Free iPhone musical game explodes in popularity, inspires bands to want in

By: -- New York Times | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: December 25, 2008

A startup company called Tapulous has turned a simple game for the iPhone into an Internet-age mobile stage for musicians.

Tap Tap Revenge, a free game that challenges players to keep up with catchy tunes by tapping in the right spots on the phone's screen, was available in Apple's iPhone application store when it opened in July.

It quickly climbed the store's charts, and more than 3 million downloads later, Apple declared it the most popular free iPhone game of the year.

"We went to No. 1 in three days," said Bart Decrem, a co-founder and the chief executive of Tapulous. "Within a week, artists reached out to have their music featured in the game."

Many software companies have jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, seeing promise in the popularity of the phone and the demand for programs for sale or free download through the App Store. They include Smule, a startup that created a program that turns iPhones into flutes; and giant game publishers such as Electronic Arts, which recently released a version of its classic SimCity game for the iPhone.

To keep its game fresh, the company created Tap Tap Thursdays, when it releases new music. Decrem said those songs regularly inspire a million game plays -- and occasionally a lot of music sales, because players can click to buy the song through Apple.

The popularity of the game led Tapulous to begin introducing paid versions for $4.99 each, aimed at fans of specific artists or genres of music. In late October it released a Nine Inch Nails edition, followed by a holiday version called Christmas With Weezer, for which that band recorded some carols.

Tap Tap Revenge is patterned after games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, which test players' abilities to keep rhythm with popular songs. Those games have been hits on consoles like the Xbox 360, and strong sales of music through the games have given some hope to a beleaguered music industry. Harmonix, the creator of Rock Band, said last week that the game's players had bought 30 million songs.

"The gravy train of the old days of having CD sales buffer you as an artist are gone," said James L. McQuivey, a principal analyst specializing in media technology at Forrester Research. "Artists recognize that and are trying to be in more places at once."