Dixie Chicks and other country artists contribute to Rock Band

community.livejournal.com - 12th Dec 2008

1 votes

Dixie Chicks: “Rock Band” has just gone a little bit country.Yes, the latest downloadable content from the popular rhythm game is actually called “Going Country.” It includes five tracks from such artists as Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn and the Dixie Chicks. Fans who are so inclined can, starting Dec. 16, download “Mud on the Tires” from the game's online store. They can strum in time to Miranda Lambert's “Gunpowder & Lead.”I'm not sure how I feel about this.Listen, I'm no country music hater. I own a Dixie Chicks album. I've been known to blast Hank Williams (senior, of course) when I'm in a melancholy mood. But when I think “Rock Band,” I think ROCK. I think Blue Oyster Cult, Judas Priest. I think Journey.But Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of games and music for MTV, says that the tracks they picked “might twang a little bit,” but they still rock plenty hard. No one's going to mistake “Hillbilly Deluxe” for Patsy Cline's “Crazy.”“With this first release, we want to edge people into it,” DeGooyer told me. “We don't want their heads to explode.”There might well be some exploding heads when hardcore “Rock Band” fans find redneck women invading their turf. But really, the decision to go country makes business sense for MTV on all sorts of levels. For one thing, MTV Networks owns Country Music Television. And DeGooyer says they've heard, through fans of the channel, that folks would like a little more steel guitar with their Smashing Pumpkins.Does country music belong in 'Rock Band'?“They've been very vocal about the artists they'd like to see in the game. And the artists in this first edition reflect their preferences,” he says.”he new music will be available on the Xbox 360 on Dec. 16 and for the PlayStation 3 starting Dec. 18. Players can download the individual tracks for $1.99 (or 160 Microsoft points) or the whole five-pack for $8.49 (or 680 Microsoft points).Country music has certainly soared in popularity in recent years. Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw appear alongside Hannah Montana, Alicia Keys and (oddly) the Eagles in Nielsen SoundScan's top 10 selling artists list for 2007.David Card, a music-industry analyst with Forrester Research, says he thinks it was a good move to add country into the “Rock Band” mix. When his company surveyed 2,100 online adults about their music-genre preferences recently, country came up third, behind classic rock and rock. Alternative rock �” a genre very well-represented on “Rock Band” �” was number four.“I think it's pretty smart, actually,” said Card of the new songs. “I think there are a bunch of teenage boys and young adults that are country fans �” they're just in the middle of the country, not on the coasts.”But what's interesting is that although the top artists of 2007 most certainly included country stars, Nielsen's list of top-10 selling digital artists has nary a country singer on it. Fergie was tops, followed by Timbaland, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake, which suggests that pop-music listeners are more comfortable downloading music than perhaps the country-music set.Still, Card points out that “Rock Band” has been a big crossover family hit. “Maybe the country songs will play well with the middle-aged, family audience.”Music games like “Rock Band” and the “Guitar Hero” franchises have played a major role in the continued success of the video game industry �” even in troubled times. “Rock Band” is the number one title of 2008 in terms of revenue, according to the NPD Group. And MTV says players have downloaded over 30 million paid songs since the game launched a little over a year ago.MTV's DeGooyer says the decision to go country “wasn't done on a spreadsheet. It was more of a creative call, about what could and should be done in -Rock Band.'”-------------------I really don't care, but the fact that if it didn't involve possibly more money, i don't think MTV would of considered doing it.Anyway, ONTD what is your favorite Rock Band song? Do you prefer Rock Band or Guitar Hero? Do you think MTV are a bunch of money hungry bastards that should stop having anything to do with music, since really, they're not a MUSIC network anymore? Is allowing the download of country music a good idea, though the game is called ROCK band?DISCUSS!SOURCE Read full story at community.livejournal.com

