Rock Band Catalog Hits 75 Million Downloads, 2,000 Songs

Harmonix and MTV Games announced that next week's batch of downloadable Rock Band tracks will push its selection of songs over the 2,000 mark -- a catalog the companies claim offers more tracks than any other music game. The Rock Band platform currently features music from over 800 different bands, such as Journey, Queen, and many others. Harmonix and MTV Games plan to make the title track of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Are You Experienced" album the 2,000th release with the Rock Band Music Store's new downloadable content next week. Gamers have downloaded more than 75 million songs from the Rock Band Music Store and the Rock Band Network Music Store to date. They can access those online shops from various series releases, including its numbered titles, spin-offs (e.g. Lego Rock Band), and band-specific games (e.g. The Beatles). MTV Games and Harmonix point out that they've hit this milestone just a few weeks before the release of Rock Band 3. To take advantage of its 2,000+ track library, the new game will feature song sorting enhancements, a recommendation engine, and the ability to create, save, and share setlists. "The success of our song downloads has afforded us the opportunity to approach Rock Band as an interactive music platform and reshape the way gamers think of expansion content," said MTV Networks' Paul DeGooyer, SVP of Electronic Games, Music and Programming . He adds, "Our commitment to weekly releases, disc export, forward compatibility of downloads and the launch of the Rock Band Network were milestones in the development of Rock Band's vibrant digital business. Now, with the release of our 2,000th song, we are reaffirming our commitment to present new music every week – and with the new features in Rock Band 3, there will be more ways than ever to experience it."