Could video games help boost the music industry?
Rock Band, the music simulator for Xbox 360 and PS3 was reported by MTV yesterday to have sold 2.5 million song downloads since the game went on sale on November 20, 2007.
On the game's official site, MTV announced it had "gone double platinum."
Of the additional content available, the most popular product is a 3-song pack from Metallica which includes "Ride The Lightning," "Blackened" and "And Justice For All." Packs from The Police, and Queens of the Stone Age, David Bowie and Black Sabbath were all ranked among top sellers.
The most popular singles so far were Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son," and Weezer's "Buddy Holly." Downloads cost approximately two dollars each.
Plans to include new and up-and-coming bands at a discounted .99 per download were also mentioned, with actor Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars, Swedish pop band The Sounds, and turn of the century rockers All-American Rejects listed as the initial participants.
Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks' Music, Logo and Films group said the company was testing the consumer's desire for more gameplay around popular music. Many bands, he said, are requesting that their songs be made available for download. He cited the uncertain future of the music industry as an impetus for growth in this area.
It should not be overlooked, however, that downloadable songs still fall into the somewhat repellant category of micro-transactions. The addition of a song for a fee is not tremendously different from paying for more equipment, levels or other in-game content like many titles now allow.
Rock Band and the Guitar Hero series are showing potential as a new revenue source for the faltering music industry. But the demarcation between rock star and video game hero has always been a line that the industry has sought to cross.
From the arcades of the early 80's, to the home computer craze, to the console wars of the 90's, up to today, the video game industry has proven tough for musicians to break into with any success.