In This Story

Dixie Chicks

Justin Timberlake

Blue Oyster Cult

Patsy Cline

Carrie Underwood

Alicia Keys

Judas Priest

Related Content

Doubled His Pleasure, Quadrupled His Fun: Chris Brown is 2008’s Stealth Chart Star [100 And Single]
The release today of Billboard’s tallies for the year’s biggest U.S. singles and albums produce few jaw-dropping surprises. The top eight songs of the year, according to the Hot 100, come directly from the list of 10 songs in my predictions post last week.So what about those two songs I called wrong? I’ll get to my bad calls later, but let’s focus for a moment on the act who surprised me by bum-rushing the year-end winner’s circle and taking Nos. 9 and 10.That would be Chris Brown, who quietly dom

Rock Band Goes Country
Country music lovers can finally get into the Rock Band scene. A small dose of country music will be available for download for Rock Band starting December 16th. The five tracks will come from country singers Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks. From the CMT Blog: “To those narrow-minded [...]

HMV Canada: "Chinese Democracy" by Guns N' Roses tops CD sales list
TORONTO - The following is HMV Canada's top 10 CDs based on national sales for the week ending Nov. 26. CDs 1 Chinese Democracy - Guns N' Roses 2 808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West 3 Day and Age - The Killers 4 Dark Horse - Nickelback 5 "Twilight" Soundtrack - Various Artists 6 The Promise - Il Divo 7 Fearless - Taylor Swift 8 The Fame - Lady GaGa 9 Black Ice - AC/DC 10 I AM...SASHA FIERCE - Beyonce Country 1 Fearless - Taylor Swift 2 Play - Brad Paisley 3 Taylor Swift - Taylor S

CMA Awards Tap Hosts Paisley, Underwood
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the 42nd annual CMA Awards. The duo also will join the list of performers for the CMA Awards, which will air live from Nashville Nov. 12 on ABC. Previously announced performers include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. Mr. Paisley and Ms. Underwood are the reigning CMA Male and Female Vocalists of the Year.

Country giants fete Alan Jackson at his CMT Giants show
Hank Williams Jr., George Strait, George Jones, Martina McBride, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert sang for Alan. The show first airs Dec. 6. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. permalink | Country music, Television | Leave a reply Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required)

Grammy countdown: Carrie, Sugarland and country album front-runners
Will the Grammys get a little more country this year? Grammy observers may recall there's been a bit of drama between Nashville and the Recording Academy the past few years. Last year, Vince Gill was the only album of the year nominee not to perform on the telecast. While the country veteran was a visible presence at the awards, he did turn down the performance scenarios offered to him, reported to be a brief medley with Brad Paisley. Some in the Nashville community took it as a slight. The previous yea

Winners and Pictures from the American Music Awards
List of winners at the 36th annual American Music Awards: Pop/Rock Favorite Male Artist - Chris Brown Favorite Female Artist - Rihanna Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Daughtry Favorite Album - Alicia Keys, 'As I Am' Country Favorite Male Artist - Brad Paisley Favorite Female Artist - Taylor Swift Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Rascal Flatts Favorite Album - Carrie Underwood, 'Carnival Ride' Soul/Rhythm and Blues Favorite Male Artist - Chris Brown Favorite Female Artist - Rihanna Favorite Album -

Faith Hill to launch her own fragrance.
Singer Faith Hill has also announced plans to partner with Coty for a signature fragrance that will hit stores in late fall of 2009. The name and composition of the star’s first scent have yet to be announced. Faith’s no stranger to the fragrance industry, she helped develop McGraw by Tim McGraw, her husband’s cologne with the brand. “I am inspired by my travels around the world as well as my home,” she says. “These experiences have made a mark on my style in what I wear, my surrounding

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to Host and Perform on 'The 42nd Annual CMA Awards' Nov. 12 Live From Nashville on ABC Television Network
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The reigning CMA Male and Female Vocalists of the Year, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will unite to host "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards." This is the first time that either artist will have hosted "Country Music's Biggest Night(TM)." "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards" airs live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 12 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. "We are excited to have our reigning Male and Female Vocalist host t

Alba takes another shot for Declare Yourself and other notes
USA TODAY's Lorena Blas here, checking in with a few late news items. Jessica Alba, wearing only a Hannibal Lecter-type muzzle mask, starts appearing this week in a new print PSA advertisement for Declare Yourself's campaign to urge young people to register and vote rather than be silenced. Mark Liddell took the photograph. The image, as well as the one used in the first print PSA of Alba in bindings, are available for download at DeclareYourself.com. ... Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will be hosts

