Last night at the Paramount Lot in Los Angeles, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), UMe and gaming publisher Activision Publishing, Inc. awarded Soundgarden with a platinum plaque acknowledging the innovative partnership and distribution behind Soundgarden’s newest album in 13 years, Telephantasm (A&M/UMe). The multi-label, career-spanning retrospective album was released today inside 1 million copies of the new Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock. Soundgarden’s groundbreaking partnership with Activision marks the first time a newly released music album has been simultaneously bundled with a videogame launch, and it has opened the door to a new type of RIAA certification: recognizing a band’s success based on the sale of non-returnable units from a music label to a gaming company, instead of to a traditional retailer.
“Guitar Hero® is a huge platform for music, and embracing alternative outlets is essential to an artist’s success in today’s marketplace.” said Kate Harold, Director of Artist & Industry Relations and the Gold & Platinum Awards Program for the RIAA. “This unique partnership between Universal Music Group and Activision demonstrates the value music brings to other industries and is a perfect example of how modern music companies continue to find new ways to reach fans. I anticipate we’ll be seeing more and more of these types of partnerships and cross-pollination of industries which benefit everyone, especially music fans.”
“Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Soundgarden and Universal Music are breaking new ground with this innovative partnership, “ said David Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Guitar Hero. “Soundgarden’s seminal music will be available through all of Guitar Hero’s distribution channels – physical retail, digital download through consoles, and the iPhone – proving that Guitar Hero is a platform to bring an interactive music experience to new audiences and fans. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Soundgarden at such an exciting point in their career. ”
Soundgarden’s first retrospective, Telephantasm includes beloved band hits, deep back catalogue cuts and a never-before-heard unreleased track entitled “Black Rain,” taken from the Badmotorfinger recording sessions. “Black Rain,” called “a grunge grenade” by USA Today, received a 4-star review from Rolling Stone and is currently #8 at Mainstream Rock. AOL Spinner recently premiered the new video for the song –http://www.spinner.com/2010/09/17/soundgarden-black-rain-video-premiere/ . Directed and created by animator Brendon Small from Adult Swim’s wildly popular and imaginative show “Metalocalypse,” the video takes fans through an epic battle in post-apocalyptic Seattle, WA between an animated- Soundgarden-manned translucent robot, and a multi-appendage giant monster. This is the first artist-driven music video based off the show.
Additional info about Telephantasm versions:
All North American Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock launch units will contain the 12-song retrospective disc and will be exclusive to Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock for one week (until October 5). Additionally, fans will get full access to the band’s new album as downloadable content for Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock today with the launch of the game. The 12-song disc will then be available on October 5th at all music retail outlets and on the band’s web site www.soundgardenworld.com.
Additionally, A&M/UMe has released 3 deluxe expanded versions of Telephantasm available today including a double-disc with 12 additional tracks, 5 of which are previously unreleased, and Soundgarden’s first-ever DVD, featuring 20 videos, 13 of which have never been released. Additionally, a Deluxe 3-LP Vinyl Edition and an individually numbered Super Deluxe Collector’s Edition box set are available today. The Super Deluxe Collector’s Edition will be available for a limited time and will include 2 CDs, the limited edition DVD, three heavy vinyl discs, each uniquely colored, a 20-page book featuring rare photos and liner notes by Kim Thayil, Jeff Gilbert and Matt Pinfield, a double-sided panorama poster of the album artwork, an art print of each band member, a litho of the Showbox show poster and more. These 3 deluxe expanded versions will be available at all music retail outlets and on the band’s website.
