Rock Band Music Store update next week

GET AN EARLY TASTE OF ROCK BAND 3 WITH SINGLES FROM DIO AND THE SMITHS NEXT WEEK!

SINGLES FROM MORRISSEY, SILVERCHAIR, UNDEROATH AND JULIANA HATFIELD ALSO AVAILABLE

Cambridge, Mass. – Sept. 10, 2010 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that singles from Dio, Juliana Hatfield, Morrissey, Silverchair, The Smiths and Underoath will be added next week to 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 WiiTM.

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 1,600 songs available through the Rock Band platform and 70 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 3 will be available Oct. 26 in North America and Oct. 29 in the rest of the world, giving players immediate access to a music library approaching 2,000 songs playable in Rock Band 3 at launch with new content added weekly to the Rock Band Music Store. Rock Band’s gigantic music library dwarfs that of any other music game on the market. Find more information on how to pre-order Rock Band 3 today here.

Rock Band DLC additions for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii
It’s already been announced that Dio’s classic “Rainbow in the Dark” will be featured on the Rock Band 3 soundtrack, but next week, fans can get an early taste of Dio with two of their other materpieces- “Holy Diver” and “Stand Up and Shout” both from the band’s debut album,Holy Diver. Dio, fronted by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, released 10 studio albums after forming in 1982. Holy Diver is considered a metal masterpiece by many and is No. 8 on IGN’s Top 25 Metal Albums.
Morrissey will make his Rock Band debut next week as well, with “Irish Blood, English Heart” from 2004’s You Are the Quarry, the seventh album from the man music magazine NME named “one of the most influential artists ever.” The previously Morrissey-fronted The Smiths will also be coming to Rock Band next week with “This Charming Man,” the band’s second single, released in 1983. The song was named No. 1 on Mojo magazine’s 2008 “50 Greatest UK Indie Records of All Time” feature. The Smiths will soon make another Rock Band appearance – they are featured on the Rock Band 3 on-disc soundtrack with “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.”

Be sure to check out Dio and The Smiths when Rock Band 3 launches Oct. 26 in North America and Oct. 29 in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the WiiTM system from Nintendo, and Nintendo DSTM.

Juliana Hatfield will make her Rock Band debut next week as well with “Nirvana” from 1992’s Hey Babe. This was Juliana’s first solo album, after The Blake Babies disbanded in 1990 and she began her solo career. Hey Babe was one of the highest selling independent albums of that year. In 2010, Juliana released her latest solo album, the self-written, -performed and -produced Peace & Love, through Ye Olde Records, her personal label.

We’re adding more Silverchair with “Straight Lines” from the band’s fifth studio album, Young Modern. The song premiered at No. 1 and went Double Platinum in Australia. The song also won “Best Selling Australian Single” and “Single of the Year” at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007.

Underoath will also add to their Rock Band collection with “Writing on the Walls” from their fifth studio album, Define the Great Line. The album was released in 2006, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 charts and selling more than 98,000 copies in its first week. The video for “Writing on the Walls” was nominated for a 2007 Grammy® Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 system (Sept. 14):
Dio – “Holy Diver” +
Dio – “Stand Up and Shout” +
Juliana Hatfield – “Nirvana”
Morrissey – “Irish Blood, English Heart”
Silverchair – “Straight Lines”
The Smiths – “This Charming Man” +
Underoath – “Writing on the Walls”
(All tracks are original master recordings)

(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation 3 system Sept. 15)

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

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points) per song
$2.00 USD (200 Wii PointsTM) per song
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

New to the Rock Band Network
Also next week, Rock Band players will get a special treat from the Rock Band Network when, for the first time, Rock Band Network tracks will be available for the Wii! There will be 10 additions for the RBN for the Wii, including the following:
Drowning Pool – “Bodies”
Band of Skulls – “I Know What I Am”
Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life ’09”
Lacuna Coil – “Survive”

Website Links:
For more information, please visit:

Rock Band Website
Rock Band 2 is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Wii. 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 PointsTM purchased through the WiiTM 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 1,610 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 70 million paid downloads since its launch Nov. 20, 2007. The Rock BandMusic 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.

Source: EA PR