A new poll question is up. 

Do you prefer licensed music or Konami/Bemani Music?

- Licensed Music

- Konami/Bemani Music

- I like them the same

- I'm indifferent/ I don't know the difference

I am excited to see your responses, think it over and lets discuss the choices we've made!

I prefer Konami/Bemani Music ,  DDR is in all bemani World the game who less KO have... of course the Konami originals made by bemani artist (NAOKi, dj TAKA, Des-ROW, wac, L.E.D. Dj Yoshitaka, Ryu*, etc) are awesome.

I agree with Desrow - the artists mentioned are great. I don't like all the licensed music - some are great, such as Missing Heart, Cascada, and almost anything from adifferentdrum.com (Nevarakka, Neuropa, Daybehavior, etc.)

I picked Konami/Bemani music. I enjoy them a teeny bit better ^_^ 

I prefer Konami music. You can't really beat Naoki, Taka, Yoshitaka, Kanako Hoshino, Junko Karashima, Osamu Migitera, and the countless other Bemani artists who make great music.

However, the licenses Konami picks for DDR often introduces me to new artists and songs that I didn't know before, so I like them too.

Licenses by far.

Konami originals are bland and uninspired for the most part. Especially the ones they stick in the US ddr mixes.

I'm all for licenses....as long as the choices are GOOD!  Like in DDR Max 2 for example, classic licenses.

Mix licenses like those with a KO list like Supernova 1 and you got yourself a winning game.

I used to prefer the licensed music all the way to Extreme.

The blend of licenses up until then and the mix of Bemani originals really made the games great.

Now I feel forced to find good songs and all I am left with is crossovers from other games onto DDR (not saying it's bad) and mainstream licenses that aren't that upbeat and dancable. The licenses today are _just songs_.

So I like them the same, as long as they go back to how they used to work with licenses by not trying to grab attention to the mainstream crowd.

Find me upbeat dancable songs that are mainstream and you're ok. 

It's all about the licenses for me. I want to dance to something recognizable that everyone can enjoy hearing and watching. Don't like the Japanese pop.

I like them the same. As long as the music fits DDR, that's all I look for. Good music is good music, regardless.

I like Konami originals (or Bemani crossovers) more...

But then I like lisences too.. .Depend if it's the kind from DanceMania... Then my coins are in for DDR!

I like both the licensed music AND Konami/Bemani originals...

..but if i look at it more, i actually like Konami songs better =P

Bemani.  IIDX is my favorite Bemani game in terms of music and it has very few licensed songs per mix.  Kors k, Ryu *, Sada, Sota, L.E.D, Munetica (not sure if he is licensed), Yoshitaka:  all great.

As long as the music fits DDR, that's all I look for.

^ True.  DDR needs more dance/trance.

There are some bad licensed songs out there but there is plenty of good ones too.

The same goes with the Konami Stuff.

So I choose both of those types of songs.

I think part of the reason some people don't care about the US License Songs is because they don't show up on Arcade Mixes. I think if more Ultramix/Universe/US PS2 Stuff show up in Arcades, more people would be in to them.

For example, I would be pretty hyped up if I heard that Daybehavior/Melody & Mezzo/DM Ashura/Sanxion7/Insert Song or Artist Here would be in the next arcade mix.

That's just what I think anyways.

I prefer Konami Original music than licensed music, unless DanceMania

Konami songs & Bemani crossovers. Seriously, there's so many great songs on beatmania IIDX & Guitar Freaks/Drummania.

I like them the same. It all depends on if I like the songs or not. I don't like rock your body just as much as I don't like love this feelin' and I I like Fly away just as much as I like love on my mind. 

US licenses have gotten worse and worse after Max2.  Either way, KOs are usually better.  :3

I like them the same (almost).

From Konami/BEMANI music - NAOKI, dj Taka, BeForYou, jun, Reo Nagumo, etc.

From licensed mMusic - almost all Dancemania licences - Judy Crystal / Captain Jack / Bambee / Papaya / Ni-Ni  / Jenny Rom / Smile.dk / Joga / E-rotic / Wildside / Me & My / The Olivia Project / King Kong & D.Jungle Girls

There is a good new licensed songs, such as Everytime We Touch (Radio Mix), too.

A fun chart is a fun chart regardless of whether it's a license or a KO.  My problem with the licenses is sometimes they are thrown in there because of name recognition and not because they would make a good DDR chart.  Jamiroquai's "feel's just like it should" has no earthly business in a DDR game, it's all about the back of the box.  With that said, there are plenty of bland KO's as well.

Konami/Bemani Music, mostly because it's consistently good. With licenses, you'll either have good ones that fit the game (We Gotta Make It Tonight, Sound of Freedom, Can't Stop The Rain) or ones that suck horribly (Big Girls Don't Cry, He Said She Said *puke*, Say Goodbye, Suddenly I See etc). There aren't any Konami Originals that make me want rip my ears off with a chainsaw, but some licenses make me want to, lol.

konami/bemani music + dancemania songs mostly.

I never liked licensed music much except for a few chosen tracks. 

I like the Konami/Benami songs, especially the IIDX songs.

Personally, I like a mix of both, but I will say if they want to pull in more people to play they NEED to start putting in more recogizable music.  I ask many Guitar Hero players what keeps them on Guitar Hero as opposed to DDR and I usually get the answer "the songs on DDR suck" and are too poppy.  DDR needs more industrial/EBMish songs also, for instance, how Universe has the song by Monolithic called "Wraith".  It was nice hearing something heavier for a change.  It would cater to a much wider audience. 

 The other answer usually being that DDR is too hard...but those GH kids are usually fat anyway since Guitar Hero is DDR for the fat and/or lazy, imo.

Yeag, many (not all, I'm not generalizing) GH players aren't all too bright "that [beatmaniaIIDX] ripped off guitar hero".  I rest my caae.

on topic: 

For Extreme and before I was split, good KOs and licenses, but towards SN2, a lot of the licenses were atrocious.  Gwen Stefani?  I'm with Brian from Family Guy on her. 

The other answer usually being that DDR is too hard...

It is, at first. It took me a long time for me to get good eye foot coordination, but hand eye coordination was a piece of cake. Many people just want to take the easy road (Guitar Hero), and while Guitar Hero teaches the very basics of guitar playing (forming chords. strumming etc), it doesn't do much else. Depending on who you are, DDR can do a lot. My running stamina has increased dramatically as a result of continous DDR playing, and my running speed has increased a little bit too.

i really wish the new ddr games [ hottest party and x] had better lisences...