Guitar Hero, Rock Band Thriving

Several weeks ago when I went to a party, as I walked in the door, the first thing I saw was several guests huddled around the TV playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I go to Best Buy for a DVD, and out of nowhere I hear a kid showing off on Guitar Hero for his buddies. I go to Guitar Center, the first thing I see is the Guitar Hero songbook, which has been a big success for publishers Hal Leonard. When eating in a restaurant, I overhear people talking about the game.

Wherever I go, I can’t escape Guitar Hero or Rock Band. There’s a report of a 16-year-old kid in New York named Chris Chike, who scored 97 percent on Guitar Hero III: The Legends of Rock, which now puts him in the Guinness Book of World Records. And reports of the critical and financial success of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are plentiful. Despite its lofty price tag for a video game, Rock Band is approaching 2 million copies sold, and Harmonix and parent company MTV announced that the game will make its way to Wii in June. Meanwhile, the PD Group reported that the Guitar Hero franchise, which includes the original title, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero II: Rock the 80s, and Guitar Hero III, has generated more than $1 billion in total sales. And another version of the game, Guitar Hero: On Tour, is coming this summer for the Nintendo DS.

Guitar Hero: On Tour brings the music to the Nintendo DS this summer.

The next edition of Guitar Hero will focus on Aerosmith, appropriately titled Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, but will also include songs from the bands that inspired the rock legends. Marcus Henderson, the renowned guitarist who provided much of the guitar licks for the series, predicts the forthcoming Aerosmith title will be another hit for the franchise. "Aerosmith was one of those no-brainer bands," Henderson said. "It’s a lot like an action figure playset. Everything is included in the box. You get a full catalog, colorful figures, and accessories. Lots of accessories."

More and more big name acts and musicians have flocked to Guitar Hero and Rock Band after the overwhelming success of these music titles. Former Guns ’N Roses guitarist Slash and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave appeared in Guitar Hero III as boss characters, for example. In addition, dozens of bands, from classic acts to up and coming stars, are eager to get their songs into the games. With Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, we may see even more games dedicated to specific bands. "At the end of the coding day, a music game is only as strong as the music that you physically unlock with the controller," Henderson added. "What better way to honk the Toxic Twin’s Bobo than a dedicated version that allows the young rock minions to discover first-hand the almighty power of a Joe Perry blues lick?"

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will be the newest Guitar Hero title and will be dedicated to one of America’s greatest rock bands.

Guitar Hero and Rock Band also had a strong showing at this year’s National Association of Music Merchants convention. The NAMM show, held annually in Anaheim, Calif., is where every major musical instrument company shows off their latest gear for the upcoming year. "The presence of Guitar Hero at NAMM this year was larger than ever," says Henderson. "I remember wheeling in the very first game kiosk into the 2006 NAMM show where we were a nice novelty/diversion from the hectic din of the convention center. Now NAMM is sponsoring the game, and helping bring awareness to playing music at any level by helping bring Guitar Hero to music stores. It’s so nice to see the retail world embrace the game as a viable conduit for actual instrument purchases."