BigChampagne's Ultimate Chart (a/o February 10th):
1. “What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger),” Kelly Clarkson
2. “Set Fire to the Rain,” Adele
3. “Turn Me On,” David Guetta
4. “Rack City,” TYGA
5. “Good Feeling,” Flo Rida
6. “Smooth Criminal (Glee Cast Version),” Glee Cast
7. “Young, Wild & Free,” Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
8. “Domino ,” Jessie J
9. “Sexy and I Know It,” LMFAO
10. “Ass Back Home ,” Gym Class Heroes
A pillar of music history is finally giving technology a reasonable handshake, at least within the gaming realm. The venerable Beatles catalog remains a no-show on the iTunes Store, a head-scratcher for anyone attempting to piece together a digital strategy by the band. But the remaining Beatles members and heirs are moving forward with a specialized Rock Band version, one now slated to arrive September 9th. That is based on a joint announcement issued Thursday morning by Apple Corps, Harmonix and MTV Games.
The details? At this point, it appears that console favorites or territorial exclusives are not part of the rollout. The game lands on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii simultaneously, across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In previous discussions, Harmonix pointed to a unique software build, and unique Beatles-inspired instruments. But a grounds-up concept has now been scrapped in favor of another Rock Band iteration.
Whether the grounds-up initiative ran into political, budgetary, or strategic barriers remains unclear, though the Beatles are now aligned with the broader Rock Band series. Perhaps the Beatles are getting better billing than Aerosmith and Metallica, both of whom were featured through expansion packs, though buyers will be guided by consistent, Rock Band branding throughout. That means that existing instruments from other Rock Band versions will work, a major break for anyone attempting to cool the clutter.
But, those wanting a plasticized version of the real thing are welcome to purchase limited edition hardware. That includes instruments modeled after the originals used by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
So what about pricing? That depends on the configuration purchased. The software bundle will retail for $60 across all versions, at least within the United States. Stand-alone guitars will retail for $100, and a deluxe edition retails for $250. Price-points outside of the US have not been revealed.
Now, the countdown is towards early September, plenty of lead time for the Christmas season. Meanwhile, some stakeholders are surprised to see a date attached to such an ambitious project, though the fairly contained scope of a game probably cooled resistance among stakeholders.
And, there were many stakeholder sign-offs required. That includes EMI, Sony/ATV, Apple Corps., as well as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono.
What else? There's also a website to visit, at thebeatlesrockband.com. That is currently a static destination, though interested buyers can sign up to receive a notification regarding pre-orders.
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