Rockstar Switches from Amazon to iTunes for GTA IV Music
By Morelli
Grand Theft Auto IV developer Rockstar Games has changed from Amazon’s mp3 store to Apple’s iTunes for their ZiT service, a feature that allows players to purchase songs from the game’s seventeen in-game radio stations.
iTunes will be implemented with “The Lost and the Damned,” an upcoming downloadable content (DLC) package for GTA IV, which will update five of the game’s virtual radio stations with new tracks from artists including Busta Rhymes and Funkmaster Flex.
Though Rockstar gives no official reason for the switch, Apple’s superior market share might play a role in the decision, or the fact that iTunes songs will no longer contain digital rights management software (DRM).
As video games become the new way for artists and labels to sell music, services like Amazon and iTunes must jockey for partnerships with game developers and publishers. Losing this partnership might be insignificant for Amazon at the moment, but losing ground to Apple in the emerging market could be damaging in the future.
Do you think Amazon is hurt by the decision? How important are video games for the music industry?
Photo via o.aolcdn.com
Source: Wired
