Rock Band

Cambridge, Mass. – March 6, 2009 - Harmonix and MTV Games today announced the addition of four new tracks to the Rock Band® Music Store catalogue of downloadable content including songs from alternative rockers R.E.M. and The Offspring. In addition, British guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson makes his Rock Band debut.

Known as one of the pioneers of the alternative rock movement, R.E.M. makes its second appearance in the Rock Band music library with next week’s release of the band’s mainstream breakthrough hit “Losing My Religion” from the 1991 album Out Of Time. R.E.M.’s track “Orange Crush” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack.

The Offspring deliver two tracks this week including “All I Want” featured on their 1997 album Ixnay on the Hombre and “The Kids Aren’t Alright” from the band’s 1998 album Americana. Rock Band fans now have access to a total of seven songs from The Offspring in the Rock Band music library.

Rock guitarist and critically acclaimed songwriter Richard Thompson makes his Rock Band debut with the addition of “The Way That It Shows” to the Rock Band Music Store. The song was released on Thompson’s 1994 album Mirror Blue. Thompson’s distinct sound and celebrated career earned him numerous awards including Rolling Stone’s 2003 Top 20 Guitarists of All-Time and the 2006 BBC Lifetime Achievement Award.

Release Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360®)

Thursday, March 12, 2009 (PlayStation®Store)

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:

The Offspring “All I Want”

The Offspring “The Kids Aren't Alright”

R.E.M. “Losing My Religion”

Richard Thompson “The Way That It Shows”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360

PlayStation®Network

Music Videos:

Click on the track below to view the song’s corresponding music video. Videos can be embedded on your site.

The Offspring “All I Want”

The Offspring “The Kids Aren't All Right”

R.E.M. “Losing My Religion”

Website Links:

For more information, please visit:

Rock Band Website

The Offspring Official Website

R.E.M Official Website

Richard Thompson Official Website

Rock Band 2 is available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ home videogame console from Nintendo.

There are now more than 570 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/music). Rock Band continues to satisfy music fans’ and gamers' voracious appetite for rock with more than 36 million paid downloads since its launch on November 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band 2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.