I got the chance to speak with Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs at Activision, at a recent event forGuitar Hero 5. We talked about the challenges that go along with working with rock stars, why people should still care aboutGuitar Hero, what it's like to listen to master tracks, and even Tim's thoughts onBeatles: Rock Band.
Bitmob: What is your involvement with the Guitar Hero series?
Tim Riley:I run the music department at Activision. I work with nine other people on anything music related at Activision, but 90 percent of my job is Guitar Hero. I work with the developers to select the music and negotiate the deals. I also do all of the character deals, get the artists' skins, and get them in the game. I even book bands to play events.
Bitmob: Musicians have the reputation of being difficult to work with. What are some of the most bizarre hurdles you've had to overcome to get an artist or band into the game?
TR:Trust me, there have been many, and it's hard to pick just one. There have been bad ones, but I'll share a good experience with you. I tried to put a Sex Pistols song inGuitar Hero 3so I reached out to the band's management and record label. The band was interested, but at this time not everyone knew that we needed the actual studio recordings to put a song in the game. The story, or legend, with the Sex Pistols is that they've lost their studio recordings.Never Mind the Bollocks-- the whole record is missing...