Is 'Guitar Hero' saving Rock & Roll?

An Article in CNN December of 2008 suggested that video games like Guitar Hero and RockBand are responsible for reviving the public's interest in rock music.

According to the article, "'Guitar Hero' and 'Rock Band' have prompted kids born in the '90s to discover artists from the '70s and '80s such as Aerosmith, Twisted Sister and Pat Benatar."

It's true that these games are amazingly popular. In 2007, both 'Guitar Hero' and 'Rock Band' netted more than $935 million in revenue, according to the NPD Group market research company

The Fender booth at the NAMM show last week featured the game 'Rock Band' in a live jam area. I asked one of the booth reps (forgot to get a name) why they chose to feature the game and she said that Fender dealers have reported an increased interest in guitars that customers attribute to the games.

Bars holding 'Guitar Hero' nights report a boost in business: Big Wangs sports tavern in Hollywood, California, reports a 25 percent to 35 percent increase in sales.

In such places as Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, where most teens have grown up on a steady diet of hip-hop and R&B, heavy metal has been reported to be blaring from the school's auditorium during a three-day 'Guitar Hero Face-Off.'

Geoff Mayfield, senior analyst and director of charts for Billboard magazine, said he sees a direct cause-and-effect for some of the artists who have licensed their songs to 'Guitar Hero.' According to Mayfield, when the game featuring Aerosmith ['Guitar Hero: Aerosmith'] came out, there was more than a 40 percent increase in their catalog sales.

For Mayfield, the marriage of music and video games makes perfect sense, especially for an ailing record industry that's been having trouble selling CDs. "This is a chance for something that's been a competition to actually be an ally, if you will," he said.

Mayfield has never played "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band," but he said he understands the irresistible appeal of kids and adults indulging in some harmless headbanging -- albeit with toy instruments. "If you've ever played air guitar, more than likely, you weren't doing it to a Michael Jackson song." he said.

This Christmas, I visited my family in Plano, Texas and played 'Guitar Hero' for the first time. From my perspective, playing the actual guitar part to "Baracuda" by Heart is far easier than the playing the game version with the toy guitar controller. I was booed off the stage for the first time in my life.

I was extremely impressed when My brother-in-law Jim asked my nephew Michael who his favorite guitar player is and he blurted out, "Tom Morello." What other five-year-old knows the lead guitar player for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave? Maybe there is something to this game?

What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you think 'Guitar Hero' is saving Rock & Roll?