HMV Canada: "Appeal to Reason" by Rise Against tops CD sales list
TORONTO - The following is HMV Canada's top 10 CDs based on national sales for the week ending Oct. 8. CDs 1 Appeal to Reason - Rise Against 2 Death Magnetic - Metallica 3 Dig Out Your Soul - Oasis 4 Paper Trail - T.I. 5 Closer - The Best of Sarah McLachlan - Sarah McLachlan 6 Rock N Roll Jesus - Kid Rock 7 Tell Tale Signs - Bob Dylan 8 Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay 9 Year of the Gentleman - Ne-Yo 10 Only By Night - Kings of Leon Country 1 Carnival Ride - Car

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to Host CMA Awards
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood have been announced as the hosts of the CMA Awards on Nov. 12 in Nashville.

Brad Paisley Carrie Underwood Country Music Awards Hosts 2008
Country Music Award nominees Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley will co-host the 2008 show, airing November 12 on ABC. “Hopefully you will not see any wardrobe malfunction,” Carrie joked. “I would tune in just in case,” Brad added with a wink.

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to Host CMA Awards
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood have been announced as the hosts of the CMA Awards on Nov. 12 in Nashville.

American Idol Christmas: "Hear Something Country Christmas 2007"
If you are a country music fan and happen to also love Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, then you’ll want to pick up a copy of Hear Something Country Christmas 2007. It contains tracks like "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Carrie Underwood) and "Santa Baby" (Kellie Pickler) along with classic covers by some major country music stars like Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride. I think it’s a nice addition to a holiday collection so why not giv

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to Host CMA Awards
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood have been announced as the hosts of the CMA Awards on Nov. 12 in Nashville.

AMA Winners
Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood were among the big winners in the Country categories at the fan-voted American Music Awards, Nov. 23. Taylor won the award for Favorite Female Artist Country and also performed her new single, “White Horse,” on the live telecast from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. “I guess I saw my name on the ballot, but I never really thought I had a chance at winning,” Taylor noted. ‘The thing I like most about the A

American Music Awards: Rihanna, Chris Brown On Winner’s List
Performers like Christina Aguilera, Natasha Bedingfield and Mariah Carey hit the stage Sunday night for the Jimmy Kimmel hosted American Music Awards. Keep going for the complete list of winners: WINNERS OF THE “2008 American Music Awards:” POP/ROCK Favorite Male Artist: Chris Brown Favorite Female Artist: Rihanna Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Daughtry Favorite Album: “As I Am” Alicia Keys COUNTRY Favorite Male Artist: Brad Paisley Favorite F

Billy Corgan Done Making Albums, Not Done Loving God
Now that the dust has settled on The Smashing Pumpkins’ 20th anniversary tour, it’s the perfect time to get Billy Corgan’s thoughts on the giant mess he and his ego made of what should have been a warm and fuzzy experience for his fans. Luckily, we have the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot (hope they keep him around) to do the job for us. Kot caught up (via Stereogum) with the 41-year-old—clad in a bathrobe and eating a steak—after the Pumpkins’ tour-ending (and surprisingly triumphant) performance

Dixie Chicks Scrap Song From Movie Soundtrack
Country music trio THE Dixie Chicks have pulled an original song from the soundtrack of forthcoming film THE LUCKY ONES, after distributors reportedly refused to pay them a six-figure sum for the record. According to the New York Post, Dixie Chicks' stars Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison recorded the tune for the independent film - starring Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Michael Pena - out this month (Sep08). But the idea was scrapped after executives at Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

Dixie Chicks song dropped from 'Lucky'
NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A song the U.S. country band the Dixie Chicks wrote for "The Lucky Ones" reportedly was dropped from the film's soundtrack for financial reasons.

Dixie Chicks and other country artists contribute to Rock Band

In This Story

The Celebrifi Network

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Contact Us

Newsroom