Survey: One Third Of Gamers Buy Music Game Songs

Have you bought a song or album because of Guitar Hero or Rock Band? Jacobs Media, a radio consulting company did a survey that found one third of players buy songs from the games, calling music video games "game changers" for rock music.

Big label artists obviously agree, with Metallica, Aerosmith and Coldplay on their way down the pipeline hoping to introduce new fans to their tunes through the magic of mashing brightly-colored buttons on plastic instruments.

Jacobs Media also pointed out there's an internet radio station, RadioIO, with a channel that plays nothing but rhythm game music. No one's gonna taaaake me aliiiiiiiiive.

Have music games influenced your taste in music, or your buying habits? And while we're at it, what's your favorite track from Guitar Hero or Rock Band?

Wii Remote Graf Mod Looks Truly Exciting

And no, not because it raises the prospect of a Wii port of Mark Ecko's Getting up. It's because, when I look at this excellent, home-made modification - crafted by German uni student Martin Lihs - that sees a can of spray paint turned into a fully-functioning Wii Remote, I think of a Wii version of Jet Set Radio (with 1:1 tagging), then I get a little giddy, then I get a little dizzy, then I need to go sit down for a bit.

Wiispray turns Wii Remote into virtual graffiti spray can [Engadget]

Sessler, Thompson Square Off On NPR Over Grand Theft Auto IV

GTA IV DLC Arriving This Summer?

Rockstar's "Lazlow" (one of the game's DJs) made another appearance on the Opie and Anthony show this morning. This time he claimed that the Xbox 360's DLC is being worked on at the moment and could see the light of day as early as this summer. Not much was said about PS3 DLC other than he hoped to see it happen in the future. Our guess is that Microsoft will release the DLC whenever it works best with their general plan of attack—be that as soon as Rockstar finishes the content or months later—since paying $50 million and ruling a platform probably affords you such luxuries.

O&A talk GTA IV [Loot Ninja via Maxconsole]

Yesterday's Grand Theft Auto IV info glut didn't just include 20 new screens, there were also a handful of new wallpapers featuring drugs, cops, guns and tatas. There were also two new widgets for two more radio stations. Hit the jump to listen to the grooves of K109 The Studio and the rants of WKTT Talk Radio.

If you're like me you probably read the headline and thought: WTF? But apparently it's true. A DJ at east coast radio station WFMU will be playing Rock Band live on the air tomorrow morning with the help of some local listeners over LIVE (with the exception of the singers who will have to come to the studio). Now, I can kind of see this working from a vocals end if you cranked it up high enough, but all in all it seems a bit ridiculous and will likely leave many listeners confused. In a related note, if you tune in to the same station the following week you can listen to me dance the lead in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Rock Band (The Video Game) LIVE on WFMU! Rock with us! [WFMU]

"Do Gamers Read?"

Once again, further proof that mainstream press shouldn't let just anyone cover games! National Public Radio's Chana Joffe-Walt has an interview with Halo: Contact Harvest author Joseph Staten. The book was a New York Times best seller, but Joffe-Walt couldn't care less. Not only is she ignorant about gaming, she's brings her own ill-informed prejudices to the the interview. There are exchanges like this:

Joffe-Walt: "Yes, my fellow non-gaming Luddites, there is a story to Halo. I know, I thought the same thing. Isn't gaming all just shoot'em up? Why do you need story?"
Staten: "I think to understand why stories are important in games, you need to actually play them."

Radio Shack To Carry Video Games

Despite the fact that their online store has a rather large catalog of games for sale, to me Radio Shack has always been the place my dad took me as a kid to buy crappy toys. According to Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson, however, that's all set to change next Tuesday as the company plans to use the launch of Halo 3 to launch itself into the retail gaming business, carrying software and hardware in their stores. The GameSpot article cites several other analysts calling the move a bad idea due to GameStop's dominance of the sector as well as lack of space to dedicate to a serious selection, and I have to agree. Unless they are willing to dedicate a large percentage of floor space to gaming, this won't work. Carrying a limited selection of popular titles only works at the airport *hides his $60 copy of FFIII DS*. At least we now have a good idea of where to go in case Halo 3 sells out everywhere next week.

RadioShack reorganizing retail outlets to sell games [GameSpot]

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Radio Allergy For GameCube Finally Axed

PSP Karaoke Game Sings No More

Rumor: Karous for the Wii

DS Lite Radio!

Virgin Radio Streaming To Wii & PS3

Rumor: Beautiful Katamari Rolls On To Consoles This Fall

Station Fires Ten Responsible For Deadly Wii Contest

Woman Dies Participating In Wii Contest

Clips: PS3 Vs. Steamroller Vs. Christmas