Newsbriefs: Konami Music, THQ At Wedbush, Nintendo Directors

Author: by Staff

[UPDATED: 2:00pm PST] Today's regularly updated newsbriefs include news of an agreement between Konami and Sony BMG to release Konami game music for download through iTunes and mobile phones, THQ president and CEO Brian Farrel to present at a Wedbush investor conference, and Nintendo holding a filmmaker competition. - Konami has announced a new agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment to make available original music tracks from Konami's considerable catalog of titles for download from major online retailers such as iTunes and Rhapsody as well as a number of mobile service providers. Featured music selections will be pulled from a variety of franchises such as Castlevania, Contra, Silent Hill, Dance Dance Revolution, Gradius (pictured), and Elebits. The collection of songs covers more than 25 years of video game music. The agreement somewhat mirrors Electronic Arts' recent partnership with record label Nettwerk One Music to create a new “full service” music company called Artwerk, which will offer a selection of music from EA titles old and new. - THQ has announced company president and CEO Brian Farrell will make a presentation to investors during the upcoming Wedbush Morgan 5th Annual Institutional Investor Conference. The presentation, scheduled for this Thursday, May 17, will begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT, and will be open to the public via a live webcast linked from THQ's homepage. An archived replay will also be available on the website approximately 24 hours following the live broadcast. No further details on the subject of the presentation have yet been announced. - Officials from Nintendo have announced a new contest that invites filmmakers to submit Nintendo-themed short movies that “demonstrate their passion and skills.” The top three submissions will be selected by a panel of judges that includes a Tribeca senior programmer, an entertainment industry reporter and a Nintendo executive. The final films will premiere as a part of the inaugural short film showcase at the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center during Rock Center’s annual summer film showcase, June 19-22. The overall winner of the contest will also receive a $10,000 cash prize along with a lunch meeting with the co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, Craig Hatkoff, and a trip to New York to see the winning entry shown at the Rock Center’s annual summer film showcase. In addition, the top three winners will all receive Nintendo hardware and games. For an official entry form, a list of approved film formats and a list of the contest rules and regulations, visit the official website. It is not entirely clear how deliberately timed the contest is to recent news that ten-year Nintendo advertising creator Leo Burnett has resigned its account. - Nintendo has released three “new” games for download over the Wii's Virtual Console. Purchasable from the Wii's online Wii Shop Channel, the newly released titles include the NES post or arcade mainstay Pac-Man for 500 Wii Points ($5), as well as a pair of ninja-themed titles, Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden for the NES for 500 Wii Points ($5), and Irem's Turbografx-16 sidescroller Ninja Spirit for 600 Wii Points ($6).