Rock Band comes to the rescue of the music biz

Players of the rock music simulator have downloaded more than 2.5 million songs at about $2 each in the eight weeks since the game went on sale, MTV said on Thursday.

The numbers were well ahead of MTV's own expectations and underscored the potential of video games as a new source of revenue for a music industry grappling with falling CD sales.

A Metallica pack featuring three of the mega-platinum band's most electrifying tracks-''Ride The Lightning,'' ''Blackened'' and ''And Justice For All''-is currently the game's top-selling music download, followed by three-song packs from The Police, Queens of the Stone Age, David Bowie and a
collection of Black Sabbath covers. Top-performing singles are Foreigner's early '80s hit, ''Juke Box Hero,'' followed by Creedence Clearwater Revival's late '60s smash, ''Fortunate Son,'' Weezer's mid-90s single ''Buddy Holly'' and The Knack's blockbuster hit, ''My Sharona.''