Gamertell

Where TV killed the radio star, video games are helping to revive them. With the success of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, it is fairly interesting to look at the effect these games are having on the credibility of the gaming industry as an intrinsic part of the entertainment industry. An example of this the planned September 2008 re-emergence of the band Guns N’ Roses through releasing a new song in Rock Band 2, one prospectively from fabled and constantly delayed album Chinese Democracy that fans have been anticipating for more than a decade.

It has taken a while for the game industry to be utilized as a forum for promotion other than making half-hearted adaptations to films and books. Gaming has also proven itself a worthy venue for not only music promotion but music sales. This is because of Guns N’ Roses’ willingness to build hype for their upcoming album by releasing a song on the album as a track for a video game. Others are also jumping onto this trend.

Bands that don’t get as much play on the radio or on TV with their music videos are jumping on the video game bandwagon. This includes Bob Dylan, Rush and Elvis Costello. It’s not all rehashing of old hits for video game stardom, however. Metallica, for example, is not only getting a Guitar Hero game tribute, focusing on their history, they are also going to be releasing both hard copies of their upcoming album and downloadable copies of all the new songs for Guitar Hero III.

Videogames are a relatively new format for the music industry (at least in the US) that works for the benefit of all the artists (unless, like some of the artists out there, they are a pretty face and that’s the pull to their subpar product). Either way, we are looking at a more inclusive shift in focus media.

Read [NY Times] Also Read [Gametell] Site [Metallica]