Aerosmith locked into Guitar Hero exclusivity, no Rock Band DLC

by Christopher Grant { Apr 29th 2008 at 10:35AM }

Those of you patiently waiting for that song from that video with that girl from Clueless in it, or that song from that movie about those working-class guys who blow up an asteroid to wind up in the Rock Band Store may want to sit down for this news: Outside of Rock Band's "Train Kept a Rollin," Aerosmith's entire catalogue of rock and/or roll hits will be exclusive to Guitar Hero. Newsweek got confirmation from an Aerosmith publicist and Activision PR that the band's songs would be locked down for "an unspecified period of time." Is this the beginning of the licensed song wars? Our Magic 8-Ball says, "Probably."

Gallery: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

Tags: Aerosmith, Guitar-Hero-Aerosmith, Rock-Band

Related From Joystiq

Philanthropic rockers playing 1,000 Rock Band songs for Child's Play
12 days ago
Rock Band platform now has over 1,000 songs
14 days ago
Tesla guitarist reveals 'Modern Day Cowboy' headed for Guitar Hero 6
15 days ago

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

BlaznGoldstein @ Apr 29th 2008 10:37AM

Looks like one more reason to love Rock Band to me...

miyagi @ Apr 29th 2008 11:02AM

I agree that I prefer RB over GH. I'm also not a big Aerosmith fan and it doesn't bother me that they won't be in Rock Band but it could be the start of a disturbing trend.

Maybe you don't like Aerosmith but what happens when your "band of choice" has an exclusive deal like this? While I might not be a fan of several of the songs/groups in both Rock Band and Guitar Hero one thing I am a fan of is variety. Buying out chunks of groups here and there can only be seen as a negative imo.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 29th 2008 11:10AM

It is a negative in one regard, however as the record industry continues to flop and fail in discovering what those darn pesky "consumers" are into nowadays, it can just be written off as yet another miserable clusterfuck that seems to be the continuing trend since Napster was disbanded.

Organic_Shadow @ Apr 29th 2008 12:12PM

I second that. Also notice how BlaznGoldstein said "to me" at the end. He's expressing his personal opinion and taste- which is that Aerosmith = yuck.

I share the same taste, and am glad to know they won't be mucking up my RB DLC lineups.

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Apr 29th 2008 12:33PM

EXACTLY!!! look at these goofy old hacks on the cover!

Britton @ Apr 29th 2008 2:29PM

Ex-fucking-actly.

Demaar @ Apr 29th 2008 8:44PM

Gotta agree. The That train kept rolling or whatever the crap it is is my least favourite song in the game. Even the dodgy bonus songs I've never heard of before rank higher.

McWeen @ Apr 29th 2008 10:40AM

Oh Noes! Wait don't care.

Burritoclock @ Apr 29th 2008 10:45AM

True, I don't care so much about Aerosmith (but their old stuff is good), but this could be the start of a horrible trend. I wasn't going to buy this anyway, but please god let it bomb so that all of this exclusive shit does not pay off for activision.

Anyone else disturbed by a deep desire to have EA come back and crush activision under it's giant boot?

JonFitt @ Apr 29th 2008 12:49PM

Exclusive contracts with bands in one game or another are a complete inevitability, and I'm shocked that they got this far without them.

When the tipping point is reached where bands want to be in the game more than the game needs songs, suddenly they can throw in the caveat that if you're in our game you're not in theirs.

Rock Band will/does have these requirements too.

Eric @ Apr 29th 2008 10:51AM

knew this would happen not that i care about aerosmith. But this is not going to be good for music lovers and Music Game lovers.

also This is really selling out! Muhahaha!

Noel @ Apr 29th 2008 10:52AM

As a Rock Band owner, I have to say this is the best news I've heard in a long time. I only wish they had also locked up the rights to the Grateful Dead and Rush.

Burritoclock @ Apr 29th 2008 11:03AM

Wow.... i don't even know what to say to that. How could anyone... oh forget it, you are beyond hope.

Roto13 @ Apr 29th 2008 11:24AM

Yeah, down with classics! They suck! Music games should only have songs released after 2005! MORE MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!

Haggard @ Apr 29th 2008 2:15PM

I hope they get round to releasing a Megadeth pack sometime soon - after all, they had a song in both of the Harmonix developed Guitar Hero's.

