Inclusion in the Guitar Hero series boosts real-world sales of a song by an average of 200 to 300%, according to Zach Horowitz, President and COO of the Universal Music Group during Activision Blizzard's Analyst Day event.

Universal has come down on Activision Blizzard's side in its public argument with record label Warner Music, which claimed it deserved more money for inclusion of its tracks in rhythm music games including Guitar Hero. Universal is the world's biggest record label with sales more than doubling those of Warner.

Horowitz added for emphasis that "My Name is Jonas," a Weezer track appearing in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, saw a real-world sales increase of a staggering 1,000% in the weeks following the game's release. How Universal arrived at those statistics is unclear, but Universal clearly sees a business opportunity in the rhythm-music genre that Warner may still be hesitant to acknowledge.

Activision Blizzard will triple the amount of Guitar Hero titles and content it offers by 2010, Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith revealed today at the company's Analyst Day.

That expansion extends to both retail titles and downloadable content for the popular multi-instrument music game series, and follows Activision's plans to double the amount of Guitar Hero releases in 2009.

The growth will be accomplished by bringing in more developers and more hardware suppliers, Griffith explained. Late last week, the company purchased UK developer FreeStyleGames, which is currently working on "localized downloadable content" for the Guitar Hero brand.

The next Guitar Hero game, officially dubbed World Tour but often referred to as Guitar Hero 4, hits PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii on October 26.

Activision Blizzard subsidiary Activision Publishing announced today that it has purchased FreeStyleGames, a UK-based developer best known for its breakdancing game B-Boy (PS2, PSP).

FreeStyleGames is currently working on "localized downloadable content" for the Activision-owned Guitar Hero franchise, along with a new music-based game. According to Activision, the acquisition represents the latest step in "its global leadership position in the music-based genre." Financial details were not specified.

Over on its official site, FreeStyleGames affirmed that it will "retain creative control, continue to run the studio and have the opportunity to continue to achieve our own ambitious targets."

"We can begin to leverage Activision's experience, infrastructure and support to deliver on the games we have in development," the developer added.

Update: Activision has informed Shacknews that while the Guitar Hero 3 release of "Death Magnetic" will include two exclusive editions of "Suicide & Redemption," the pack will not contain the studio version of the song that appears on the actual album.

Original Story: The entirety of Metallica's new studio album "Death Magnetic" will be available this Friday, September 12, as downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Neversoft's Guitar Hero 3, publisher Activision announced today.

Priced at 1440 Microsoft Points ($18), the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace download will also pack two Guitar Hero-exclusive versions of "Suicide & Redemption" and will be forward-compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour, due out this October.

In addition to being the first full downloadable album for Guitar Hero--full albums have been available in rival series Rock Band since spring--"Death Magnetic" is the first time an album has simultaneously debuted in a game and in stores.

The Death Magnetic track list is as follows... Read more

Responding to complaints from Warner Music that music-oriented games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band don't pay enough for licensed songs, Guitar Hero publisher Activision has labeled the comments as "one-sided" and disrespectful.

Warner simply isn't "respectful of how much we've done to bring new audiences into the market," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told the Financial Times.

"We're introducing a whole new group of artists to new audiences that is resulting in their iTunes downloads being exponentially higher than they would otherwise be, [as well as] new album sales and new merchandising opportunities," he explained.

Warner label Roadrunner, for example, noted a bump in DragonForce album sales after the band was exposed to a wider audience in Guitar Hero III.

"This is an entirely different business [than iTunes] that is very technically... Read more

Said to be the world's third-largest music company, Warner Music Group has expressed frustration in its view that that music-centered games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero don't pay enough for licensed songs.

"The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small," Warner Music chief executive Edgar Bronfman told Reuters, though he did not list specific amounts.

Several Warner artists have appeared in Rock Band and Guitar Hero, such as Avenged Sevenfold and DragonForce, with Warner label Roadrunner noting a sales bump in DragonForce albums after the band was exposed to a wider audience in Guitar Hero III.

