RedOctane Adds GHIII Backing To Music-Making Campaign

NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, has announced it has partnered with Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane for a public awareness campaign. The "Wanna Play?" campaign "encourages people of all ages to experience the joys of making music," and NAMM says it marks the first time it has partnered with a video game company. NAMM says it aims to use game guitar playing to strengthen awareness of real-world musical instruments. The goals of the campaign are to encourage instrument play and to educate people about its benefits. Through the partnership, NAMM's wannaplaymusic.com site will exchange links with RedOctane.com and GuitarHero.com, and NAMM Member retailers nationwide will feature in-store Guitar Hero III kiosks and sponsor local contests with instruments and lessons as the prizes. Said NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond, "This initiative is a natural way to share the power and energy of recreational music making with an audience that is showing a desire to play a musical instrument. A recent NAMM Gallup poll showed that 82 percent of Americans who don't play a musical instrument wish that they did. Our partnership with Guitar Hero will demonstrate a fun progression from playing an interactive game with roots in music to learning how to play an instrument for real."