Report: Guitar Hero III spurs digital song sales

  • By Polybren, GameSpot
  • Posted Nov 21, 2007 10:53 am PT

With more than 70 songs in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and 1.4 million copies of the game sold in the US in its first six days on sale, there are doubtlessly a wealth of people being introduced to new songs by the game. Apparently a significant chunk of those gamers like what they're hearing,...

With more than 70 songs in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and 1.4 million copies of the game sold in the US in its first six days on sale, there are doubtlessly a wealth of people being introduced to new songs by the game. Apparently a significant chunk of those gamers like what they're hearing, because Ars Technica is reporting that a number of tracks included in the game have seen their sales skyrocket on digital music services like iTunes.

Citing Nielsen Soundscan data provided by an unnamed source "close inside the music industry," the tech-centric site said the data clearly showed that Guitar Hero III was pushing digital sales of the songs on its tracklist. In the two weeks surrounding Guitar Hero III's late October release, Soundscan data showed that weekly sales of songs from The Strokes, Sonic Youth, The Sleeping, and Slipknot increased sharply, between roughly 200 and 300 percent. After that launch period, the Soundscan data showed that the growth leveled off, but sales still remained near their elevated levels.

One factor that likely contributed to those sales figures is the iTunes Guitar Hero Essentials collection, which was promoted on the music store's front page in the week before the Legends of Rock launch. The collection compiles songs from every installment of the Guitar Hero franchise in one place for easy access--and purchase.

"It doesn't appear to matter if you're in the main game or are a bonus song; huge gains are seen everywhere," the source told Ars Technica. "As long as your song ships with the game and you offer the track to be downloaded digitally, you see an increase."

The same could not be said of album sales. Although some albums with singles featured in the game (Weezer's 1994 debut album) did see sales increases of 47 percent, Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris, released this past June, showed no such signs of growth.

49 Comments

  • thaobserva6160

    Posted Nov 26, 2007 4:47 pm PT

    thrashunreal said:

    "Cool... Sonic Youth sales increased. Yeahhh, other than that, it's good to see people getting in to the same thing they coulda got in to if they turned on the radio.

    Oh well. Just as long as AFI sales aren't increasing. As if they need that."

    You mind me asking what is wrong with AFI?

  • link631

    Posted Nov 25, 2007 7:31 pm PT

    cool

  • Neo9898_98

    Posted Nov 25, 2007 6:44 am PT

    Weezer! yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh.
    *points to avatar that has been there since I joined gamespot*

    However, there is a mistake in that line mentioning weezer. My Name is Jonas was never a single outside of Canada.

  • thrashunreal

    Posted Nov 23, 2007 10:58 pm PT

    Cool... Sonic Youth sales increased. Yeahhh, other than that, it's good to see people getting in to the same thing they coulda got in to if they turned on the radio.

    Oh well. Just as long as AFI sales aren't increasing. As if they need that.

  • Superion74

    Posted Nov 23, 2007 8:48 pm PT

    This is great news. I haven't purchased any iTunes songs from GH series yet, but I'm definitely considering it. I just wish there are downloadable songs for Wii's GH3, because I really want more Foo Fighter and other artists. For GH4, I want to see Nirvana, Aiice in Chains, Bad Religion, Jane's Addiction, Linkin Park, and My Chemical Romance.

  • weaselboy

    Posted Nov 23, 2007 11:15 am PT

    I hope it spurs every artists music sales ... except the Romantics. They really blew it by suing Activision. Soon artists will be clamouring to be on these games.

  • mark_unix

    Posted Nov 23, 2007 12:00 am PT

    didn't you already purchase the rights to own these songs? why the hell would you have to buy them again? cheap shot from activsion not to include a CD/DVD with the songs...

  • psycomantis_32

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 2:09 pm PT

    see... it's a good excuse to get EVERY ROCK SONG EVER, into the game.

  • Jedi_Targeter

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 1:42 pm PT

    I'm planning to download some of the Guitar Hero songs off of itunes; I just have to save up some money first (all of these great games coming out are totally sucking up my cash!). I have always liked rock music, but for some reason I wasn't exposed to a whole lot of it before I got Guitar Hero. Now I have a bunch of new bands and songs that I like because of playing those games.

