Is Guitar Hero a good way to promote music?

[Tim]

Everybody knows about Guitar Hero, and a lot of people own it. And a lot of these people learn about a lot of new bands through Guitar Hero. Seriously, how many people would know about DragonForce if it weren't for Through the Fire and Flames on Guitar Hero 3? This is one band that has gotten success through Guitar Hero. I can see Dream Theater an Joe Satriani becoming a lot bigger now that Pull Me Under and Satch Boogie are the two last songs in the game.

So what are your thoughts on this? Do you think that Guitar Hero is a good way to promote music? And who do you think will become bigger because of the latest Guitar Hero?

 

[RVDgurl]

Hell yes it is! I don't know any numbers or statistics but I would be willing to bet that albums sales and/or downloads have dramatically increased for bands that have their music as a part of these games. Kids are learning about bands they never heard of and are getting turned on to a wider variety of music that doesn't get played on the radio. Older bands like Aerosmith and Metallica have made extremely smart business decisions by allowing the Guitar Hero series to release games representing their name and music.

 

[Mr. TM]

It is an incredible way. Ever Guitar Hero and RockBand game I have played had a couple songs that I had never heard, and I liked them. Getting to play the songs, feeling the energy and excitement of the songs through interactions attracts people to these songs. As RVDGurl said, bands would be stupid to not have a game released if given the chance. People who know 5 or so Metallica songs and consider themselves fans are now opened up to a lot more of their songs. This could cause them to go onto programs like iTunes and download their songs.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Hell the fuck yes it is. I've played all of them and each time I get introduced to a new band. Which I then go and check out more music from that said band. It happened with Dragonforce. It's a definite good way to get some coverage in a day and age where getting some sort of fan base is hard to do. It's a good marketing tool for young bands. So I would say once again that yes it is.

 

[The Big Gunnzbowski]

Everybody knows about Guitar Hero, and a lot of people own it. And a lot of these people learn about a lot of new bands through Guitar Hero. Seriously, how many people would know about DragonForce if it weren't for Through the Fire and Flames on Guitar Hero 3? This is one band that has gotten success through Guitar Hero. I can see Dream Theater an Joe Satriani becoming a lot bigger now that Pull Me Under and Satch Boogie are the two last songs in the game.

So what are your thoughts on this? Do you think that Guitar Hero is a good way to promote music? And who do you think will become bigger because of the latest Guitar Hero?

Ok, I've got to send you a slap to the back of the head.... Joe Satriani has been a legend in music since the early 80's, man.. Just because a bunch of tweeners own a music game and just heard it for the first time is irrelevant to Joe Satriani's success... His list of students include Kirk Hammett (Metallica), David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry LaLonde (Primus, Possessed), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Rick Hunolt (Exodus)..... Look him up, man... Damn...


But to actually answer your question, Yes. I can prove this simply. Turn on your radio... You'll NOW notice that almost every day, you'll hear what sounds like your setlist from "Guitar Hero" or "Rockband"... It has become the new medium for promoting music whether people like it or not.

 

[Tim]

Ok, I've got to send you a slap to the back of the head.... Joe Satriani has been a legend in music since the early 80's, man.. Just because a bunch of tweeners own a music game and just heard it for the first time is irrelevant to Joe Satriani's success... His list of students include Kirk Hammett (Metallica), David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry LaLonde (Primus, Possessed), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Rick Hunolt (Exodus)..... Look him up, man... Damn...

Hey i'm not denying the man's achievements at all, and sorry if it sounded that way. You think I hadn't heard of Satriani before Guitar Hero? The man is a legend. I'm saying that now he'll be known by a lot more people, and gain more success and recognition with the younger generation because he's in Guitar Hero, in one of the hardest songs. Honestly, I don't think a lot of the younger people out there know who Joe Satriani is. They'll buy this game, and recognise this guy as a legend, probably check out all his music as well, and he'll gain a lot more younger fans.

 

[Ms. TM Canada]

There are 2 ways to interpret the "good" in the thread title.
If by good you mean efficient/successful, then absolutely, I doubt anyone can say that songs don't gain popularity when used in a Guitar Hero game.
If by good you mean fair, then potentially yes. Provided that Guitar Hero uses songs that they think will enhance the game and appeal to it's players, then absolutely it's a good (fair) way to promote music. If Guitar Hero starts allowing wealthier bands to pay for their songs to be used in the games, Guitar Hero players may be robbed of some great bands just because they couldn't afford a spot in the new game.