EA soundtracks on iTunes

Electronics Arts (EA) has signed a deal with iTunes to launch its back catalogue of games soundtracks as downloads. The songs are available in the US from this week and will launch in Europe later this year.

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Electronic Arts (EA) has signed a deal with iTunes to launch its back catalogue of games soundtracks as downloads. The songs are available in the US from this week and will launch in Europe later this year.

The games company will now offer every song that is included in a game as a download and will add songs, scores, themes and ringtones from previous games. It will also include exclusive mixes and previously unavailable tracks. The deal sees the world debut of the Snoop Dogg’s version of The Doors’ Riders on the Storm, remixed exclusively for the game Need for Speed Underground.

Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and marketing at EA, says: "As our culture goes increasingly mobile, music fans have demanded to take our game music with them. They have been looking for a singular destination that houses all of EA’s music – and this is it."

The deal comes days after the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Soundtracks, an initiative that aims to find new artists inspired by gaming to create music.

As part of the deal, Xbox is working with Scissor Sisters to release an exclusive reworking of a version of their track She’s My Man.

The Xbox Soundtracks strategy focuses on creating music inspired by next-generation games on the Xbox 360. Xbox is working with artists across Europe inspired by games to create new music to help discover new talent who have also been moved to create new tracks by games.