    I also hope that this news causes more artists and record companies to work with Activision and Harmonix in making more content for these games (and for the DLC to get cheaper!).

  • okassar

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 12:23 pm PT

    Well ya,Guitar Hero shows the people that didn't already experience it,some good rock music.

  • fishingalex

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 11:08 am PT

    People are just now realizing this? I've known this since GH1 came out. Every song that is on any GH game almost always becomes the bands most bought song on iTunes.

  • Hitamaru-homia

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 9:17 am PT

    Sunnystarz... Greenday? Only if you into that bubble gum pop mainstream crap. The Who's "my generation" would be good,or Led Zepplin's Immigrant Song.

  • MrSickVisionz

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 9:06 am PT

    This is a very good thing. I imagine that next time, licensing fees will decrease because of this and we'll see even more songs included in Guitar Hero 4 and Rock Band 2.

  • stjimmy222

    Posted Nov 22, 2007 8:46 am PT

    Lol it's true I download all the songs I play on Guitar Hero

  • David_Kniffin

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:15 pm PT

    Yes, I am one of those peopel who downloaded the songs I haven't heard before. I thought it was funny that the articel first mentioned The Strokes and Sonic Youth, because those were the first I got.

  • iciris

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 9:50 pm PT

    I already had all of these songs.

  • santiagochile

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 9:29 pm PT

    The Thanksgiving Weekend is upon us! What game will you be playing after the turkey's bones are picked clean and the dysfunctional relatives have gone home?
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Where the ---- is Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for Wii? That game has 32 player online. I'll be playing that for a LONG time!

  • grey_fox1984

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 7:18 pm PT

    now why haven't the sales of QotSA's Era Vulgaris increased!?

    "3s&7s" is one of the best songs in GH3 and that album is amazing! go buy it everyone!

  • T070Y

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 5:08 pm PT

    we want to have some ACDC, ozzy osbourne, led zeppelin,etc.

  • 09231991 posted Nov 21, 2007 5:00 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    09231991

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 5:00 pm PT (hide)

    Idk why these games are so popular? I preferably don't like rhythm games period but this one is just dumb. I really hate Guitar Hero a lot because its a very pointless game. Now if they released a guitar hero game based with a real guitar and taught you how to play real guitar, then I'd be interested. But color coordinated moves, what is this, kindergarten? buy a real game people and don't play children's toy's.

  • jakob_187

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 3:48 pm PT

    @KrazyKev26: L2Read, man. They aren't talking about the downloadable track packs on XBL. They are talking about iTunes and such showing increased sales for these artists.

    What I think is weird is that Weezer's blue album is seeing increased sales...but it's not like they don't have hits as is in recent years, so why are the blue album sales increasing? It was their only GOOD album!

    And The Strokes...so sad.

    I'm even more sad to see Priestess sales haven't picked up. That's one of the better and more fun songs on there, let alone a lot of the stuff on the bonus tracks. I would think everyone would be all over Fall of Troy and In Flames by now!

  • Generic_Dude posted Nov 21, 2007 3:20 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Generic_Dude

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 3:20 pm PT (hide)

    Well, why not? An iTunes song costs less than half of what a Guitar Hero III song costs and is more versatile.

    Oh and one more thing: The Strokes and Slipknot suck and Sonic Youth is one of the most overrated bands of all time.

  • shadow9669

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    i hope i get guitar hero III for Christmas

  • gacmyver

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:31 pm PT

    sounds cool since musicians might be much more willing to help game devs in the future!

  • Loomis2_basic

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:22 pm PT

    Era Vulgaris might be my favorite album of the year, and QOTSA's best since Songs For The Deaf. I would think that albums of the bands from the game would sell better than the individual songs since I know I am getting sick of hearing some of them over and over again. They're already forever stuck in my head, the last thing I need is to hear them on my mp3 player as well.

  • bacchus2

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:13 pm PT

    "As long as your song ships with the game and you offer the track to be downloaded digitally, you see an increase."

