Video-Game Company Attempts To Woo Music Fans More Into The Sims Than The Shins

Brian Raftery | March 1, 2007 9:30 am
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Electronic Arts–the video-game giant behind such hits as Medal Of Honor, Madden NFL 07, and Def Jam: Rappers Be Fighting–is getting into the music-download business. The company has just launched EA Trax, an online store for people who have always yearned to hear multiple remixes of the Sims theme on their cell phone. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Gamers will be able to buy this open-source collection (the rights to which are owned by EA) and listen to the music on their PCs, MP3 players or cell phones. The list of music will continue to expand, both with backward catalog content and as new games are released.

Also through the Web site, EA also is offering a large playlist of exclusive mixes, nonalbum cuts and previously unavailable international tracks for sale on iTunes.com.

Here, gamers will be able to purchase such songs as Snoop Dogg’s remix of the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” from “Need for Speed Underground 2”; Lily Allen’s song “Smile” in Simlish from “The Sims 2: Seasons”; Paul Oakenfold’s exclusive song “Beautiful Goal” from “FIFA 07”; Spider Loc’s exclusive remix of “When I Get Angry” from “Madden NFL 06”; Chamillionare’s exclusive remix of “Grind Time” from “NBA Live 06”; and NFL Films music remixes.

While the EA store is heavy on the iTunes links, any site that offers at least a few DRM-free tracks gets our begrudging respect (even if said tracks are by Paul Oakenfold). But we look forward to the day when video-game manufacturers past and present team up for a all-encompassing retail outlet, one in which “Zelda’s Theme” can be found just as easily as “Pac-Man Fever.”

EA portal has music for sale [The Hollywood Reporter]