Both licensed and indie bands whose works have been included in the Guitar Hero games have gained further popularity from this inclusion.[101] Both record companies[102] and retailers[103] have seen sales of songs and groups increase 200% to 300% after their inclusion in the series. Every Guitar Hero III song tracked by Nielsen SoundScan (62 of 70) saw an increase in digital download sales the week ending December 30, 2007, when many who got the game as a gift were playing it,[104] and every song included in Guitar Hero III and Rock Band saw downloaded sales increase during 2007 between 15% to 843%.[83] A survey conducted by Brown University's Kiri Miller found that 76% of the players of Guitar Hero bought the music they heard in the game.[105] Indie group Bang Camaro's recognition increased after their song "Push Push (Lady Lightning)" appeared in Guitar Hero II.[106] The band DragonForce, whose song "Through the Fire and Flames" is featured as a bonus song in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, saw a 126% increase in CD sales in the week after the release of the game,[107] and downloads of the song, selling fewer than 2,000 weekly, rose to more than 10,000 after Guitar Hero III's release and approached 40,000 the week ending 2007-12-30.[104] Even older, established groups such as Aerosmith saw an increase in sales at the same time Guitar Hero games containing their songs were released,[104] such as a modest increase in download sales for its "Same Old Song and Dance", which rose to 2,041 from 374 copies the previous week;[104] a 40% increase in the band's catalog was seen in the weeks following the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.[108] According to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith has made more money for Aerosmith than any sales of their previous albums.[109] Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are seen as new methods of music distribution; an analysis for market research company NPD Group states that "As the video games industry grows, it's becoming an ever-more attractive promotional outlet for all kinds of industries."[110] The games have also been seen as a way to introduce younger generations to music of the past; bands such as Living Colour, Warrant, The Grateful Dead, Poison, and Ratt have seen interest in their music rise due to the inclusion of their songs in the Guitar Hero or Rock Band, as well as other music video games.[111]
Bands or those that control the copyrights on bands works have been in talks with the makers and distributions of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band as methods of achieving more exposure for the band. Following the announcement of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Martin N. "Marty" Bandier, executive for Sony/ATV which owns the copyrights on The Beatles recordings, has stated that he is very interested in helping Activision to bring a Beatles-themed Guitar Hero title to the market in a similar fashion.[112] Both Activision and MTV Games have been in talks with representatives of the Beatles to create a themed games within either the Guitar Hero or Rock Band series, respectively, though any deal will also require permission from Apple Corps, Ltd..[113][114] Ultimately, MTV Games secured a exclusive license with Apple Corps to produce a standalone game based on the Rock Band platform featuring the songs of the Beatles.[115] Groups such as Van Halen, The Eagles, Steely Dan and Guns N' Roses have working deals with these companies to include their songs within future games.[116] However, not all bands are comfortable with this; Led Zeppelin has turned down offers from both games to include their music due to concerns that Jimmy Page and other members of the band have with releasing the master recordings of their music.[116] There are also cases where bands want to be included, but the master recordings have been lost or are unusable. Some bands such as the Sex Pistols, Living Colour, and Aerosmith have rerecorded these songs, while other bands have been able to provide concert "live" master recordings. However, some larger artists are unable to do so.[117] Neversoft director Brian Bright states that they do not expect to acquire songs from Pink Floyd and Prince due to such reasons.[117]
Guitar Hero and other rock music-based games work with record companies to license each song for its use, costing a per-song average of $25,000 for the rights to use a master recording and $10,000 for the rights to make a cover.[118] However, the music industry has raised concerns that the music labels are not receiving fair compensation considering the success of the games. Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and chief executive for Warner Music Group, stated that "The amount being paid to the industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content that we own and control, is far too small."[118] Tim Riley, vice president of music affairs at Activision, believes that the increase in popularity of the game series has lead more people, including musicians and music labels, to want to be part of the success: "The number of people interested in being associated with the game is probably a thousand times more than we can get into the game."