Sex, Drugs, Rockband

This great album was promised by the end of 08. Harmonix has done such a great job, we can allow them a slip up or 2. kotaku.com - Harmonix revealed the full album’s availability via the Rock Band Music Store to subscribers of the Rock Band Community Zine, with ten tracks from Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble landing (presumably) starting next Tuesday, March 3rd. Announced last summer, Texas Flood is the second to last from that batch to hit—Jane’s Addiction’s Nothing’s Shocking still remains unreleased.

Price is $15.99 for the PlayStation 3 version or 1280 Microsoft Points for the Xbox 360 and contains the following tracks that you’re probably going to have a hard time playing very well.

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With the massive success of the rhythm game genre over the last 3 and a half years you would think that the music industry would be banging on Harmonix’s, Activision’s, and MTV Games’ collective doors. Well, you would be wrong.

Even though Aerosmith reportedly earned more from their GH title than they did from any one of their albums, and even though consumer interest in “old” bands has returned as the games introduced them to a new generation of shoppers, it turns out that the music industry - not surprisingly - thinks that they aren’t getting paid enough.

Edgar Bronfman, CEO of Warner Music Group, says, “The amount being paid to the music industry, even though [these] games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small.” Mr. Bronfman went on to say that unless rhythm game makers start makin’ with the cha-ching, then “we will not license to those games.”

MTV Games, publisher of Rock Band, responded by boycotting the Warner Artists label and is currently in negotiations with them trying to hammer out a deal.

Could this be the end of master tracks?
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http://arstechnica.com - While Activision has cashed in on the Guitar Hero name with everything from portable versions of the game to cheap LCD keychain toys, Harmonix and MTV Games have yet to make a questionable move when it comes to releasing spin-off products. This new one may change that… or it may be a strong addition to the franchise. Today it was announced that Rock Band is coming to the PSP with Rock Band Unplugged.

The game will feature a store that will allow gamers to purchase new content using the PSP’s WiFi capabilities, a first for the system. Almost no other details were given, although one site seems to have the scoop on the game. Read on for some juicy rumor.

Primotechnology is claiming to have the full scoop on the game, although the they won’t reveal the source for its information. They claim there will be no peripheral; the game will work using the system’s own buttons. “Instead, all input is handled by the ‘Left,’ ‘Up,’ ‘Triangle,’ and ‘Circle’ buttons. The player can switch between guitar, drums, bass, and ‘vocals’ (although he won’t physically be singing, merely tapping buttons) using the L and R shoulder buttons,” the site claims.
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Now, if only Poison was available on Rock Band… bizjournals.com - Bret Michaels, the front man of 1980s heavy metal band Poison and the subject of VH1’s highest-rated program “Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels,” will be at Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Harrison County next month to kick off a promotion.

Horseshoe, a Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. property, is seeking “bands” to compete in a battle of the bands competition using the popular “Rock Band” video game. Weekly competitions will be held between March 26 and April 16.

The overall winner of the competition at the Horseshoe will advance to a regional competition, held April 30 in New Orleans.

The winning band will move on to the championship competition, scheduled for May 8 in Atlantic City.
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fragland.net - Viacom and Harmonix are sueing Konami over Rock Revolution, claiming the game violates a patent for game controllers that simulate musical instruments.

The complaint, filed yesterday in federal court in Boston, seeks to block sales of the video game by Tokyo-based Konami, plus cash compensation.
The funny part: in July last year, Konami started a lawsuit against Viacom and Harmonix for… “violating a patent for game controllers that simulate musical instruments” in Rock Band.

These patent lawsuits are becoming a joke!

nme.com - Guns N’ Roses’ long awaited comeback album ‘Chinese Democracy’ is set to be made available on the ‘Rock Band’ series.

The LP is to be released this spring as a full record of downloadable content, reports MTV.COM.

“They [MTV Games/Harmonix] felt the record - based on the nature and complexity of the depth of instrumentation - deserved a bit more attention and some more involved elements than they’ve generally dealt with,” Axl Rose said in an interview with Billboard.

“I have no idea what that means, but it’s my understanding they were very enthusiastic.”

The star’s comments come just months after Rose slammed Activision for making his band’s song available on ‘Guitar Hero’, as previously reported on NME.COM.

There hasn’t been much news regarding the Beatles/Rockband merger since the Harmonix-helmed Beatles game was been announced in October. And Beatle fans have been looking for any scrap of information.

Well, the latest comes from one of the band members courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. Here’s what Paul McCartney said on the upcoming game:

QUESTION:Can you tell me about this special Beatles edition of the Rock Band game that’s coming out this fall?
ANSWER: It will feature different periods of the band — you get early days, Liverpool, then psychedelic, and on from there. It’s very cool. And I like the idea that the game introduces kids to music, you know?

I’ve never been a huge Beatles fan, but perhaps, the video game can make me one. It’s what these video games are good at. Guitar Hero and Rock Band have led me to pick up some songs on iTunes …

gamefocus.ca - Harmonix and MTV Games announced the addition of two bands that are set to make their first Rock Band® appearance next week. The three track lineup coming to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of downloadable content includes two songs from heavy metal band White Zombie and a track from punk band Turbonegro.

Release Date

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360®)
Thursday, February 19, 2009 (PlayStation®Store)

Tracks

Turbonegro “Wasted Again”
White Zombie “Black Sunshine”
White Zombie “More Human than Human”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price

$1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

Get out your guitars and drums - at least your fake ones - because Rock Band will hit Atlantic City in a major way next month.
Through a national deal with Harrah’s Entertainment and MTV, Rock Band nights will be offered three times a week at Harrah’s Resort, Bally’s Atlantic City’s Wild Wild West Casino and the House of Blues at Showboat Casino-Hotel.

And to get you out of your house, Harrah’s is offering some big-time prizes, including a grand prize of $10,000 and a chance to open up for the B-52’s at the House of Blues on May 9.

“We’re really hoping this gets some regional and national buzz,” says Harrah’s Regional Director of Entertainment Jason Spencer. “The initial buzz has been great. We have high hopes.”

Here’s how it works: The competitions start on Wednesday, March 4, at Harrah’s Eden Lounge, followed by Thursday, March 5, at the Sports Bar at Bally’s, and Friday, March 6, at the House of Blues. They will continue each week on those same days at the respective casinos. Registration and warm-ups begin at 8 p.m., followed by competition at 9 p.m.

Participants must be 21 years old and older and must bring a whole band: singer, bassist, guitarist and drummer. Up to 20 bands will compete per night. Using the Rock Band scoring system and a predetermined difficulty level, bands will have more than 100 songs to choose from. Harrah’s will provide top-notch equipment, including basses and Fender-weighted guitars that look and feel like the real thing instead of the normal plastic ones people have at home.
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