Rock Band Music Store update next week

GRATEFUL DEAD SIX PACK PLUS SINGLES FROM THE SMITHEREENS ADDED TO ROCK BAND

Cambridge, Mass. – May 14, 2010 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that a six pack of songs from the legendary Grateful Dead, as well as singles from The Smithereens, will be available next week in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™.

With more than 400 artists, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, AC/DC and Green Day, who are exclusive to Rock Band, as well as more than 1,100 songs available through the Rock Band platform and 65 million songs sold through its download store alone, Rock Band is the undisputed sales and content leader in the interactive music space, providing the deepest and best selection of artists, songs and albums.
Rock Band DLC additions for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii

Six songs from the quintessential jam band, Grateful Dead, will be added to the Rock Band Music Library next week, with “Beat It on Down the Line,” “Cumberland Blues,” “Scarlet Begonias,” “Throwing Stones,” “Touch of Grey” and “U.S. Blues.” This brings the number of Grateful Dead tracks in Rock Band to a whopping 19. Grateful Dead formed in 1965 in San Francisco and had one of the most long-ranging and successful touring careers in rock history, fueled by their followers, “Deadheads.” The band, led by Jerry Garcia, exhibited influences of jazz, rock, bluegrass and blues, among other musical stylings, and was named one of Rolling Stone’s “The Greatest Artists of All Time.”

American rockers The Smithereens make their Rock Band debut next week. The band is offering up “A Girl Like You” from 1989’s 11 and “Only a Memory” from 1988’s Green Thoughts. The Smithereens are working on a new album, due out later this year.

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 system (May 18):
• Grateful Dead – “Beat It on Down the Line” +
• Grateful Dead – “Cumberland Blues” +
• Grateful Dead – “Scarlet Begonias” +
• Grateful Dead – “Throwing Stones”
• Grateful Dead – “Touch of Grey” +
• Grateful Dead – “U.S. Blues” +
• The Smithereens – “A Girl Like You”
• The Smithereens – “Only a Memory” +
(All tracks are original master recordings)
(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation 3 May 19)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “Grateful Dead Pack 03,”as well as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and as individual tracks only on Wii. Tracks marked with “+” are also available for download in the family-friendly LEGO® Rock Band Music Store.

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$9.99, £4.99 UK, €7.99 EU (800 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Grateful Dead Pack 03”
$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per track

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

Website Links:
For more information, please visit:
Rock Band Website
Grateful Dead Website
The Smithereens Website

Rock Band 2 is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Wii system. Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii versions support downloadable content.

Downloadable content for Wii is purchased via the in-game Rock Band Music Store using Wii Points™ purchased through the Wii™ Shop Channel and can be downloaded to the system memory or to an SD card for additional storage. The tracks stream directly from the SD card for seamless play.
With these additions, there are now 1,191 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/music). Rock Band continues to satisfy music fans’ and gamers’ voracious appetite for rock with more than 65 million paid downloads since its launch Nov. 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.
Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB. Music downloads are not rated by the ESRB.
For more information on Rock Band 2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.