New music means new audiences

Record giant EMI has called on game makers to feature more new artists in titles such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero to attract the younger user.

The British music company, manages new artists including Babyshambles, Lily Allen and Bat For Lashes, as well as classic acts such as The Beatles and Queen. It has licensed its music and advised games publishers since the original Wipeout on PSOne, and has seen its interest in the sector grow with the rise in popularity of titles such as SingStar, Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

EMI synchronisation boss Hywel Evans told MCV:
It would be great to see more new music used in games. To date, a lot of the success of titles such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have relied on classic tracks, which obviously is great as EMI has a fantastic catalogue.

"But as more and more new and younger consumers buy games, providing them with the opportunity to interact with new music will engage a whole new audience.”

An NPD report revealed in July that music game sales in America had fallen by almost 50 per cent for the first half of the year – yet Evans is still optimistic for growth in the sector, particularly thanks to new iPhone applications and The Beatles: Rock Band.

We have worked closely with the games industry for many years since the first uses of recorded music on PSOne games, through Dancing Stage to today’s Rock Band, Guitar Hero and SingStar franchises, and emerging platforms like the Tapulous iPhone app and of course The Beatles: Rock Band. Games are a great way to generate revenue for artists and an exciting way to expose their music to new audiences.”