Digital Trends

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The numbers are surprising even MTV: in just eight weeks, the play-along video game Rock Band has sold more than 2.5 million songs to wannabe rock stars.

According to Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks' Music, Logo, and Films Group, the numbers have far-exceeded MTV's expectations: in the eight weeks since its release, the video game Rock Band has sold more than 2.5 million songs to wannabe rock stars who want to play along on their video game consoles.

According to MTV, the most popular song three-song bundle downloads are from Metallica, The Police, and Queens of the Stone Age. The top-selling single for Rock Band is, of course, Forienger's "Juke Box Hero" (the original recording of which, we might add, features none other than Thomas Dolby), followed by CCR's "Fortunate Son" and Weezer's "Buddy Holly."

The sales figures may highlight the potential of video game tie-ins as an ancillary revenue stream for music distributors, who have been dismayed in recent years at declines in CD sales, which they have largely blamed on piracy. Although the market for digital downloads is growing, it is not yet big enough to offset the decline in CD sales.

Prior to launch, Rock Band outlined an aggressive schedule of downloadable content updates, including full versions of classic albums by the likes of Metallica and The Who.