Guitar Hero II 360 Downloads Go Multi-Platinum
Guitar Hero II has thrashed its way to megastardom, with its beloved (and occasionally bemoaned) downloadable song packs selling over 650,000 albums downloads in just under five months. According to the RIAA, that would earn the venerable title some multi-platinum bragging rights.
Since each song pack contains three singles, individual songs combined number in excess of 2 million, putting the Guitar Hero II song downloads on the XBLA Most Popular charts, if Billboard made such charts.
I hope we'll be seeing more of the band-specific packs such as the My Chemical Romance song pack, which sold over 50,000 chemically romantic downloads in its first week. (NB: excitement does not extend to Aerosmith.) I'm still waiting for a Chick Rock pack with songs from Liz Phair, The Breeders and Sleater-kinney. I'd have asked for Tori Amos but she's all piano... and I might get stoned to death by the metal kids...
Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 Video Game Song Packs Hit Multi-Platinum Status with 650,000 Downloads
More Than Two Million Single Songs Accessed Through Xbox LIVE Marketplace® since April Highly Anticipated Sequel Guitar Hero III to Feature Master Tracks, Original Songs and Downloadable Content
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sep 11, 2007 - Downloadable Xbox 360 video game song packs for Activision, Inc.'s (Nasdaq:ATVI) Guitar HeroTM II hit multi-platinum status with more than 650,000 downloads through Xbox LIVE Marketplace® in less than five months, as defined by the music industry's RIAA. Each downloadable pack contains three individual songs. Individual songs combined have topped the two million mark, making the Guitar Hero II packs some of the most downloaded content on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
"Activision was the first third-party publisher to offer downloadable content via Xbox LIVE to consumers and as a result, we have tremendous insight into the types of content that consumers want," states Dusty Welch, head of publishing, RedOctane. "The Guitar Hero II downloadable video game song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox LIVE and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream and powerful promotional vehicle for musicians and record labels today."
Tim Riley, worldwide executive of music for Activision, added, "Activision has long been a pioneer in recognizing the importance of music in games and has forged unprecedented partnerships with all of the major record labels, music publishers and bands in order to offer Guitar Hero fans unrivaled access to music catalogues."
"We have been working very closely with Activision to make our catalog available for download for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. The results we have seen from download sales to date have been very impressive. This partnership is providing EMI Music Publishing and its songwriters with a valuable new source of revenue, and at the same time giving us the opportunity to exploit portions of our catalog that might otherwise not get such high-profile exposure," remarked Rod Kotler, Director of Music Services, EMI Music Publishing.
On August 14, 2007, Activision released a new My Chemical Romance video game song pack which included original recordings of the hit songs Teenagers, Famous Last Words, and This is How I Disappear from the band's latest album "The Black Parade." In its first week of release, over 50,000 downloads of the three-song pack were purchased through Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Commenting on the success of the My Chemical Romance video game song pack, Brian Schechter, the band's manager, said, "Activision has always had the artists and music culture in mind for their games. Now, the band's fans will be able to enjoy their music in a new way that they truly enjoy. As long as Activision and Guitar Hero keep providing quality products to the world, I would love to have all Riot Squad artist's in business with them."
Additionally, Activision's highly anticipated sequel, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will feature master tracks from some of rock's most legendary bands like the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica, as well as original songs by such guitarist icons as Slash and Tom Morello. The sequel also will offer a vast array of downloadable content including songs from some of the most popular European bands.
"Having Warner Music Group's master recordings in Guitar Hero III is a fantastic opportunity for everyone. Both our current and catalog artists are being exposed to new audiences through this great game. By selling additional tracks, we don't have to wait for another volume of the game to be released to offer new artists and music to gamers around the world," said Mark Pinkus, SVP Synch Licensing & Strategic Marketing at Rhino Entertainment.
To date, Guitar Hero games have sold more than 5.5 million units, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is scheduled to launch in October on all major console platforms and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.
tiny dancer
Posted to Miscellany on 11 September 2007
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: guitar hero ii, microsoft, red octane, xbox 360
I just hope this doesn't let it go to their head and they focus on "Whats popular out there that kids like to listen too!" rather then actually good Guitar Hero songs.
Because guitar hero 80s was cheap and dirty and poor.
Also looking at GH3 setlist makes me feel like its TRL rather then the game that I knew and love.
Prove me wrong Activision, if its not to hard for you
OMG I wish they would release a Tori pack! I want to rock out to She's my Cocaine!
add in pj harvey while were at it...juliana hatfield...ani difranco!! viva alternachickrock forever.