Game on! Beatles rumored to announce starring role in Rock Band video game today

We'll know for sure at 10 a.m. ET, but it appears that the Beatles are making yet another in-road into digital culture history today. No, it won't be that the Beatles are coming to iTunes, as long hoped, but as the announced stars of an upcoming edition of the "Rock Band" video game.

MTV/Viacom Inc., which owns "Rock Band," put out a surprise press invitation Wednesday which read:

APPLE CORPS LTD. AND MTV TO ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL MUSIC PROJECT

WHAT: Apple Corps Ltd. and MTV to announce an exclusive agreement to develop a global music project.

WHO: Jeff Jones, CEO of Apple Corps, Ltd.
Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks
Van Toffler, President of MTV Networks Music/Logo Group

WHEN: Thursday, October 30, 2008
2:00 pm UK Time, 10:00 am ET, 7:00 AM PT

Speculation is rampant that the Beatles will be a part of "Rock Band 2." The Wall Street Journal said that, according to several unnamed sources, the Beatles reached an agreement to license songs to MTV Networks' Rock Band videogame series. The paper called it "a coup for the Viacom Inc. unit in its battle with rival Activision Blizzard Inc. for supremacy in the world of rock-and-roll videogames."

Entertainment Weekly has an unconfirmed report the game will be a stand-alone disc, "like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (which has moved more than a million units since its June 2008 release)," says EW, as opposed to downloadable content, which Dhani Harrison's group, thenewno2, already added to "Rock Band." Entertainment Weekly also reported that Harmonix, the company behind "Rock Band," put getting the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones on their wish list (and signed exclusive rights to AC/DC). MTV President Van Toffler said of the Beatles getting into "Rock Band," "I heard they're pretty popular. That would be big, right?"

The big question, asked by the Wall Street Journal, is whether the game will be attractive to first-generation fans, or only those younger.

In March, rumors began flying that the Beatles would become a part of "Guitar Hero." Martin N. "Marty" Bandier, chairman and chief executive at Sony/ATV Music Publishing that owns the John Lennon-Paul McCartney copyrights, told the Los Angeles Times he liked the idea of a dedicated Beatles edition of Activision's "Guitar Hero," saying, "It's something we have talked about and something I'd like to pursue." “To my view, it’s only a matter of time before we see Beatles songs that are the original recordings in motion pictures, in television work, and yes, maybe even one day in a commercial,” Bandier told the Financial Times. That paper reported in June that Apple was talking with both Harmonix for "Guitar Hero" and MTV Games for "Rock Band."

In July, however, the speculation for "Guitar Hero" pretty well ended when Charles Huang of "Guitar Hero" game developer Red Octane told Billboard, "Well, I don't have to tell you how difficult it is. Everybody in the world has tried to get the Beatles to put their music on all kinds of different platforms, and it certainly would be exciting, but it's also a difficult challenge."

By the way, here's something McCartney fans may not be aware of. There is currently a video game that features a McCartney song. "Guitar Hero: World Tour", which was just released this week, features the Wings' tune "Band on the Run."