The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band franchise. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

The Beatles: Rock Band downloadable content will be available for purchase on the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network and via the in-game The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store for Wii using Wii points purchased through the Wii Shop Channel.

On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Best Buy will celebrate the launch by giving away all-expense paid trips to London to tour The Beatles’ famous stomping grounds, including an exclusive tour of Abbey Road Studios plus all access membership to its Reward Zone Premier Silver program. Fans can enter to win the trips throughout the day with a variety of other Beatles memorabilia and giveaways occurring during live broadcasts with top morning show DJs in 10 cities across the country– Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.  Customers will also have the opportunity to experience the unique entertainment access benefits Best Buy provides its best customers with complimentary Reward Zone Premier Silver memberships being given away throughout the event.

“With their timeless music, The Beatles have long been a favorite of Best Buy customers,” said Gary Arnold, senior entertainment officer for Best Buy. “The Beatles: Rock Band and The Beatles’ remastered studio albums are two of the most highly anticipated entertainment releases of the year, and we’re thrilled to celebrate with the fans and provide our customers a unique experience they can’t get anywhere else.”

Added Barbara Olson, vice president for Reward Zone, “We’re complementing the in-store experience with a first for Best Buy by giving away 50 Reward Zone Premier Silver memberships.  Now every customer can experience the exclusive entertainment benefits of Reward Zone Premier Silver status along with the program’s additional perks.”

Best Buy brings The Beatles phenomenon back to life with a series of in-store festivities:

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  • Be the first to play the new The Beatles: Rock Band.   A playable version of the new game is currently available at more than 800 Best Buy stores.  For a complete store list, go to Best Buy. 
  • On 9/9/09, the festivities kick off at 8 a.m. Prizes and memorabilia giveaways, including gadgets, exclusive Beatles’ t-shirts, The Beatles: Rock Band game will occur throughout the day. In addition, customers are eligible to win a one-year Reward Zone Premier Silver membership with benefits including special access to sought after entertainment events.
  • Live radio broadcasts from top morning show DJs.
    

Fans attending the in-store events can enter to win Reward Zone Premier Silver Status and the trip of a lifetime with one winner selected from each of the store locations. The winner, along with his/her guest, will be whisked away to London, England for an all-expense-paid trip, where they will tour EMI’s famed Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded their albums. In addition, winners will be taken on a walking Magical Mystery Tour including:

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    • The Beatles ‘rooftop session’ location
    • Paul McCartney’s offices
    • The ‘birthplace’ of Beatlemania
    • The Beatles coffee shop
    • A Hard Day’s Night and Help! Film locations
    • Registry office where Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both were married
    • The Beatles Apple shop
      

Entries will be accepted on the day of the event through in-store kiosks in the 10 event locations with the DJs announcing the winners on air the following morning, Sept. 10, 2009. Visit Best Buy for a list of event locations.

Key Features:

• The Music That Rocked The World – For the first time ever, play along with 45 legendary Beatles songs on the game-disc including: "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Taxman," "Day Tripper," Back In The USSR," "I Am The Walrus," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes The Sun," and "Get Back."
• Experiential Journey – Take an interactive journey through the legacy and evolution of The Beatles' legendary career from the renowned venues to the clothing and instruments made famous by The Fab Four.
• Downloadable Songs and Albums - "All You Need Is Love" will be released exclusively as a downloadable song for The Beatles: Rock Band through Xbox LIVE on September 9, 2009 with all Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds benefitting Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). In addition, the entire Abbey Road album will be the first album made available for download purchase.
• Venues – Progress through five seminal venues in which The Beatles performed during their careers including: The Cavern Club, the set of the Ed Sullivan Show, Budokan, Shea Stadium and the rooftop of Apple Records.
• Dreamscapes and Abbey Road – Highlighting the years in Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles revolutionized modern recording and created amazing masterpieces are inspired artistic visual expressions known as Dreamscapes. These imaginative environments capture the essence of The Beatles' genre-busting musical and fashion transformations during their later years.
• Never Before Released In-Studio Audio Chatter – Audio clips featuring conversation from The Beatles' recording sessions, some of which have never before been heard, bookend the game play experience.
• Cut Scenes – Get whisked away through history as a montage of photos, audio and iconic Beatles moments transport you from historical venue to historical venue though the rapidly evolving look and sound of The Fab Four.
• Three-Part Harmony – For the first time ever, master the amazing three-part vocal harmonies perfected by The Beatles.
• Imagine All The People – Play with up to six bandmates… three mics for vocal harmonies, guitar, bass and drums!

Game Modes:

• Quickplay – Jump right into the game and experience the fabulous music of The Beatles as all songs will be unlocked in this easy to access mode. Quickplay also features familiar competitive Rock Band modes Tug of War and Score Duel!
• Story Mode – Set out on an experiential progression through The Beatles' legendary career from The Cavern Club to Abbey Road Studios!
• Chapter Challenges – Master all of the songs from a single Chapter in the career of The Beatles with special challenges!
• Training Modes – Go beyond the basics and perfect your sound with training modes that includes Beatle Beats, Vocal Practice mode and more!
  • Beatle Beats – Take on the stylings of Ringo Starr with this training mode that lets you practice actual drum beats from a selection of The Beatles catalogue
  • Vocal Practice Mode – Train your ear and voice to master three part harmony! Use the guide pitch to help you sing hard to decipher parts perfectly in-tune!

Pricing:

• Special Value Edition for Xbox 360/PS3/Wii ($159/$149)
  • includes a Rock Band Guitar, Rock Band Drum Kit, Microphone, USB Hub, Guitar Strap and The Beatles: Rock Band software.
• Limited Edition Premium Bundle for Xbox 360/PS3/Wii: US MSRP $249.99, continental Europe MSRP €199.00, UK MSRP £179.00
  • Includes: The Beatles: Rock Band software, Höfner Bass controller: Large scale replica of the Bass famously used by Sir Paul McCartney, Beatles-inspired and Ludwig-branded Rock Band 2 drums with classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head, Microphone, Microphone Stand, Additional special content
• Rickenbacker 325 Standalone Guitar for Xbox 360/PS3/Wii: US MSRP $99.99, continental Europe MSRP €99.99, UK MSRP £89.99
• Gretsch Duo Jet Standalone Guitar for Xbox 360/PS3/Wii: US MSRP $99.99, continental Europe MSRP €99.99, UK MSRP £89.99
• The Beatles: Rock Band Software for Xbox 360, PS3: US MSRP $59.99, continental Europe MSRP €69.99, UK MSRP £49.99
• The Beatles: Rock Band Software for Wii: US MSRP $59.99, continental Europe MSRP €49.99, UK MSRP £39.99