Other artists that fall under the Warner Music Group umbrella include Led Zeppelin, The B-52's, Green Day, Depeche Mode, Paris Hilton, Red Hot Chili Peppers... Read more

A sort-of new downloadable track pack will be available on Thursday August 7 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, publisher Activision has announced.

Dubbed the Interscope Track Pack, the songs are the same as those that were available to Xbox 360 owners last year with a purchase of the Guitar Hero III soundtrack:

• Flyleaf - "Tina"
• AFI - "Carcinogen Crush"
• Marilyn Manson - "Putting Holes in Happiness (Nick Zinner Remix)"

No price point was listed in today's announcement, though past Guitar Hero III track packs have sold in the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace for $6.25, or 500 Microsoft Points.

A pack of three downloadable songs from legendary guitarists will be available this Thursday, July 24 for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock owners on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, publisher Activision today announced.

Entitled the Guitar Virtuoso Track Pack, the bundle includes the following master tracks:

• "Surfing with the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai
• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead

No price point or any indication of a cost was provided for the pack. Past Guitar Hero 3 DLC has ranged in price from free to a three-pack bundle for $6.25.

Microsoft today announced that an R.E.M. track pack featuring three songs from the band's new album will be available for download when Guitar Hero World Tour ships.

Van Halen and The Eagles were also named as exclusive bands for the game.

Additionally, the new Metallica album will be available on Guitar Hero 3 when it is released this fall. The album will then be available on Guitar Hero World Tour when that game makes its way to stores.

In celebration of July 4, Activision has announced that the "Top Gun Anthem" will be available as a free download for the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions of Guitar Hero 3.

"The instrumental, guitar-heavy theme was immortalized in the hit film that inspired a generation of young men to awkwardly serenade women at bars, perform perfectly-timed 'flipside' high fives and threaten to 'buzz the tower,'" noted Activision.

Initially released in 1986, the aviation-oriented film starred a number of now-renowned actors and actresses, including Tom Cruise (pictured), Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, and Meg Ryan.

Due out for "mavericks and their wingmen everywhere" on Thursday July 3, the track will be downloadable from the online PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.

A track inspired by Blizzard's PC MMO World of Warcraft will soon be available as a free download for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Neversoft's Guitar Hero 3.

The thrash-metal track, "I am Murloc," made its debut at BlizzCon 2005. It's described as "a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the beloved race of fish-people by Blizzard Entertainment's house band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain."

"I am Murloc" will be available as a free download from the online Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store beginning tomorrow, June 26. It joins the Halo theme, God of War song, and the Portal end song as the latest game-related track to hit a music game.

The track is meant as part of Blizzard's upcoming Worldwide Invitational celebration, which kicks off this Saturday. At the event, it is believed the studio will unveil a new title, one that many speculate to be the long-awaited Diablo 3.

A pack of three tracks from piano-rock group Coldplay will be available for PS3 and 360 Guitar Hero 3 owners to download on June 19, publisher Activision revealed today.

Meant to promote the new Coldplay album that arrives June 17, the pack will contain:

• Violet Hill
• Yellow
• God Put a Smile Upon Your Face

The pack marks the third of the five GH3 track packs Activision vowed would arrive in June. No price point or any indication of a cost was provided, suggesting the trio could be a free download from the online PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.

Putting limitations aside, Activision has released a new track pack for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero 3, bringing the following three tracks to the music game:

• Motorhead - "(We Are) The Road Crew"
• Motorhead - "Stay Clean"
• Motorhead - "Motorhead"

The metal-heavy downloadable package sells for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25) through the online Xbox Live Marketplace. An identically-priced PlayStation 3 release is expected alongside the free PS3-exclusive God of War track in today's PlayStation Store update.

In the announcement, Activision detailed that it would release four other GH3 downloadable packs this month. The next pack, due June 12, features recordings of:

• Kasabian - "Shoot the Runner"
• Kasier Chief - "I Predict a Riot"
• Sex Pistols - "Problems (Live)"

In related news, piano-rock group Coldplay recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the band's new single "Violet Hill" will appear as downloadable content as part of a promotion for its new album "Viva La Vida." No pricing was disclosed.

