Opinion: Should Chris Brown’s music be removed from video games, too?
Written by stalkingsilence 
What could Sony do to avoid a PR crisis?
“You got Chris Brown in my SingStar!” “You got my SingStar in Chris Brown!” No matter how you look at it, controversial pop star Chris Brown will have at least two songs in the upcoming SingStar Pop Edition (PS3) – his solo hit “Without You” and his duet with Jordin Sparks “No Air” are on the game’s tracklist and will be included on the disc. The game, sometimes referred to as SingStar Vol. 4 since it will be the fourth PS3 SingStar disc to come out in the UK, also includes the much-anticipated wireless microphones (wireless but still has a USB dongle for PS2-compatibility) and enhanced functionality to allow voice-controlled song selection.
SingStar Pop Vol. 2 (PS2)
The truth is, both Chris Brown (and Rihanna for that matter) have been featured in previous installments of the franchise. Rihanna’s hit single “S.O.S.” was a favorite on SingStar Pop (PS2), released worldwide. And we saw even more Rihanna in SingStar Pop Vol. 2 (PS2) with the song “Umbrella” - which has a great music video. What about Chris Brown? It was SingStar R&B (PS2) released in the UK that included Chris Brown’s “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and separately featured Rihanna’s “We Ride.” How many of Chris Brown’s songs are in the SingStore for PS3? To my knowledge, there are no songs from either artist available as DLC on the SingStore (for any region).
So what’s the problem? While the tracklist for the latest SingStar installment on PS3 is finalized for the SCEE region and the game is on schedule to launch in April 2009, I can’t help but think something should be done. With many radio stations worldwide still refraining from playing Chris Brown’s songs, the ”Got Milk” campaign and Wrigley’s dropping sponsorship, and other musicians backing out of planned duets – I’m not sure if many of us will want to sing alongside him in the game either. The royalties for the game and how much money the artist sees per song download are unknown, but what is clear is that the SingStore is a viable source of income. The Edge recently reported on Sony’s social success, with SingStar highlighted as the most successful franchise. In fact, the article states that “the SingStore sells one track every 10 seconds” which equates to over 60,000 songs per week. That’s a lotta guacamole.
My suggestion to Sony:
No need to put out a launch day patch or delay the game (a la LittleBigPlanet). I would just ask that you don’t offer Chris Brown’s tracks as DLC on the SingStore for the foreseeable future. And hey, while you’re at it, maybe throw a few Rihanna songs up there for those interested that haven’t picked up the legacy PS2 SingStar games. Let’s close this issue out before the mainstream media has to ask the “Chris Brown in video games” question so that you can free up time to answer our other pressing SingStar questions. Like, when can we expect trophies to be added?
PlayStation LifeStyle readers – what action, if any, do you think Sony should take on this issue?
Update: Microsoft’s Lips, their direct competitor to Sony’s SingStar, currently offers Chris Brown’s music. Should Sony take a stance and be proactive, leaving Microsoft in the open on this one?
21 Responses to “Opinion: Should Chris Brown’s music be removed from video games, too?”
Last I heard, trophies should be coming in March to SingStar.
Also, when researching for this article, I noticed that Microsoft’s Lips features Chris Brown. Maybe Sony could be proactive and take the lead – or at least leave MS in the bad light if mainstream media decides to jump on this.
i think Chris brown should be banned from everywhere.. he hit a girl damn it.. no matter what a girl does, a girl never deserves to be hit by a man.. it’s a disgrace for chris.. i donno.. it might have been rihanna’s fault, but even so, hitting girls .. so yeah i think Sony should ban him from Singstar Vol 4 as well as from the singstore.. and about microsoft, they are just being greedy by releasing chris browns tracks.. i think that Sony shouldn’t scoop to MS’s level!
I think what Chris Brown did was absolutely ridiculous. Any man that puts his hands on a woman is a coward, and shouldn’t even be called a man. He should definitely be removed from games, and future games in my opinion.
chris brown is not the first music artist to hit a woman….the only reason people are making a big deal is because it was Rihanna and not just some prostitute
Wow the trexman and tracker make great points.
Hey, dont flame me cause i sorta skimmed over the article but what did Chris Brown do? I dont watch the news too often so what did he do? Please just tell me nicely if it is in the article.
rihanna prolly provoked him. and if shes so amazing why didnt she protect herself duhhh
I just saw Chris Brown pimpin Doublement Gum … he really should loose his advertisement deals.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less if his music is in the game or not.
@GetBackInTheKitchen
ROTFL!
Post updated (if anyone cares) to reflect this information.
Did you see the photo on TMZ? It’s like I told others “Wow – i thought it was being overblown til i saw it.”
having seen the pics, saying that he “hit” her is an understatement.
I agree with Trexman, not just because his tag sounds like mine but because he’s right. Chris Brown is definitely not the first artist to hit a women. Michael Jackson abused children and I hear nobody asking for his music to be removed.
Michael Jackson made thriller and beat it, so I gave him a free pass.
wow you both make really good points – but I think it’s one of those where you have to make reasonable repercussions. don’t you feel michael jackson’s life has been ruined enough? chris brown is in the spotlight and it’s a little early to give him any kind of pass. i just think it’s crazy to open up the door to give him more money. i guess, put the purchasing power in the hands of the people and if they don’t want to support him and his music – they won’t buy it.
but i just have seen so many other companies take steps. it’s not like Chris Brown is on a Sony music label. err, he isn’t – is he?
yea good point.
but chris brown does have a lot of talent, and i’d hate to see his career end over this….
…but then agian i hate Rihanna so maybe im biased
there’s a difference between “Rihanna’s hot – i wanna hit that” and “hitting their face like it was a speed bag”.
and i’m sorry, but someone’s health and safety are more important than any entertainer’s career. your “she probably deserved it cuz i don’t like her” comment, whether or not you were trying to be funny or not, FAILS on so many levels.
The problem is that people want to end his career to punish him. With his career gone we’ll lose good music that a lot of people enjoy so it’s really a double-edged sword that we’re dealing with here.
I don’t blame him for what he did. Maybe Rihanna will learn to do the dishes now?