something
that's more along the lines of a musical instrument than it is a video
game.' One of the central ideas
behind Wii Music is to introduce players to music making and musical
improvisation, by making it easy
for anyone to start playing the virtual instruments in a matter of minutes.

This leads to a dilemma that is familiar to developers of music-related
games and software: Without a
competitive scoring element, many casual gamers will try out the
instruments, but then quickly lose
interest and won't continue any farther. Obviously, it doesn't feel like
Guitar Hero or other games they
play regularly, and it is hard for them to see the point. This group then
goes back to playing 'regular'
games they do understand. On the other hand, people who play 'real'
instruments and have some
understanding of music often find the virtual instruments to be a bit
limiting. Because the instrument
sounds made by the player are adjusted on the fly to fit the chord
progression of the song, players
cannot control the melody beyond a certain extent. So this group too quickly
loses interest and goes
back to playing their 'regular' real instruments.

It's a difficult balance to strike: How do you make a game that appeals to
both groups - musicians with
a casual interest in gaming, and gamers with a casual interest in making
music? Rhythm games such
as Guitar Hero and Rock Band are obviously aimed at gamers, and have very
little to do with real music
making. Wii Music and other virtual instrument games, on the other hand,
appear to be slanted toward
the (much smaller) group that already has a proclivity toward music-making.
These games try to lure
players into the world of music-making by promising a shortcut: you don't
have to spend years and years
practicing in order to play these instruments.

Ultimately, however, a large part of the joy of making music stems from the
sense of accomplishment that
comes with achieving at least basic proficiency on an instrument. In
particular, many improvising musicians
take great pleasure in the process of conceiving imaginative melodic phrases
and musical ideas in their heads,
then quickly translating these to their instruments. To do this well
requires not only the ability to play an instrument,
but also an understanding of musical structure and the underlying patterns
that make up chord progressions and
harmony. This part of the fun can be lost if too much of the actual music
making is done for you by the game.

In the coming year ahead, we are likely to see more games that are targeted
specifically at people who play music,
and that utilize the fundamental aural and music theory skills needed by
improvising musicians. While these games
may not be promoted or sold on a scale like that of Guitar Hero, they will
nonetheless be welcomed by legions of
music hobbyists who currently have no other way to learn these skills other
than performing the tedious drills and
exercises found on most existing music training software. The various
virtual instrument games currently being
created by the Japanese developers also have great potential, particularly
on mobile devices. The next iteration
of these releases will probably not be marketed as games at all, but rather
as standalone synthesizers with their
own distinct sounds and unique playing characteristics.


++ NOTEWORTHY NEWS:

** Two men arrested for operating illegal mobile music site
In brief: The RIAJ announced last month that two men from Hyogo prefecture
were arrested for running a mobile
music service called 'Daisan Sekai'. Considered by the RIAJ to be one of the
most popular illegal sites in the country
for mobile music, Daisan Sekai had attracted over 1 million unique users
prior to the arrest of the operators.
Source:
http://tinyurl.com/6x9e88

** Yudo to develop music games for iPhone
In brief: On November 6, Yokohama-based game developer Yudo announced that
it began selling iPhone versions of
the three instrument-simulation games it currently offers for the Nintendo
Wii. Aero-Guitar, Aero-Synth and Aero-Drums
have all been ported to the iPhone/iTouch platform and are now available
through the App Store for 350 yen (US$3.50)
through the end of the year, after which time the price will go up to 840
yen.
Source:
http://it.nikkei.co.jp/mobile/news/index.aspx?n=NN002Y078%2006112008

** Roland releases updated sound modeling system for bass
In brief: On October 30, Roland began selling a new version of its
multi-effect standalone unit for bass that models the
sounds of various bass guitars and amps. The updated 'virtual bass system'
is called 'V-Bass 99' and is currently
selling for about JPY 130,000 (US$1,300).
Source:
http://www.roland.co.jp/news/0398.html

** Sony unveils new line of Rolly robot music players
In brief: At the end of November, Sony will begin selling a new series of
its autonomous Rolly music players.
The new series feature several improvements, including a memory increase of
2GB, and the ability to dance
in sync with other Rolly players. In addition, the new units include
software that allow the movement of the
players to be controlled via a PC or mobile phone. The new Rolly players
will be priced at around
JPY 40,000 (US$400).
Source:
http://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/183/183619/

** YouTube signs agreement with JASRAC
In brief: On October 23, YouTube and JASRAC signed a wide-ranging agreement
regarding copyright fees
for videos of users performing their own cover versions of copyrighted
songs. The agreement does not cover
distribution of music and video in its original form, and YouTube is still
under pressure to block the uploading
of this type of content. The contract with YouTube follows a similar a
similar agreement that JASRAC reached
with popular Japanese video sharing site Niko Niko Douga in April.
Source:
http://www.j-cast.com/2008/10/23029126.html


Music Media Watch is written by Steve Myers, president of Theta Music
Technologies, a Tokyo-based
developer of music-related software (www.thetamusic.com).

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