    To me, this begs the question;
    If the downloadable content is free (and thus the vast majority of people who own the game will download it) the artists will receive spin-off sales that may equate to more than what they would have earned from said downloadable content at full price?

  • masterbeef1234

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:13 pm PT

    pretty cool

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:08 pm PT

    I wonder how long it takes for Guitar Hero to lose all it's spice like DDR.

  • njjennjim

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:04 pm PT

    Would it have been so hard to release these songs for GH2 as well? I guess not, so enjoy these until GH4 comes out.

  • sunnystarz

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 1:39 pm PT

    i want to see green day on the next DLC
    and even goes back to classic like elvis

  • el_chicano7774

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 1:33 pm PT

    yeah thats great................... but i really want is some rock en español rock en español para guitar hero 3 o que??

  • Anakin1092

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 1:13 pm PT

    lol, me too. Each Guitar Hero game expands my music library by about 20 songs

  • KrazyKev26

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 1:12 pm PT

    LOL I guess you guys like paying 6.25 for 3 songs then? haha. Rock bands is Cheaper and you can even get those song by themselves as well .

  • Chirico_Cuvie

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 12:59 pm PT

    ObjectiveTruth

    "This is hilarious how Konami the biggest name in rhythm genre with DDR dropped the ball here in US by not promoting it to the way Harmonix and Red Octane did. Rhythm games are going to be very popular in the coming years."

    The bigger irony is they actually had a guitar game called "Guitar Freaks" that played very similar to Guitar Hero. The few that imported it loved it, but it had a very drab interface with no soul, lame songs, and only three buttons on the guitar. GH took what Harmonix did with its earlier games and blended it into what Konami started. As sue-happy as Konami is I'm surprised they didn't go after them.

  • 4esth

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 12:57 pm PT

    This is good to see. Hopefully this will provide even more incentive for record labels to work with this media. I'd love to see a Zeppelin pack and since they just released some new remastered albums, hopefully they will agree to letting Neversoft license it.

  • XFoogyX

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 12:47 pm PT

    I feel sorry for those people that hadn't heard of The Strokes before Guitar Hero.

  • andrewhateme posted Nov 21, 2007 12:35 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    andrewhateme

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 12:35 pm PT (hide)

    "Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris, released this past June, showed no such signs of growth". Well DUH!!! That song/album sucks A**

  • The1BigBoss

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:48 am PT

    Well thats good for the companies.

  • MasterChief725

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:36 am PT

    This is great, go guitar hero!

  • polsci1503

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:30 am PT

    welcome to the future... all the talk about how GH was going to change how people enjoy music and discover bands they had never listened to before seems to be coming true... this is a good thing.

  • Space-Q posted Nov 21, 2007 11:28 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Space-Q

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:28 am PT (hide)

    I don't understand how these games sell so much...there is no killing. What is the point or the game if there is no killing? No guns, no knives, not even one exploding red barrel...WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!!!!!

  • mashom

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:26 am PT

    Thats nice, i am also downloading that musik.

  • Jaks_Secret

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:23 am PT

    I'm all for this. Guitar Hero is turning people on to different types of music, promoting band publicity, and with this news, now there will probably be even more downloadable content for Guitar Hero.

  • nyoroism

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:16 am PT

    No growth for QotSA albums? C'mon, that was like, one of the best songs in the game. They deserve more attention.

  • Kalt45

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:12 am PT

    This is very good news IMO. If artists know they will get more sales by putting their songs on guitar games, then hopefully we can expect to have more playable songs available in the near future!

  • Robert-Sapolski

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:07 am PT

    Yeah, this game does introduce people to music they haven't heard before. Hopefully now we can get some Led Zeppelin.

  • ObjectiveTruth

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:05 am PT

    This is hilarious how Konami the biggest name in rhythm genre with DDR dropped the ball here in US by not promoting it to the way Harmonix and Red Octane did. Rhythm games are going to be very popular in the coming years.

  • bonafide3210 posted Nov 21, 2007 11:02 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    bonafide3210

    Posted Nov 21, 2007 11:02 am PT (hide)

    haha, its good to hear that im one of the people downloading these songs. =)

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