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EA Trax 2004 Music Lineup

by Steven Rodriguez - July 10, 2003, 11:10 am EDT
Total comments: 1 Source: Electronic Arts

Sure, you can play football with boring crowd noise and sound effects, but wouldn't hearing Blink 182 in the background be better?

EA™ TRAX

Coming off its successful inaugural year, EA™ TRAX is a series of promotional partnerships between EA and major music labels that represents a breakthrough for people who love games and music. Launched in August 2002 with Madden NFL™ 2003, EA TRAX allows gamers to hear songs from new and established artists specifically picked for each game. Labels will also use the games to launch hot new acts and develop audiences for emerging artists. Thus far, EA TRAX can claim the first-ever RIAA certified platinum videogame soundtrack and the most successful videogame soundtrack of all time soundtrack for NBA LIVE 2003, that featured songs by Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous and Just Blaze to name a few, among its early successes.

Record labels partner with EA because they understand videogames are a powerful channel for exposing new music to a large core of young opinion leaders. Record companies also realize the valuable demographics of gaming; its “cool” factor; the buzz and the size of the interactive entertainment industry have put videogames at the center of mainstream entertainment. Hence, they allow EA to have early access to cutting edge music for their games, thus giving artists a new interactive platform for debuting new music. Some of the artists EA TRAX helped break are Good Charlotte, Queens of the Stone Age, Fabolous and Nappy Roots, to name a few.

Artists are definitely feeling the impact of having their songs be part of EA TRAX. Good Charlotte’s Kevin Mitchell recalls comments he got last fall when Madden NFL 2003 was first launched, “At first, when people asked me what band I was in, I’d say ‘Good Charlotte’, and they'd say, ‘Oh, from Madden.’"

EA will also work with the record labels when a game is launched to build powerful cross over promotions that support both the game and the artists. Some examples of the opportunities that will be pursued with EA TRAX include:

  • Debut new artists.

  • Offer exclusive launch for new music from an established group or artist.

  • Present original songs or original remixes of songs tailored exclusively for specific games.

  • Create new ways for consumers to purchase and get information about the artists, music and games.

Some of the EA SPORTS™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and EA GAMES™ titles that will feature music from this initiative this year include:

  • Madden NFL™ 2004 – Featuring 20 new songs including blink-182’s “Action”, to be heard first on Madden, an original remix of “Rock You” by the Roots specifically for the game, a debut single by Nappy Roots, “Country World”, also to be heard first on Madden. Other bands with songs debuting on Madden will be Adema, Alien Ant Farm, Jet, Outkast, Soil and Yellowcard.

  • FIFA Soccer 2004– Featuring localized soundtracks for Spain, Germany, U.K., Japan, Brazil, North America, among others; bands include Radiohead, Fat Boy Slim, Tacuba and Underworld.

  • SSX 3 – Featuring a partnership between EA and Astralwerks to provide original tracks and customized remixes for SSX and a stand-alone soundtrack to be sold at retail stores.. Artists include Chemical Brothers, Queens of the Stone Age, U.N.K.L.E., Royksopp, Xecutioners and more.

  • NBA LIVE 2004 -- Once again featuring the most significant hip hop soundtrack in video games. Artists include Jermaine Dupris, Twista, Outkast and Clipse.

  • James Bond 007™: Everything or Nothing™ -- Score composed by Sean Callery, who scored the soundtrack for the hit TV series 24.

  • NHL 2004 – Featuring Ataris, Vendetta Red, Less Than Jake, Avenged 7fold.

Talkback

thejipsJuly 10, 2003

I never expected Radiohead out of all bands to end up in a FIFA game, but what the hey. Wonder which song they'll put in.

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