Rock Band Matures With Beatles Edition

Real instruments gathering moss, Wyman complains

(NEWSER) - The growth of video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band means fewer real guitar heros in the future, complains former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Playing the games "encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble. It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument," he tells the Guardian. "I think it's a pity." More»

Fab Four reps in talks with Guitar Hero and Rock Band makers

(NEWSER) - Representatives of the Beatles' companies are meeting with video-game outfits to hash out the rights for possible Beatles-themed games. The reps are holding discussions with the makers of Guitar Hero and of Rock Band, the Financial Times reports. Analysts say that a deal might lead to more licensing of Beatles songs in other digital media. More»

'New York Times' critic gushes over 'Shadow Cities'

(NEWSER) - Video game reviews don’t get much more enthusiastic than this. Seth Schiesel of the New York Times is over the moon about Shadow Cities, a new iPhone game that lets you battle for control of your real-life physical location. “Shadow Cities isn’t just the future of mobile gaming,” he gushes. “It may actually be the most interesting, innovative, provocative, and far-reaching video game in the world right now, on any system.” More»

Levi's, Pepsi, Harley, and Facebook make the list

(NEWSER) - The 77 million people born between 1946 and 1964 helped make and break some of the world's great brands. Judann Pollack of Ad Age picks the top 15:

• Levi's—Today, Levi's jeans sit desk-side on casual Fridays. But in the 1960s they were marketed with music from Jefferson Airplane.
• Pepsi—Boomer big-shots like Madonna, Michael J. Fox, Tina Turner, and Cindy Crawford pitched Pepsi to a new generation of soda sippers.

Fab Four feature in nostalgia campaign, along with Elvis, Gene Kelly

(NEWSER) - The songs you loved when you were 23 may someday be used to sell you retirement care. Researchers have homed in on that age as the likeliest time when music that triggers life-long nostalgia is heard. People who watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show at 23 are now turning 70, and Florida care home Lakeside Village is using images of the one-time youth sensation as part of a nostalgia-based ad campaign. More»