[118] Activision CEO Robert Kotick has stated, in response to the record company's claims, that the impact that the Guitar Hero games have cause them to question if the game developers and publishers "should be paying any money at all and whether it should be the reverse."[119] Mötley Crüe manager Allen Kovac noted that artists make a larger share of the sale of each downloaded game song compared to iTunes, and that bands that own their own master recordings earn even a larger percentage from music licensing rights.[70] Michael Pachter, an industry analyst for Wedbush Morgan, noted that Guitar Hero is not dependent on a single record label, as there is nearly a 2000-year supply of songs available at the current rate of content releases, and a full music industry denial to the game series could lead to anti-trust measures. Patcher also contrasted Bronfman's view, stating that users are not buying the games for the songs, but for the game, with each song providing its own challenge.[120] However, analysis believe that Activision's attitude on music licensing may have influenced the decision of Apple Corps, Ltd. to give the lucrative licensing agreement for The Beatles' music to MTV Games, who were more flexible in their negotiation
Bands or those that control the copyrights on bands works have been in talks with the makers and distributions of both Guitar Hero and Rock Band as methods of achieving more exposure for the band. Following the announcement of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Martin N. "Marty" Bandier, executive for Sony/ATV which owns the copyrights on The Beatles recordings, has stated that he is very interested in helping Activision to bring a Beatles-themed Guitar Hero title to the market in a similar fashion.[112] Both Activision and MTV Games have been in talks with representatives of the Beatles to create a themed games within either the Guitar Hero or Rock Band series, respectively, though any deal will also require permission from Apple Corps, Ltd..[113][114] Ultimately, MTV Games secured a exclusive license with Apple Corps to produce a standalone game based on the Rock Band platform featuring the songs of the Beatles.[115] Groups such as Van Halen, The Eagles, Steely Dan and Guns N' Roses have working deals with these companies to include their songs within future games.[116] However, not all bands are comfortable with this; Led Zeppelin has turned down offers from both games to include their music due to concerns that Jimmy Page and other members of the band have with releasing the master recordings of their music.[116] There are also cases where bands want to be included, but the master recordings have been lost or are unusable. Some bands such as the Sex Pistols, Living Colour, and Aerosmith have rerecorded these songs, while other bands have been able to provide concert "live" master recordings. However, some larger artists are unable to do so.[117] Neversoft director Brian Bright states that they do not expect to acquire songs from Pink Floyd and Prince due to such reasons.[117]
Guitar Hero and other rock music-based games work with record companies to license each song for its use, costing a per-song average of $25,000 for the rights to use a master recording and $10,000 for the rights to make a cover.[118] However, the music industry has raised concerns that the music labels are not receiving fair compensation considering the success of the games. Edgar Bronfman Jr., chairman and chief executive for Warner Music Group, stated that "The amount being paid to the industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content that we own and control, is far too small."[118] Tim Riley, vice president of music affairs at Activision, believes that the increase in popularity of the game series has lead more people, including musicians and music labels, to want to be part of the success: "The number of people interested in being associated with the game is probably a thousand times more than we can get into the game."[118] Activision CEO Robert Kotick has stated, in response to the record company's claims, that the impact that the Guitar Hero games have cause them to question if the game developers and publishers "should be paying any money at all and whether it should be the reverse."[119] Mötley Crüe manager Allen Kovac noted that artists make a larger share of the sale of each downloaded game song compared to iTunes, and that bands that own their own master recordings earn even a larger percentage from music licensing rights.[70] Michael Pachter, an industry analyst for Wedbush Morgan, noted that Guitar Hero is not dependent on a single record label, as there is nearly a 2000-year supply of songs available at the current rate of content releases, and a full music industry denial to the game series could lead to anti-trust measures. Patcher also contrasted Bronfman's view, stating that users are not buying the games for the songs, but for the game, with each song providing its own challenge.[120] However, analysis believe that Activision's attitude on music licensing may have influenced the decision of Apple Corps, Ltd. to give the lucrative licensing agreement for The Beatles' music to MTV Games, who were more flexible in their negotiation
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