EA are to invest in the Music industry.

As if mediocre but pretty sequels weren't bad enough, identikit but attractive bands may soon be sweeping the globe under the EA banner. Weren't we warned about this sort of thing in Akira?

UK trade publication MCV has learned that EA are entering the closing stages of a deal that will see them taking over Cherry Lane -home of, amongst others, the Black Eyed Peas -who lent both their likenesses and a number of exclusive tracks to "The Urbz" published by EA and released on Friday the 12th of November.

Could this be the start of a beautiful relationship? Could this be the beginning of the end? Considering the current state of the UK music industry at least, things probably couldn't get much worse than they already are.

Perhaps this will herald the beginning of a new digital music era? With the popularity of iTunes and the newly-licensed Napster digital download sites, EA could easily branch out into a new wave of internet downloading. Or maybe next years' iteration of FIFA will have more licensed soundtracks to go alongside the updated player rosters? Who can say for certain? No one, that's who.