Why I'm buyin' the new Grand Thef Auto.

The People's DJ · Post by **The People's DJ** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:41 pm

In a partnership bound to shake, rattle and roll both the music biz and interactive entertainment, Rockstar Games and Amazon have teamed up to create an ambitious new model for digital music distribution. Built exclusively for the upcoming video game blockbuster Grand Theft Auto IV, it allows players to buy real-world MP3s of tracks heard over the game's numerous radio stations in a very seamless manner. (Initially, this service will only be available in the U.S.)

Advertised throughout Liberty City, the cheekily-named "ZiT" technology is built into the game's mobile phone interface system. As players cruise around the world listening to the in-game radio, they can at any point 'mark' a song by opening their phone and dialing the number ZIT-555-0100. Gamers will then receive a text message with the song and artist names, and if they're registered at the forthcoming Rockstar Games Social Club community site, they'll find an e-mail waiting in their inbox with a direct link to a custom playlist on Amazon.com. All songs tagged "ZiT" will be stored here, available for preview and purchase at Amazon's going rate of $.89-$.99 per track. Best of all, those MP3s are free of the Digital Rights Management (DRM) limitations imposed on files downloaded through Apple's iTunes store and thus can be imported into any computer or digital device with no constraints.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/gran ... el/1199430

Lester · Post by **Lester** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:46 pm

They're going to make a FORTUNE off the record industry. That's got to be the second most innovative product placement EVER.

(The first is: The Price Is Right.)

fearpeddler · Post by **fearpeddler** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:17 am

If you have a next gen console and a computer sharing the internet connection you've had the ability to replace in-game music with your own mp3's without even having to download them into your console like the "zit" technology will do....

Ace Purple · Post by **Ace Purple** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:57 am

Brilliant move by Rockstar to set up in-game music purchase options. It's a real win-win situation for the artists and the gameplayers.

The People's DJ · Post by **The People's DJ** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:18 am

fearpeddler wrote:If you have a next gen console and a computer sharing the internet connection you've had the ability to replace in-game music with your own mp3's without even having to download them into your console like the "zit" technology will do....

Thats if you have a Xbox 360 and the game allows it. The PS3 as far as I know doesn't.

fearpeddler · Post by **fearpeddler** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:20 am

if you take the time to go through the ps3's endless media server settings i believe its possible..