David @ Apr 29th 2008 10:54AM

I'm not that heart-broken, but I would have liked Aerosmith to have been in Rock Band. Dude Looks Like a Lady would have been awesome to sing.

baby sea tuna @ Apr 29th 2008 11:04AM

Oh noes, no more Aerosmith?! I'm crushed. I was really hoping to play those tepid mid-'90s singles that all sounded exactly the damn same. Oh, wait...

Roto13 @ Apr 29th 2008 11:17AM

The very fact that you think Aerosmith is a 90s band shows you know nothing about music and your opinion should be disregarded.

baby sea tuna @ Apr 29th 2008 11:25AM

Uhhhh...yeah. Dude, I think you misread that. I never said that Aerosmith was a 90s band, I was simply referring to the fact that every single they released for like 3 years were basically the same song.

And you probably don't want to get into a pissing contest about music with me.

Phranctoast @ Apr 29th 2008 12:36PM

cryin did sound like three other songs.

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Apr 29th 2008 3:02PM

@ Roto -1 :(

nice reading comprehension.

Steve @ Apr 29th 2008 3:19PM

Have a fucking seat Junior before you embarrass yourself.

Roto13 @ Apr 29th 2008 11:08PM

You focus on the mediocre 90s Aerosmith when there's a whole lot of 70s awesome Aerosmith to draw from. Go listen to more Panic at the Disco.

XanthouS @ Apr 29th 2008 11:04AM

I really hope this does not start a trend. This is not good for anyone, the bands, the developers, or the consumers.

This also probably explains why there still is no G&R or RATM RB DLC. Thanks, Activision!

OTAM @ Apr 29th 2008 11:07AM

Guitar Hero.

LOL.

Jouten @ Apr 29th 2008 11:11AM

This will carry over to other types of games too...Maybe...

Let's say not just bands, but songs too. Maybe, depending on the game, carry over to teams, countries, etc.

At least they will have the option to be 'timed' exclusives though...

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 29th 2008 11:11AM

Now I'm concerned about the rumored Beatles edition of GH. Let's face facts, Activision has no fucking clue what makes a good song for this genre and I'm fearful they'd lock up Beatles just because it's a name.

baby sea tuna @ Apr 29th 2008 11:14AM

Especially since if there was ever a band made for Rock Band, it's the Beatles.

ChooChooCharlie (Brawl: 1504-5357-9285) @ Apr 29th 2008 11:19AM

You hear that sound? That's the sound of a few million happy Rock Band owners not giving a shit.

Train Kept a Rollin' = lame

Knight Marquise @ Apr 29th 2008 11:31AM

Sorry Charlie...couldn't hear it over the many more millions of GH fans rejoicing.

Kizzle @ Apr 29th 2008 11:55AM

Knight Marquise - Yeah, of course they're rejoicing. And if you give a starving man rancid meat, he'll devour it gladly.

GH fans are just happy to get ANYTHING, since their downloadable content has been nothing short of pathetic compared to Rock Band's. When it comes to GH, ANY news is good news.

Kyera @ Apr 29th 2008 12:01PM

Sorry, Train Kept A Rollin was awesome, and there are a few Aerosmith songs I'd want in Rock Band.

Enough for a three-pack, at least.

deaftly @ Apr 29th 2008 11:21AM

That kinda sucks, Get a Grip would have been a pretty sweet album to play to rock band.

Odog4ever @ Apr 29th 2008 11:25AM

I actually like some of Aerosmith's song's so this is not good news.

I'm calling it right now. Kiss the Beatle's good bye. Guitar Hero exclusive. And yes this is the beginning of a trend. Consumers be damned.

ThePremierAssassin @ Apr 29th 2008 11:25AM

Yah although I'm not a fan of this genre of gaming even I can see that this is NOT a good look...

Just imagine what lenghts EA will go to in order to secure "exclusivity" when it comes to certain bands, singers, and their songs?

Lets just stop this sh*t before it spreads.

murph @ Apr 29th 2008 11:32AM

overall, artist exclusives are going to suck. but this one doesn't bother me, since Train Kept Rolling is my fav Aerosmith song anyways.

Kizzle @ Apr 29th 2008 11:51AM

If they start locking in all noteworthy bands to exclusivity deals, I'm not too worried about Rock Band. EA and MTV have more pull than Activision.

Oh, and Aerosmith? Who gives a damn?

