With CD sales in the cellar, the music industry may want to tour a hotter property in pop culture: video games. Today on Soundcheck, we find out why games like the new 'Halo 3' are raking in money and fans. Plus: the Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman plays live in our studio.
The new Xbox 360 video game 'Halo 3' tallied $300 million in sales during its first week in stores. At a time when musicians are lucky to move a million albums (at $20 apiece) in their first week of release, Pitchfork columnist Chris Dahlen explains how the music industry could reclaim the prestige and market share it ceded to video games.
Tell us what you think: What can the music industry learn from video games? Leave a comment here.
Chris Dahlen's 'Halo 3' column on Pitchfork
Sweden's Jens Lekman has built a cult following of fans who love witty storytelling from their songwriters. ("She said that we were just make believe/but I thought she said maple leaves.") Lekman talks about combining funny stories with orchestral disco on his second CD, "Night Falls Over Kortedala."
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