Do Robbie fans really love racing games?

Digital music is clearly the way forward, but I still have a massive collection of CDs that I can’t quite bear to part with. I love the album art and like to flip through my collection and reorganise it on lazy Sundays.

The convenience of digital music is undeniable, but the album artwork thumbnail is not enough for me. I need more detail; lyrics and a list of the musicians who played on each track. Even the list of thank you notes to mums, best friends and other inspirations gives a clearer insight into the world of a particular musician.

There is, however, a growing trend that might satisfy my need to know more about the music I’m listening to. Alice in Chains, Snow Patrol and Lady Ga Ga have all released apps for the iPhone to accompany their albums.

In 2008 Snow Patrol were among the first to release an app that served as a “digital booklet”, with content such as artwork, behind-the-scenes images and lyrics. Lady GaGa sponsored a karaoke app in November of this year just before her album, Frame Monster became available to buy. As well as allowing fans access to more information on their favourite artists, the trend for paid apps to accompany digital music downloads provides additional revenue streams for record labels, so it’s something that they’re only happy to adopt.

Robbie Williams is the latest to announce that he’ll be appearing in Apple’s app store. While the Robster is not my musical cup of tea, he does seem to be offering his fans a little extra. As well as photos and behind-the-scenes videos, he’s teamed up with Artificial Life and ie:music Ltd. to release a 3D racing game that goes hand in hand with his new album, “Reality Killed the Video Star”.

The new game features a 3D racing environment through the Mojave Desert, matching the setting from Robbie’s recently released Bodies video in which he appears riding happily through the desert on a classic motorcycle. The aptly titled, “Robbie Williams Racing” also contains the option to compete in buggy race with a course modeled after Robbie’s own private track. As players speed through the tracks in the game they can listen to the star’s latest songs and hear in game commentary from the star himself.

The game integrates with Facebook so that players can share their love for the popstar online, as well as their high scores.

Tim Clark, MD of ie:music Ltd., is seems positive that this type of optional bonus content will be popular with fans of digital music and is keen to explore the area more deeply:

“ie:music is thrilled to be working with Artificial Life on Robbie Williams’ first ever App and look forward to many more ventures and collaborations in this field as we search for interesting ways to connect with existing and new audiences.”

While this is an appealing idea for a music obsessed Geek such as myself, I can’t help but feel that in this case the developers have misjudged Robbie’s fanbase. Do Robbie fans really love racing games? Maybe they should have released a calendar app with pictures of him looking moody while wearing pants instead.

If, you love Robbie and Racing, you can download his App for $2.99 here.