‘Rock Band’ Let Any Band Upload And Sell Their Own Songs

“Rock Band” is to allow any band or artist – signed or unsigned – to upload their own songs to the game and sell them to other users.

Until now, the only tracks to appear on the game have been pre-loaded, and have generally featured the likes of major acts such as The Beatles and Nirvana. However it’s suggested that from today (January 19), all users of the game are able to upload their own songs via the Rock Band Network Store, which is open for beta testing.

Although the Network Store, which is designed by Harmonix, was initially created to cater for unsigned acts, Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s senior vice-president for electronic games and music, told the Wall Street Journal that several high-profile acts who haven’t been featured on Rock Band have also signed up.

“What was surprising to us was how many artists with hit records have offered themselves up,” he explained.

The likes of Creed and Evanescence are understood to be among the acts set to use the service to get their songs featured on the game, while Sub Pop – the label home to the likes of The Shins, Mudhoney and Flight Of The Conchords – is also understood to be preparing a batch of songs for the game.

Paul McCartney ‘Nearly’ Joined Them Crooked Vultures

Paul McCartney has revealed he asked about joining Them Crooked Vultures on bass, only to be told by Dave Grohl that John Paul Jones had already beaten him to it.

McCartney said he was first told about Them Crooked Vultures by Dave Grohl when the two went out to dinner together after playing together at last February’s Grammys ceremony. “We went out for a bite to eat afterwards and Dave told me he was starting this band with Josh [Homme],” he told the Daily Mail. “I asked him who was playing bass and he rather sheepishly told me he’d approached John. So you read it here first; Paul McCartney was nearly the bass player in Them Crooked Vultures.”

McCartney also admitted that he was in two minds about whether to appear on The X Factor last year.

“When the offer came through it polarised a lot of people. Lots of my friends told me not to do it and it’s not exactly [Later With…] Jools Holland. It’s a pop show. But what turned me around – apart from the huge audience – was the fact that it’s a family show, and so many kids I know are obsessed by it.”

He went on to say that if the talent show was good enough for Beyonce, “it should be good enough for me“.

Soundgarden May Perform At Sonisphere

According to Times 24, reformed rock band Soundgarden are rumoured for this year’s Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth House. The Seattle grunge legends – contemporaries of Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the 90s – got back together on New Year’s Day after a 12-year hiatus.

And this week’s Nme says Chris Cornell and Co are talking to Sonisphere organisers.Best known for Grammy Award-winning single Black Hole Sun, the American quartet went their separate ways in 1997.

Soundgarden are also rumoured for the touring festival on website efestivals.co.uk, along with Megadeth.

Lead singer Cornell later formed Audioslave and then embarked on a solo career, with mixed results.

However, his solo effort You Know My Name was used in the James Bond film Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007.

Cornell announced on January 1 that he was getting back together with lead guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd and there would be a Soundgarden reunion this year, although no firm details of where they will be playing have been revealed yet.

Cameron is also the permanent drummer for alternative rockers Pearl Jam, who are playing Hard Rock Calling in London’s Hyde Park on June 25 and a string of dates across Europe in early July.

British heavy metal giants Iron Maiden and German band Rammstein have already been confirmed as headliners for the three-day Sonisphere Festival taking place within Knebworth’s grounds from July 30 to August 1.

Others on the bill include the legendary Alice Cooper, who will close the Saturn stage on the Friday night, British alt-rockers Placebo, thrash metal acts Slayer and Anthrax, Papa Roach, The Cult, Mötley Crüe and Iggy & The Stooges.

Last year’s inaugural Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth saw the likes of Metallica, Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails, Heaven & Hell and Alice In Chains play before a total weekend audience of 80,000.