Limitations regarding downloadable content is the reason that the tracks of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith are a separate $60 release instead of DLC for Guitar Hero 3, according to Neversoft senior producer Chris Parise.

"I think DLC limits what you can do," Parise told Shacknews. "I think DLC means you have to have Xbox Live [on Xbox 360] or PlayStation Network [on PlayStation 3] Whereas I think your install base is still [mostly] PS2, they don't get [DLC]."

When asked about competitor Harmonix's strategy with Rock Band, which has the studio providing weekly PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 tracks as DLC and releasing a separate retail expansion for PlayStation 2 and Wii, Parise said that approach "gives you the song, but we're giving you the experience."

"All you're getting there is note tracks," he explained. "I don't think you can... Read more

A God of War-inspired track will be available as a free download on Thursday, June 5 for those that own the PlayStation 3 edition of Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

The tidbit was tucked away in a PlayStation Underground mailing from Sony (pictured left), with no additional details provided.

Though the pairing of Guitar Hero and Sony's god-slaughtering action series may seem a bit odd, developer Neversoft and Microsoft teamed for a similar promotion that had them giving away a free Halo theme for the Xbox 360 edition of GH3 last fall.

While the next iteration of the Activision-owned Guitar Hero series has been making headlines, Sony has been rather quiet on its plans for the God of War franchise. At last word, a PlayStation 3 entry was listed as "Coming Soon" within the instruction manual of the PSP God of War title, which arrived in March.

A bundle of three tracks from British rock group Muse will be downloadable content for Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, publisher Activision announced today.

Slated to hit the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store on May 8, the pack contains the following songs:

• "Exo-Politics"
• "Supermassive Black Hole"
• "Stockholm Syndrome"

No price point was listed, though past Guitar Hero III track packs have sold for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25).

Harmonix's competing music title Rock Band will be receiving a sole Muse track of its own, "Hysteria," as downloadable content at some point, likely later this month.

Music label Mercury Records has revealed that the Def Leppard single "Nine Lives" will debut as a downloadable track for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Two older Def Leppard tracks--"Rock of Ages" and "Photograph"--round out the three-song bundle, which will be available for download beginning April 24. Guitarist Phil Collen had previously indicated that a slightly different trio of tracks would instead appear in Guitar Hero IV.

Though the content will be available for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users in North America April 24, European PlayStation 3 owners will have to wait until May 8 to obtain the track pack. According to Mercury, the April 24 release will give players the chance to experience the new track a week before its retail availability.

No pricing information was provided. Past Guitar Hero 3 track packs have sold for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25).

A free downloadable Dropkick Murphys song pack is now available for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, bringing celtic punk rock to owners of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions.

Announced by publisher Activision earlier this month and intended to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the pack contains master recordings of "Famous for Nothing," "(F)lannigan's Ball" and "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya."

Publisher Activision today announced the release of a downloadable Modern Metal Track Pack for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Priced at 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25) and featuring master recordings of Deftones' "Hole in the Earth," Avenged Sevefold's "Almost Easy" and Thrice's "The Arsonist," the Modern Metal Pack is now available for purchase from the Xbox Live Marketplace. It should arrive in the online PlayStation Store later this afternoon.

The company also revealed its plans for a free trio of Dropkick Murphys tracks, slated for release in mid-March. Containing master recordings of "Famous for Nothing," "(F)lannigan's Ball" and "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya," the pack is intended to help celebrate of St. Patrick's Day.

New to the PlayStation Store this week is downloadable content for Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Harmonix's Rock Band, and Idol Minds' Pain.

Rock Band aficionados can now download three new Nine Inch Nails master recordings, including "The Perfect Drug", "The Collector", and "March of the Pigs". All three tracks are priced separately for $1.99 a piece, or as a bundle pack for $5.49. The tracks were made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace earlier this week.

PS3 owners who get their kicks with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock now have access to three No Doubt songs, which include "Don't Speak", "Excuse Me Mr", and "Sunday Morning" as performed by the band. The tracks, which are not sold individually, can be purchased in a bundle for $6.25.

Finally, a new playable character for Idol Minds' Pain, Scurv Dogg, is now available to download for a price of $0.99.