“There are over one million songs out there — probably two million — and Activision is going to turn fewer than a thousand of them into Guitar Hero songs every year.”

“Warner is wrong when it says you buy Guitar Hero for the song,” says Pachter. “You buy Guitar Hero for the game, and the song creates the challenge. It’s quite different from an iTunes download, where the only purpose is to listen to the music.”

The company told Reuters, “The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small.”

And yet, the artists are signing the contracts allowing these songs to be used and are thrilled by the results. Video game publishers and developers are happy, consumers are happy, and the artists are happy. The only one not happy is the major record labels and RIAA. Wow. Shocker.

Included in the song pack is the single “Violet Hill,” from the band’s new album, Viva la Vida, which is set for release on June 17. The pack also features “Yellow,” and “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” from the album A Rush of Blood to the Head.

“We believe that a successful mobile game doesn’t originate from only gameplay, brand, or PR and marketing, but also from a long-term, community oriented, interactive experience, giving people as much as they can on their device,” said David McCaman, director of marketing for Hands-On.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t even play Guitar Hero very often,” said Ryan. “I just have a great memory for pattern recognition. It’s genetic.” “I don’t want to seem unexciting but I plan to put the money toward my college tuition.”

The complete list of finalists and prizes is:

Tournament Champion: $10,000 — Ryan Gebhardt: Waltham, Minn.
Tournament Runner Up: $3,000 — Joseph Viseth: Elk River, Minn.
Third Place: $1,500 — Daniel Lew: Minneapolis, Minn.
Fourth Place: $1,500 — Chris Bock: Lakeville, Minn.
Fifth Place: $750 — Mike Clawson: Litchfield, Minn.
Sixth Place: $750 — Matt Levahn: Maple Grove, Minn.
Seventh Place: $750 — Dan Read: Carver, Minn.
Eighth Place: $750 — Yifu Chen: Shanghai,China

Check out the video below. 

The oldest member of the trio, 20-year-old Kevin, said, “I totally understand John Mayer’s perspective but for me I think it’s a great way to introduce the idea of an instrument to a generation of a young age.

“Maybe you would go on from there and transition into actually learning how to play and things like that.”

“And having done both, there’s nothing like really playing guitar. I mean, what would you rather drive, a Ferrari or one of those amusement-park cars on a track?”

Additional information and rules can be found here.

At the launch of the inaugural “Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2008” in March of this year, the 16-year old from Minnesota walked away with a new Guinness World Record for the “Highest Score for a Single Song on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” – an astounding 840,647 points (a 97% completion on Expert Level) for the song “Through the Fire and Flames” by DragonForce. Since setting that record, Chike has already set a new world record by besting that score with a new Guinness World Record with 880,920 points, 97% accuracy and a 1,107 note streak on the same song.

“As a competitor, it’s important to me to have the best possible guitar to compete with, so I am psyched to work with TAC on creating custom guitars that serious players can rock with,” said Chris Chike.

Through the partnership, Chike will promote TAC’s upcoming lineup of products hitting retail this spring and summer. Chike plans to work with TAC to design its next guitar controller, designed to cater to hardcore and advanced players. The new guitar controller will be inspired by Chike and his winning abilities with the design geared towards maximizing points during game play.

“Chris has accomplished an amazing feat scoring close to one million points on the hardest song in Guitar Hero III,” said Raymond Yow, Director of Marketing at TAC. “Being a record-setting champion of Guitar Hero, he demands the highest quality peripherals so his performance is at its very best. He is the perfect spokesperson for TAC.”

TAC’s new lineup includes its V shaped Double Range Guitar and the Widow Maker Wireless Bass Guitar. Both products offer 4-in-1 compatibility, meaning they are 100% compatible with all Guitar Hero and Rock Band games for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.