March 6

Ever found yourself humming along to a tune while going about every day life wondering where it came from?

Well, chances are you either heard it on the television or the radio. But with the fairly recent take up of quality music on videogames, there's now the very strong possibility that you might have heard it there.

Such is the gaming market nowadays, games publisher Electronic Arts has just announced its intention to release its videogame music on iTunes.



Game players and music lovers worldwide can visit www.ea.com/eatrax/ and jump directly to an iMix of the music from their favorite EA game on iTunes. From Madden NFL to Burnout to Need for Speed, every song that can be heard in the game can now be purchased on iTunes including exclusive mixes, non-album cuts and previously unavailable international tracks.
Now I know game publishers like Rockstar Games has already pumped out countless CDs of tunes from the likes of the Grand Theft Auto titles, but this is the first time I have heard that they have released the tracks onto iTunes.

My my how things have changed since the mind-numbingly annoying multi-pitch tones from the likes of Jet Set Willy.

EA will continue to add songs, scores, themes, beats and ringtones from EA game franchises past and present including NBA LIVE, FIFA Soccer, Command & Conquer, Medal of Honor, NASCAR, SSX, Battlefield and more.

The songs are live in North America today and will soon be available throughout Europe.

"As our culture goes increasingly mobile, music fans have demanded to take our game music with them," said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA.

"They have been looking for a singular destination that houses all of EA's music - and this is it.

"Our game soundtracks have now officially transcended their consoles.

"All songs, all mixes and all exclusives from all nations: if it's in the game, it's now available for fans to own.

"We consider this to be the next major step in evolving the music discovery experience." EA believes that since 2001 it has helped to define the sound of current and upcoming pop culture.

It also believes it has helped break emerging bands on a worldwide level and has brought established superstars to new international audiences.

Its track record speaks for itself. EA games have helped launch the careers of such artists as Good Charlotte, Jet, Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, Arctic Monkeys and Fabolous just to name a few.

Music to your ears if you've ever wondered what a certain track is on an EA game. To see the full song lists and buy the music from the soundtracks, visit www.ea.com/eatrax/.