by Jeff McKinney
The Rock Band franchise, has surpassed $1 billion dollars in North American retail sales since it’s launch in November of 2007. Additionally, over 40 million paid individual songs have been sold via download through the Rock Band platform.
At it’s core, Rock Band is a music-based  video game that allows up to four players to choose a different instrument (including vocals) and compete together as a band. The game disc comes with a pre-set list of songs for players to perform, however, the game’s Internet connectivity allows players to go online and continually add to that list by downloading (for a fee) new songs. This download feature has worked to keep the game fresh by giving players new levels to play. It is also revolutionizing the way we purchase music. To date, there are 614 songs available over the Rock Band platform with 269 artists and bands offering their music through the game. Bands including Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt and Mötley Crüe have released entire albums through Rock Band.