Rockers bank on in-game downloads

DENVER - Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero III have proved their ability to breathe new life into classic rock sales. But can they do the same for new music?Last month, Motley Crue decided to find out. The band placed its new single, the title track from Saints of Los Angeles for sale as a downloadable track on Rock Band well in advance of the album's release date, which has been pushed back to June 24. The only other place to obtain the track was iTunes.According to data provided by the band's management, Tenth Street Entertainment, the track was downloaded more than 47,000 times via the Xbox 360 version of the game alone in the first week after it became available. (Rock Band publisher MTV Networks was unable to independently verify these figures, and total downloads that include the PlayStation 3 version of the game were not available.)By comparison, the same track received slightly more than 10,000 downloads via digital services like iTunes and Amazon, according to Nielsen SoundScan.




That's a pretty big discrepancy considering that music bought via Rock Band can't be transferred to a portable music player or even a computer for later enjoyment. It can be played only via the game.Finding the audienceTenth Street CEO Allen Kovac shrugs off the gap in sales between formats, pointing out that a sale is a sale. In an age of rampant piracy, reaching fans where they are willing to spend money is the primary goal."We do research on every artist we have, and the research said that the people who bought Motley Crue music and tickets play Rock Band and video games ... (so) it was our inclination to go there," he says. "As marketers, it's our job to find the audience. If our audience tells us they're sitting at Xbox and PlayStation, that's our job to do that."In slightly more than six months, the number of songs downloaded to the Rock Band game has surpassed 10 million tracks, according to MTV Networks, while song downloads from Guitar Hero passed 15 million, according to Activision. With more than 100 songs available for download via the Rock Band platform, that's an average of 100,000 downloads per song sold through the game.That average, though, is somewhat skewed: Since new songs are added to the Rock Band store weekly, tracks available for sale since November have sold more than tracks added just last week. Still, it's an impressive figure.By all accounts, catalogue tracks sell best. Seven of the top 10 best-selling songs available on Rock Band are catalog titles; the other three are more recent, but still a few years old. Of all the songs available for download on Rock Band, more than 75 per cent are catalog tracks. The rest is primarily music released within the past year. Only a handful of songs are previously unreleased new music or music from unknown acts using the game to get noticed.

C.C.Catch

   
Artist: C.C.Catch

   Genre(s): 
Dance
   Dance: Pop
   

---

Discography:


   
 In The Mix 80's Best

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 9


   
 Best Of '98

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 8


   
 Back Seat Of Your Cadillac

   Year: 1994   
Tracks: 1


   
 Hear What I Say

   Year: 1989   
Tracks: 10

---

 





Restless Heart

Corrie star Haworth expecting first child

Corrie star Haworth expecting first child

'Coronation Street' star Julia Haworth has revealed that she is pregnant with her first child.
The actress, wHO plays Claire Peacock in the soap, is due to afford parturition in July.
The actress revealed she institute out the news in Nov simply wanted to observe it lull until her 12 week scan.
She told The Mirror newspaper publisher: "We haven't stopped grin. It's such a special meter and I experience so lucky we're departure to part it."
Haworth added that her character's postnatal great Depression following the birth of logos Freddie had helped "prepare" her for organism a mother.
The 28-year-old married comptroller Jon Wormold in May 2006 after a two-year love affair.

Still Remains

   
Artist: Still Remains

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   Rock: Hard-Rock
   

---

Discography:


   
 The Serpent

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 11


   
 Of Love and Lunacy

   Year: 2005   
Tracks: 12

---

A metalcore act as from the small upper berth Midwestern city of Thou Rapids, MI, Still Remains invalidate the defile of sounding like every similar young band in their elect mood by prominently victimization synthesizers alongside the unison-riff guitars. As a final examination result, their music has a strong similarity to European symphonic major power metallic element acts of the Apostles such as Nightwish, giving the group a strong following both on the Continent and among Compass north American fans of the style. Still Clay formed in 2002 with an master copy card of isaac Bashevis Singer T.J. Miller, guitarists Steve Schallert and Jordan Gilliam, keyboardist Zach Philip Milton Roth, bassist Evan Willey, and drummer Cameron Macintosh (before long replaced by A.J. Barrett). Chase a self-released EP debut, 2003's Dying with a Smile, Still Remains made their uncut debut with 2004's If Sexual love Was Max Born to Die. A major staff office change followed, with Schallert and Gilliam replaced by young guitarists Microphone Christian church and Jordan Whelan for the band's Roadrunner Records debut, 2005's Of Love and Lunacy. So far close to other major power shift followed the discharge of that record album, with Barrett leaving to get married Christian metalcore pretend as the Encounter, replaced by Adrian Commons. Philip Milton Roth and Willey too exited in 2006, replaced by keyboardist Ben Schauland and bassist Steve Hetland, going Miller the sole master copy fellow member leftover. After extensive tours in EC and the United States, Still Remains worked with producer Steve Evetts to record their twinkling studio album, 2007's The Serpent.

Depp donates $2m to children's hospital

Depp donates $2m to children's hospital

Reb Depp paid a secret claver to London's Great Ormond Street Children's Infirmary on Lord's Day - and donated $2m of his own money to give thanks faculty for economy his young daughter's life.
The 'Sweeney Todd' lead arrived circumstantially at the infirmary, where his eight-year-old daughter Lily-Rose was treated conclusion yr when her kidneys failed.
Last week, the thespian - wHO has two children with his partner Vanessa Paradis - invited basketball team Great Ormond Street doctors and nurses to the party for the London premier of his film 'Sweeney Todd'.
Last Nov, alien to the world, Depp spent four hours at the infirmary tattle bedtime stories to patients dressed as Police captain Jackass Sparrow afterward having his 'Pirates of the Caribbean' costume flown over from Los Angeles.
In MArch last year, Lily-Rose, Depp's oldest baby, spent nine years at Great Ormond Street after E.coli toxic condition light-emitting diode to the failure of her kidneys.
Cinematography at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire had to be arrange on take as her stipulation worsened so much it was feared she power non dwell.
Depp, world Health Organization on Lord's Day was named Best Player in a Musical comedy or Funniness at the Golden Globes for his function in 'Sweeney Todd', afterward said of the scare: "It was the most terrorization thing we get ever so been through and through. It was pit.
"Simply the thaumaturgy is that she pulled through beautifully. Great Ormond Street was terrific, a great infirmary."