Why Warner Music Hates Guitar Hero

It's not that Warner Music doesn't want its music to appear on play-along games such as Guitar Hero; it just wants more money. In response, MTV Games, which publishes Rock Band, is reportedly boycotting Warner Music for its next game.

It's not that Warner doesn't have a point, since their (and other labels') music isn't just incidental or mood-related, but serves as the backbone of the game. Cool though those Gorillaz-esque cut-scenes are,  Guitar Hero and Rock Band are all about the music.

However, taking a combative stance against the juggernaut that is the gaming industry is a very silly thing to do, as it's passing the CD industry on the way up.

Warner thinks it's negotiating from a position of strength, but it's wrong. As long as more than one label exists, then at least someone will jump at the chance to bring in additional revenue to counterbalance flagging CD sales. If Warner gets too greedy, they'll get frozen out.

Personally, I'd love to see Guitar Hero: Sunset Strip or Rock Band: Brooklyn Underground, featuring indie acts. Surely there's a way to make this happen: smaller labels and coalitions of unsigned artists could lobby for development of expansion packs that feature their music. This would be stellar for online cross-regional rock tournaments.

After all, Guitar Hero III features Sonic Youth and Social Distortion, so the precedent has been established for less-mainstream content... you haven't lived (Guitar-Heroically speaking) until you've tried to match Thurston Moore.

Oh, and one more thing: