Rock-Based Videogames Help Sell Music

Music-based videogames, such as the popular Guitar Hero (Activision) and Rock Band (Harmonix/MTV Games), are having a significant impact on music sales, according to a Jacobs Media web survey of Rock listeners across the U.S., reports MarketingCharts.

And playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero directly leads to music sales, Jacobs Media found (see chart):

• Of those who played those games, nearly one-third say they’ve purchased songs featured on these games.
• Males 18-34, not surprisingly, were most likely to have purchased such songs.

Overall, nearly half (46 percent) of all respondents who participate in videogaming indicate they’ve played either Rock Band or Guitar Hero in the past year (view chart).

Notably, younger listeners and Alternative Rock fans are more likely to have rocked out on these games, but more than four in ten 25- to 54-year-olds have also played them. And the games are popular among both men and women.

“Not that long ago, consumers discovered new and different music…on the radio, from music television channels, or from friends and others. Today, there are many avenues for music - new and classic - including videogames that celebrate music,” Jacobs Media president Fred Jacobs noted.

About the data: Jacobs Media’s Technology Web Poll IV was fielded in late February and early March 2008 among more than 27,000 respondents across 69 different Rock-formatted stations. It is the fourth annual poll in the series, conducted among Rock radio listeners who are predominantly members of station email clubs. Participating stations represent Mainstream/Active Rock, Classic Rock, and Alternative outlets in markets around the US.