While My Guitar (Hero) Gently Weeps

On September 9, The Beatles: Rock Band will be released, likely followed soon after by a resurgence of mood rings, terrible haircuts and children running in horror as they watch their parents and grandparents commandeer their game consoles.

So why on earth would the most successful band in history sell out to a video game? The answer is actually pretty interesting. For one, bringing their catalogue to Rock Band introduces The Beatles to a whole new generation. For another, it will act as the ultimate marketing one-two punch, as the video game will be released on the same day that the band's remastered CDs become available. According to a recent article about the upcoming game in the New York Times Magazine, adding a song to Rock Band or Guitar Hero almost immediately increases the number of downloads the song gets on iTunes. In one example, a Motley Crue song actually sold five times as many downloads on Rock Band as it did on iTunes.

Both Rock Band and Guitar Hero have done a tremendous amount to expand people's perceptions of what games can be and in doing so have broadened the audience of gamers. Yes, it's not just 17 year old boys playing games these days. The people at Harmonix, MTV Games and EA hope that the release of The Beatles: Rock Band will bring in even more new "casual" gamers, including the generation that made The Beatles a phenomenon the first time around. So will baby boomers be knocking down the doors at their local Best Buy on September 9th? I doubt it, in Ringo Starr's own words (as quoted in the New York Times magazine) "It's impossible. I cannot watch the line going down and play at the same time."

Even without Ringo Starr buying one, however, the game is likely to sell through the roof, leaving the execs at Activision (publishers of rival Guitar Hero) gently weeping - at least until they sign Led Zeppelin.

Follow Jessica Rovello on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ArkadiumGames

Comments

[normathumb]

03:41 AM on 08/22/2009

I can remember when playing air guitar didn't require electrical appliances.

[demfriend]

08:11 PM on 08/21/2009

While some call it a sell out by the remaining Beatles, I call it Sharing. There are a couple of whole genrations who have not really played Beatle music unless their parents still did and in that it is a true shame as we who were alive when the Beatles came to the US and the whole phenom after have wonderful memories not only of the music but the people who made that music who are gone now. I see lttle wrong as we have gone through other evolutions with music and who still listens to Elvis? We who love the Beatles music do not need plastic guitars but the children who are now falling in love with the music will once again bring it to life for themselves!

[RobinSeattle]

07:27 PM on 08/21/2009

The parents of these kids who play Rock Band and Guitar Hero need to have them learn to play real instruments, which is a lot more satisfying and a whole lot less lame.

[weinerdog]

08:48 PM on 08/21/2009

It's a game. I play instruments as well, but they're not for everyone. On more than one occasion I've had quite a good time in a family environment playing rock band with kids and adults who have no inclination to play an actual guitar(or drums for that matter). In moderation, it's good fun and not the slightest bit 'lame'.

[MathIsTruth]

01:47 PM on 08/22/2009

My kid got interested in playing (real) guitar due to GH and RB. Learning another instrument and playing in school band did not have that effect.

But thanks for the parenting advice, anyhow. Here's some for you in return: A one-size-fits-all attitude toward parenting is a recipe for failure.

[LADawson]

03:15 PM on 08/21/2009

Given that a good portion of their catalog is controlled by Sony, "selling out" to a video game may not have really been entirely their choice - though, I'm pretty sure George Harrison's songs were not included in that catalog, so there must have been some negotiation with his estate going on, but the game is missing a few key songs, namely early stuff, like "Love Me Do" and "Please, Please Me" and their b-sides which are controlled by Paul McCartney. Makes you wonder just how enthusiastic he was about it all... maybe they'll be available in downloadable content or something,

[PW1206]

04:43 PM on 08/21/2009

Interestingly, Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's, and Rubber Soul (in their entirety) will steadily become available as downloadable content. Also, McCartney, Ringo, Yoko, and Olivia Harrison have been consultants on the game (Paul and Ringo were at the unveiling event at E3 this year, and spoke enthusiastically about the project afterward). and Apple Corps has approved everything from the setlist and venues to the art design.

I don't need another plastic toy guitar or drum kit, so I won't be paying for the special edition that has replicas of John's guitar and Ringo's drums, nor will I be hunting down the McCartney bass or Harrison guitar, but they look awesome, so I wouldn't blame anyone for doing so. I will have to pick up two more USB microphones so my friends and I can perform the vocal harmonies. Or make them bring their Rock Band microphones over when we play. Whichever.

This may well be the first video game to truly bridge that gap between the generations (or the best - my folks still love Wii Sports Bowling. The only video game they've ever played)...