E3'07: Rock Band Gets Entire Album Downloads & Content Every Week News

Displaying the significance that MTV Games and Harmonix are placing on Rock Band, appearing later in the year on Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 , both parties today announced the formation of the Rock Band Music Advisory Board to guide Harmonix in the selection of tracks set to feature in the game and afterwards as digital downloads. Assuming the role of chairman, Steven Van Zandt will oversee the selections, alongside a board of celebrity musicians and industry experts to be announced at a later date

"The Harmonix team is honored to have a musician and producer of Little Steven's stature involved in the music selection for Rock Band," stated Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO, Harmonix. "Steven's expertise is vast, from his status as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, his encyclopedic knowledge of rock music history and well-known skill at pulling people together. He is the perfect choice to lead the team to steer us through the thousands of musical choices we are currently facing."

"From the moment we announced this game the phone was ringing with artists asking how they could get involved, and this committee is the perfect way to make sure all the great music we are being offered is presented in its ideal context," stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV's Senior Vice President, Audio, Home Video and Games. "The advisory board is comprised of renowned musicians and industry experts who know what it's like to be up on stage and to engage an audience; these are the essential elements that make up a great experience in Rock Band."

"I am honored to have been asked to lead the Rock Band Music Advisory Board," said Little Steven. "It is amazing how effective the game is in communicating the coolest music ever made, and still being made, and at the same time, capturing the spirit of fun that got us all into Rock-and-Roll in the first place.".

Following the announcement, MTV Games provided details to highlight the importance of digital downloads to Rock Band's long-term strategy, with confirmation that The Who's 'Who's Next' will become the first full-length album available as a digital download - a first for any videogame. Essentially aping the iTunes approach that Guitar Hero fans have been crying out for, the strategy portrays the high ambitions and expectation that is currently encircling Rock Band.

"Offering entire albums for play on the Rock Band platform is a monumental step forward in Harmonix's ever present quest to provide new ways for people to interact with music and creating the most authentic music experience possible," stated Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO, Harmonix. "This will give players the opportunity to play through the entire album set list of arguably some of the most influential rock albums of all time and brings them one step closer to what it feels like to be a true rock star."

"Rock Band empowers users to interact with the music they love in a completely new way. This type of consumer engagement is vital in today's marketplace. We fully support licensing opportunities that allow consumers to have their music their way and it's a home run because of its cultural relevance," said Mike Davis, EVP/GM, Universal Music Enterprises.

"The Who's Who's Next is crystallized as one of the great moments in music history," stated Jeff Yapp, EVP, MTV Program Enterprises. "This is the first of many legendary albums available for download in Rock Band as a digitally-distributed game level. This enables us to connect music fans and gamers with the artists and songs they want to play so they can experience these historic moments through Rock Band."

Making the Guitar Hero bating claim that downloadable content will be published every week after its release, the initial Rock Band soundtrack compiles 16 different songs including:

1970s The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again" Mountain "Mississippi Queen"* David Bowie "Suffragette City" Black Sabbath "Paranoid"* Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper" The Ramones "Rockaway Beach" 1980s Rush "Tom Sawyer"* Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"

1990s Nirvana "In Bloom" Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline" Weezer "Say It Ain't So" Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly" Metallica "Enter Sandman"

2000s The Hives "Main Offender" The Strokes "Reptilia" Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"

MTV Games has also been quick to secure the service of rock icons Metallica, providing several of their tracks from past albums as digital downloads along with 'Enter Sandman' on the initial line-up.

"Metallica is one of the best loved bands in the world and their albums redefined hard rock and metal. Its one of the bands we had to bring to the Rock Band experience," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band will allow gamers to jam with the guys through their long, successful career, from young, raw talent to mega stars, playing the hard-rocking sounds that the band is known for."