Harmonix has released DLC for the Rock Band series for 275 consecutive weeks. Over the past five years, over 4,000 songs have been released for the franchise. However, it's all coming to an end on April 2nd. On that day, Harmonix will no longer regularly release DLC for its music game.

Read more: The Final Countdown »

Microsoft has detailed the content coming for the next couple of weeks on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

This week's Xbox Live Arcade titles include Backbreaker Vengeance ($15 / 1200 MSP), Half-Minute Hero Super Mega Neo Climax ($10 / 800 MSP), and Galaga Legions DX ($10). Next week will bring a bounty of Deadliest Warrior: Legends ($10). Read more »

Guitar Hero III is the best selling video game of the "current generation," according to market research firm NPD Group's retail-only data. The top-ten games are revealed over on CNBC.

• 1. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Read more »

Well, ladies and gents, it would seem as though the heyday of plastic instruments (and their associated games) might finally be appearing in our rear-view mirror. It was bound to happen, eventually.

The beginning of the end, so to speak, seemed to be when Harmonix -- the developer that founded both Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises -- was put up on the chopping block by Viacom late last year. Harmonix elected to, in effect, purchase itself, and remains an independent entity that continues to churn out Rock Band DLC at a regular clip. Read more »

Harmonix is running a sale on ten DLC packs for the Rock Band series, with one week of discounts on the Xbox 360 and another week of sales on the PlayStation 3.

The Xbox 360 sales are live now and will run until January 11th. The PlayStation 3 sales will begin on January 11th and run through the 25th. The packs one sale are listed below with their prices on both the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store (should the sales be equivalent). Read more »

Rock Band and Dance Central developer Harmonix has successfully been sold, former owner Viacom announced today, to itself--going privately-owned once again as an affiliate of investment firm Columbus Nova. Truly, it is a Festivus miracle!

"We're excited to be returning to our roots as an independent and privately owned studio," Harmonix wrote on its blog. "As for what it means for you, the DLC schedule marches on for Rock Band, we will continue our support of previously released titles and we're hard at work on some unannounced projects that we think you're going to be pumped about." Read more »

A group of ex-shareholders in Rock Band developer Harmonix, including several studio founders, are suing its parent company Viacom, Gamasutra reports, over allegedly attempting to avoid paying out performance-based bonuses for the rhythm game series.

When Viacom bought Harmonix back in 2006 for $175 million, it was agreed that Harmonix shareholders would be paid bonuses if the developer exceeded performance targets in 2007 and 2008. The ex-shareholders claim that they were never paid the 2008 bonus, which would have been based on any profit over $42 million. As the Rock Band franchise's retail sales were over $1 billion in 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, the profits and payouts were probably substantial. The plaintiffs are still calculating a figure. Read more »

A royal two packs of tracks from English rock legends Queen will hit Rock Band 3 as downloadable content next week, developer Harmonix announced today.

The 'Queen Extravangza' pack will offers Rock Band 3 versions of two Queen songs from LEGO Rock Band as all as "some deeper cuts," while the other DLC pack contains RB3 enhanced versions of tracks previously released for other Rock Band titles. Read more »

The final batch of Rock Band downloadable content before Rock Band 3 launches on October 26 will bring a six-pack of tracks from Stone Temple Pilots as well as a three-pack of Jimmy Eat World tunes, Harmonix has revealed.

Tracks will cost $2 (160 Microsoft Points; 200 Wii Points) a pop, while the STP pack will be $10 (800 MS Points) and the pack of Jimmy Eat World songs will be $5.50 (440 MS Points). They're all due on October 19 for Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3. Read more »

On October 26, the same day Rock Band 3 is released in the US, twelve tracks from The Doors will be available as DLC. Additionally, three tracks will be free for the first week of the game's release.

Gamers can snag "Light My Fire", "Riders on the Storm", and "Touch Me" for free between October 26 and November 1 through the in-game Music Store. All three tracks will also support Pro Guitar and Pro Bass, which will not be available for all DLC songs and will cost extra when normally included. Read more »

Twelve tracks from The Jimi Hendrix Experience will push the Rock Band music library up to 2000 songs when the 'Are You Experienced: Rock Band Edition' pack is released next week for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

"What an honor it is for Jimi's music to be part of the Rock Band family," said Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC. "We're delighted that his sound has found yet another route to propel his art and legacy by offering a multigenerational experience that will be a source of inspiration for future musicians." Read more »

Not only does next week's Rock Band DLC bring even more R.E.M. to the franchise, with hits like "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and "Stand," it's throwing a little early T. Rex action our way, too.

The "R.E.M. Pack 01" features eight songs from the band's catalog in a bundle priced at $13.40 (1,080MS Points), while the three-track "T. Rex Pack 01" can be purchased in a bundle for $5.49 (680MS Points). Read more »

Next week's Rock Band DLC offering will debut music from Anthrax and The Doobie Brothers, both of whom have on-disc songs in Rock Band 3, which will release in late October.

Additional debut bands include My Chemical Romance and Atreyu, while tracks from 30 Seconds to Mars and Buckcherry round out the offerings. All tracks can be purchased as singles ($1.99 / 160 MS Points / 200 Wii Points), but the Anthrax Pack can be had on the PS3 or Xbox 360 for $8.50 / 680 MS Points. Read more »

Bloomberg reports that Harmonix and Konami have dropped lawsuits aimed at one another over patents relating to music video games. The original suit by Konami in July 2008 was met with a counter-suit from Harmonix in February 2009.

Read more »

According to MTV Multiplayer, the folks at Harmonix will add Bob Marley's greatest hits compilation "Legend" to the Rock Band Music Store. It will be released on September 21 in the US and on September 22 in Europe.

The album will be available as a single purchase on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $19.99 / 1600 MS Points or as individual tracks on the PS3, 360, and Wii for $1.99 / 160 MS Points / 200 Wii Points. Read more »