Shame on Activision for poaching Guns N’ Roses songs in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. That’s band frontman Axl Rose’s testy take in a sprawling missive delivered at band fan site Mygnr.com. According to Rose, Activision used GnR songs inappropriately and without proper authorization. While he’s doesn’t lay out any legal particulars, his “it’ll take some sorting” comment has bloggers in a tizzy.
In the post, Rose explains that former GnR guitarist Slash‘s appearance in Activision’s Guitar Hero series doesn’t bother him
…unless it’s being done at my expense…or to keep him associated [with GnR] as in Guitar Hero. Him being Guitar Hero’s fine but not when Activis[i]on i[s] using Jungle , having Yahoo use Sweet Child unauthorized, claims no involvement with Slash, his or anyone’s image or VR or anyone or anyone’s music in either camp in promotion or commercials etc. I wasn’t broadsided. I read about it as it moved along but Activision continually denied it right up to the release. That’s some low life chicanery on all their parts.
Yes Slash was in Guns and on Jungle (and the whole I came to him for his riff is as much crap as him saying he brought Locomotive and Coma in as complete songs) and he has rights to perform it but not to be represented in this context in association with Guns. And since they weren’t granted the license it’ll take some sorting.
Universal has Guns under contract but I own the name.
Rose and Slash don’t get along. Haven’t for years. Rose wants Slash to keep his mitts off GnR’s namesake, and Activision to get its song-usage certification papers sorted, apparently.
As if that wasn’t enough, Rose no longer wants to be a Pepper too. The singer and his band are hacked off over a botched deal with Dr. Pepper, wherein the soft drink manufacturer was to offer a free soda to every American if Chinese Democracy, the band’s new album, were released in 2008. The album made it out the door on November 23, but Dr. Pepper’s website reportedly malfunctioned during the 24 hour giveaway period.