Geek rock in Rock Band

In the news recently:

Most recording artists would love to have their music available on MTV Networks' "Rock Band" videogame. But MTV's Harmonix unit, the developer of "Rock Band," simply hasn't had the time or staff to program the vast number of songs it would like to include in the game.

That's about to change. Later this year, MTV plans to launch a groundbreaking initiative called the Rock Band Network that will enable any artist -- unsigned emerging act, indie cult fave or major-label superstar -- to submit songs for possible inclusion in the game.

Previous to this, it seemed unlikely we would ever see any They Might Be Giants songs for Rock Band. But given what a bunch of geeks they are and how much they already do playing with technology, my guess it is now inevitable that we will see some of their songs appear, and I wouldn't be surprised if they follow their old Dial-A-Song tradition and slip us a few for free. I wonder what other bands will see the actual band members making Rock Band versions of their songs as much for fun as for any other reason.

This is a brilliant move by Harmonix. It's good for them: more songs means more profit from song sales, and more appeal for their game, so more sales of it and all its accessories. It's good for the players because we get more songs and a better chance of trying some really interestingly different songs. It's good for the artists since they get another way to promote themselves as well as another revenue stream. About the only losers in this announcement are those who sell Guitar Hero and those few accessories unique to it!