ChuckD @ Apr 29th 2008 12:46PM

Activision has more pull actually, thanks to their pending merger with Vivendi. Gives them access to Universal Music Group:

UMG's record labels have many of the world's best selling artists[1] including Def Leppard, The Killers, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Fall Out Boy, Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, Bon Jovi, Queens of the Stone Age, Falco, Elton John, Eminem, Tupac Shakur, Guns N' Roses, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Marilyn Manson, Akon, Reba McEntire, Sheena Easton, Diana Ross,Barry White, Luciano Pavarotti, Rammstein, U2, the Black Eyed Peas,Nelly Furtado, Wu-Tang Clan, George Strait, Gwen Stefani, Soulja Boy Tell Em, Maroon5, Grace Jones, The Mars Volta, Rihanna, Kanye West, Ashanti, Mims, Amy Winehouse, Fergie and most recently New Kids On The Block. UMG now owns the largest music publishing business in the world, the Universal Music Publishing Group, (after their acquisition of BMG Music Publishing in June 2007).

gwangi @ Apr 29th 2008 11:55AM

The way I look at it, not a huge Aerosmith fan. Will probably just rent the GH game play thru a few times and return it. If it were a band I really liked I would probably buy it.

Kyera @ Apr 29th 2008 11:58AM

Activision can go suck my kiss.

Tony @ Apr 29th 2008 12:08PM

Great news for Rock Band owners!

Joe @ Apr 29th 2008 12:09PM

Well if Rock Band can get Led Zaplan then I will be thrilled. So Rock Ban gets that groups songs.

Also I got to say I am not that shocked Activision would do some thing like that because they are the new EA after all.

Mister Kay @ Apr 29th 2008 1:32PM

I wasn't aware that Led Zaplan had a following. Personally I've never heard of them. Are they new?

Zootittles @ Apr 30th 2008 10:40AM

Yeah, they're on tour now with Deaf Lepper.

Dale @ Apr 29th 2008 12:19PM

I tried to work 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' into the DLC acronym, and failed.

FemaleOrca @ Apr 29th 2008 12:24PM

There is a god. The final nail in GH has been struck. Dona Nobis Pacem.

ill trooper @ Apr 29th 2008 12:42PM

I was afraid it was going down this road. I prefer Rock Band, but I also know GH has huge stockpiles of money. I wonder if other artists will look at the wide and deep money trail of the GH franchise, and not see the dead-end that it becomes if you play Rock Band for an hour, which instantly becomes the future if you're anything less than a youtube 'guitar hero virtuoso,' (if that's even something to aspire to).

The possibilities, people, THE POSSIBILITIES! Think of the drumming, the singing! The people want more!

jbrandt @ Apr 29th 2008 12:54PM

Oh good. Now can we get them to take "Train Kept A Rollin" (or whatever) out of our existing installs of Rock Band? That would really make my day.

Jeff @ Apr 29th 2008 1:12PM

Thank God.

x2fr @ Apr 29th 2008 1:20PM

QUote:
UMG's record labels have many of the world's best selling artists[1] including Def Leppard, The Killers, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Fall Out Boy, Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, Bon Jovi, Queens of the Stone Age, Falco, Elton John, Eminem, Tupac Shakur, Guns N' Roses, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Marilyn Manson, Akon, Reba McEntire, Sheena Easton, Diana Ross,Barry White, Luciano Pavarotti, Rammstein, U2, the Black Eyed Peas,Nelly Furtado, Wu-Tang Clan, George Strait, Gwen Stefani, Soulja Boy Tell Em, Maroon5, Grace Jones, The Mars Volta, Rihanna, Kanye West, Ashanti, Mims, Amy Winehouse, Fergie and most recently New Kids On The Block. UMG now owns the largest music publishing business in the world, the Universal Music Publishing Group, (after their acquisition of BMG Music Publishing in June 2007)."

L M F A O. Honestly besides GnR (who i love) & Mars volta, that HAS to be the fu CKing lamest list of artists Period. You mean I won't get NkOTB, Fergie & SouljaBoy on Rock Band? Oh the horror!!!!! Half those artists names alone make me want to throw up in my mouth. Please. Keep aerosmith. If that's the deal they signed to, then screw em. Also I hope Gh:aerosmith bombs... and to think I loved & stood in line for gh3 once.

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments