As album sales soften and the industry turns to alternate ways to get music to fans, the battle between the big music video games has become increasingly heated, and new sales figures indicate The Beatles: Rock Band has a bit of an edge on Guitar Hero 5. According to Billboard, The Beatles: Rock [...]]]>

As album sales soften and the industry turns to alternate ways to get music to fans, the battle between the big music video games has become increasingly heated, and new sales figures indicate The Beatles: Rock Band has a bit of an edge on Guitar Hero 5. According to Billboard, The Beatles: Rock Band sold 595,000 copies following its September 9th release, while GH5 moved 499,000 units since it hit stores on September 1st. In all, both games help fuel a revenue increase of 72 percent for music video games compared to September 2008.

Check out rock-star game avatars, from the Fab Four to Van Halen.

Guitar Hero 5 kept pace with the opening month sales of its predecessor Guitar Hero: World Tour, which sold 534,000 copies last year, Billboard reports. However, the Beatles helped push MTV Games to new highs, as TB:RB more than doubled the 238,000 units of Rock Band 2 that were purchased in its first month. The Beatles: Rock Band, which was only outsold by Halo 3 and Madden ‘10 last month, came in second in overall revenue due to its higher price tag and all the add-on replica instruments that were available either separately or as a deluxe package.

As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, The Beatles: Rock Band is set to get a bump starting today when the remaining tracks from Abbey Road become available for download. Additionally, next month the rest of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band will become available, followed by Rubber Soul in December. LEGO Rock Band, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero: Van Halen should also help boost revenues as all due by year’s end.

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• Behind the Beatles’ Breakup

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In 2009 alone, Jack White featured in three bands, starred in two documentaries, became a philanthropist and founded his own Third Man record label. What’s the next occupation on White’s extensive resume? Music video director. White helmed the clip for the Dead Weather’s “I Cut Like A Buffalo” and the video, which was [...]]]>

In 2009 alone, Jack White featured in three bands, starred in two documentaries, became a philanthropist and founded his own Third Man record label. What’s the next occupation on White’s extensive resume? Music video director. White helmed the clip for the Dead Weather’s “I Cut Like A Buffalo” and the video, which was filmed at the Third Man headquarters in Nashville, debuted at Spinner earlier today.

White handles himself surprisingly well for his first time out as actor/director, using a bright blue backdrop, a bust of a buffalo and a cadre of masked dancers to convey the song’s sinister message. While we hate comparing everything absurdist to the works of David Lynch, the video’s noir-like tendencies and bombastic use of color remind us of the trippier moments in Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, which is about as good of a compliment you can give a novice director.

As for the video’s “narrative,” there isn’t much of one, outside of a brief scene where the media-loving White seems to label a journalist as “Terrorist.” The ticket in the journalist’s hat initially says “Press,” but then a flash of light comes over Jack’s eyes and exposes “Press” as “Terrorist,” just like those sunglasses in They Live.

“I Cut Like a Buffalo” is the band’s second video, following the clip for “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” In that clip, White and Alison Mosshart walked the length of a field, machine guns in hand, until the video’s final shootout.

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• Jack White’s Dead Weather Blast Through Noon Set at NYC Gallery
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• Jack White Blames Internet for Quick Launch of Dead Weather

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You can take away T.I.’s freedom, but you can’t take away his prolificacy: Nah Right posted another new song from the King rapper, this one called “Hell of a Life.” A video for the track was filmed in the days before T.I. went to prison to serve the 366-day sentence he received [...]]]>

Photo: Diamond/Getty

You can take away T.I.’s freedom, but you can’t take away his prolificacy: Nah Right posted another new song from the King rapper, this one called “Hell of a Life.” A video for the track was filmed in the days before T.I. went to prison to serve the 366-day sentence he received for pleading guilty to gun charges, and the video’s debut is reportedly set for next week.

A day in the life of T.I.: exclusive photos.

The track, along with T.I.’s “Remember Me” collabo with Mary J. Blige, was originally set to appear on the Paper Trail: Case Closed reissue that was ultimately shelved by the record label. Instead, the holdover songs planned for the reissue were released separately as the Paper Trail: Case Closed EP in the U.K., where this “Hell of a Life” likely leaked from.

Upon first listen, “Hell of a Life” sounds very similar to Tip’s “Whatever You Like,” right down to its nearly identical syllabic choruses. On the second listen, the two songs still sound the same, as if “Hell of a Life” was a blueprint or sketch that eventually became the superior, Hot 100-topping “Whatever You Like.” The Danja-produced song itself will probably be available as an a la carte download at some point to correspond with the music video.

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• T.I. Performs Farewell Concert Before Heading to Prison
• T.I. Sentenced To One Year and a Day In Prison, Could Serve Less

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Earlier this week, Rolling Stone received a press release about a new Jay-Z song called “Crispy Benjamins,” featuring a sample of Regina Spektor’s “Chemo Limo.” The announcement seemed official, yet somewhat dubious: The song was to be released in “late 2009,” but this announcement came less than three weeks after The Blueprint [...]]]>

Photo: Allan/WireImage

Earlier this week, Rolling Stone received a press release about a new Jay-Z song called “Crispy Benjamins,” featuring a sample of Regina Spektor’s “Chemo Limo.” The announcement seemed official, yet somewhat dubious: The song was to be released in “late 2009,” but this announcement came less than three weeks after The Blueprint 3 dropped, and the three months left in 2009 seemed too soon for a BP3 reissue. According to MTV, however, “Crispy Benjamins” may be destined for an upcoming Jigga greatest hits collection that might be released on November 24th.

However, Jay-Z’s old label Def Jam is supposedly releasing the greatest hits collection, the third in the rapper’s career, but “Crispy Benjamins” was recorded for Atlantic’s BP3, so it remains unclear if Def Jam would even have access to the track, which falls under Jay’s RocNation umbrella. The plot thickens.

The track was produced by Mirk of the New Familiar Music Group, whose members attended the SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory along with Spektor. According to the press release, which neither Jay-Z reps or Mirk claim they’re responsible for sending, Jay-Z officially purchased the Spektor sample on September 17th.

In other Jay-Z news, the rapper and Alicia Keys were spotted filming their video for BP3’s “Empire State of Mind” around Tribeca and Ground Zero in New York City yesterday, MTV reports. Music video director extraordinaire Hype Williams will helm the clip. The pair previously performed the track at the MTV Video Music Awards, where they got an unexpected assist from Lil’ Mama.

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• Jay-Z Talks Rihanna, Teaches Winfrey How to Rap on “Oprah”
• Jay-Z’s 9/11 Benefit Turns Into All-Star Marathon With Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, Mayer and More
• Jay-Z Burns Through “Blueprint 3,” Classics at Tiny New York Gig

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