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Strum along with hard rockers

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By RYAN NAKASHIMA

The Associated Press

Published: November 2, 2009

LOS ANGELES - Headbangers have a reason to steady their gaze a bit now that Metallica has made its way onto iPhones with a finger-tapping music app called "Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica."

In the game, players tap areas on the screen in time with the music, much like players strum or drum plastic instruments in video games such as "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," except on a smaller scale.

The iconic rockers could probably make more money performing one or two shows live. The 10 songs on the game, including "Enter Sandman," sell for $4.99 each.

But the band took part to stay relevant with younger fans, said drummer Lars Ulrich, 45, the father of 11- and 8-year-old boys.

Last year, Metallica released its new album "Death Magnetic" through the "Guitar Hero: Metallica" video game as well as traditional outlets.

Metallica's recording company, Warner Bros. Records, expects the game to make it into the top 10 paid music apps on Apple Inc.'s iTunes store.

"We're not expecting this to be some sort of golden miraculous thing that changes the economics of record labels," said Jack Isquith, senior vice president of digital music for the unit of Warner Music Group Corp. "The main driver was to have it stand up to scrutiny from hard-core Metallica fans now. We think it's a cool game."

"Tap Tap Revenge 3," by Palo Alto, Calif.-based developer Tapulous Inc., is already the top paid app on the store. Most versions of the game have been free, but Tapulous also sells premium versions, featuring bands such as Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails.

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