Video: Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero

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As rockers' bottom lines are increasingly challenged by illegal downloading and declining CD sales, more bands are turning to the video game industry to keep their act on track.

And Rock Band (ERTS) and Guitar Hero (ATVID) are leading the pack.

Guns N’ Roses is the latest band to jump on the video gaming bandwagon: Rock Band 2 is scheduled for release in September and among the 80-plus track list is the Guns N’ Roses track, "Shackler’s Revenge," the first new release from the band since 1999.

The decision to release in a video game rather than at a digital music store like Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes is not surprising considering the latest trends in the industry. In March, Aerosmith released their own version of Guitar Hero, Rock Band’s chief competitor. According to the NPD Group, a sales-tracking company, the game is already sold a total of 567,000 units.

Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses aren’t the only classic rockers joining the gaming world. Metallica and Van Halen are in talks to release their own versions of Guitar Hero, and even a Beatles edition is reportedly in negotiations.

Why are classic rockers shifting to video games? Money.

“It’s a no brainer for a big band with a huge following to go to gaming,” says David Riley, director of The NPD Group. It brings a new set of listeners to the band and the band’s following to the gaming industry. Plus, Rock Band and Guitar Hero tracks can’t be illegally downloaded because they’re only compatible with the actual games.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has already sold more than 8 million copies, according to the NPD Group. Rock Band has sold about 2.5 million in about the same period. And now the ultimate battle of the bands will come in the next few months when Rock Band 2 is released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (MSFT) in September, and Guitar Hero World Tour is released for the holiday season.

To learn more, Mainstreet.com headed to Best Buy (BBY) to hear what all of the noise was about surrounding Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Check it out!

Are you a guitar hero or on the rock bandwagon? Register to comment here (http://www.mainstreet.com/user/register ) and let MainStreet know!