Rock Band Distributes Digital Albums

A slew of rock stars support Rock Band as it offers online downloadable albums.

Electronic Arts, the publisher of Harmonix’s Rock Band, and MTV have announced that new downloadable content will be made available every week. A new twist on the traditional “pay-per-track” method (or bundle of tracks) used by Guitar Hero is being introduced in Rock Band: the ability to download entire playable albums from specific bands, starting with The Who’s Who’s Next a week after release.

“Offering entire albums for play on the Rock Band platform is a monumental step forward in Harmonix’s ever present quest to provide new ways for people to interact with music and creating the most authentic music experience possible. This will give players the opportunity to play through the entire album set list of arguably some of the most influential rock albums of all time and brings them one step closer to what it feels like to be a true rock star,” stated Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Harmonix.

Mike Davis, EVP/GM at Universal Music Enterprises, added, “Rock Band empowers users to interact with the music they love in a completely new way. This type of consumer engagement is vital in today’s marketplace. We fully support licensing opportunities that allow consumers to have their music their way and it’s a home run because of its cultural relevance.”

Who’s Next track list reads:

1. “Baba O’Riley”
2. “Bargain”
3. “Love Ain’t for Keepin'”
4. “My Wife (Entwistle)”
5. “The Song Is Over”
6. “Getting in Tune”
7. “Going Movile”
8. “Behind Blue Eyes”
9. “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

“The Who’s Who’s Next is crystallized as one of the great moments in music history,” commented Jeff Yapp, Executve Vice President for MTV Program Enterprises. “This is the first of many legendary albums available for download in Rock Band as a digitally-distributed game level. This enables us to connect music fans and gamers with the artists and songs they want to play so they can experience these historic moments through Rock Band.”

In order to provide the best possible collection of music for the game, Harmonix has founded the Rock Band Music Advisory Board composed of industry experts and veteran musicians. Chairman of the advisory board will be musician and producer Steven Van Zandt, a.k.a. “Little Steven.”

“I am honored to have been asked to lead the Rock Band Music Advisory Board. It is amazing how effective the game is in communicating the coolest music ever made, and still being made, and at the same time, capturing the spirit of fun that got us all into Rock-and-Roll in the first place,” gushed Little Steven.

Metal mavens Metallica will be featured prominently in the game through digital downloaded levels and “Enter Sandman”, the hit single which will be on the final game’s song listing.

Rigopulos discussed Metallica’s relevance to adding credibility to the game. “Metallica is one of the best loved bands in the world and their albums redefined hard rock and metal. Its one of the bands we had to bring to the Rock Band experience. Rock Band will allow gamers to jam with the guys through their long, successful career, from young, raw talent to mega stars, playing the hard-rocking sounds that the band is known for.”

The soundtrack announced thus far includes:

• The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
• Mountain “Mississippi Queen”
• David Bowie “Suffragette City”
• Black Sabbath “Paranoid”
• Blue Oyster Cult “Don’t Fear the Reaper”
• The Ramones “Rockaway Beach”
• Rush “Tom Sawyer”
• Bon Jovi “Wanted Dead or Alive”
• Nirvana “In Bloom”
• Stone Temple Pilots “Vasoline”
• Weezer “Say It Ain’t So”
• Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly”
• Metallica “Enter Sandman”
• The Hives “Main Offender”
• The Strokes “Reptilia”
• Queens of the Stone Age “Go With the Flow”