Activision, publisher of the enormously popular computer game Guitar Hero, will release a special version of the game built entirely around the music of the band Aerosmith in June. The game will play on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and Playstation 2.

The band, formed nearly 40 years ago in Boston, has often been touted as “America’s greatest rock and roll band.” According to Activision, the group has sold 150 million albums, has been inducted into Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has won four Grammy awards. The release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith coincides with the group’s work on a new studio album.

“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us,” guitarist Joe Perry said. “We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s

From Saturday through Monday, owners of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock can download one of Aerosmith’s most popular songs, Dream On, for use on either the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3.

Boosting the Music Industry?

Some 20 years ago, Aerosmith’s music video for its smash hit Walk that Way received saturation-level duration on the recently founded MTV cable channel. Music companies and groups were initially skeptical that MTV would amount to much, but quickly found a strong correlation amidst video broadcasts and album sales. Now it looks like music video games like Guitar Hero are having a similar effect.

“It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to invent sense of how things are changing,” Perry said. “Fans want to get and experience music in new formats — and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, next…

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