Beggars Group launches free iPhone game

Indie label group Beggars Group has released its first iPhone game. It's called Loadin', and has just gone live in the App Store.

Why? It's a free title promoting the new album by New Jersey band Titus Andronicus. The game itself is a Tetris clone, except with a 'loading up the van' theme, so it's instruments dropping down the screen rather than blocks.

The game features two tracks from the album, and has links for players to click through to buy it from Apple's iTunes Store, or visit the band's website.

It's not the first time a record label has used the App Store to promote a band - Polydor and Sony BMG did it for Snow Patrol and Pink respectively last year. But those were apps, rather than games.

We're likely to see more of this sort of thing though. Tapulous, the developer of Tap Tap Revenge, has been working with artists and labels to put their tracks in that game, and has launched premium spin-off games for Weezer and Nine Inch Nails.