TECHNOLOGY has often been accused of killing the music industry, which has been battered by rampant downloading and plunging album sales. But it has also given the ailing industry an unexpected boost.

The video game industry, projected to be worth US$68 billion (S$99 billion) by 2012, has given rise to a new demographic of music fans - gamers who dig the tunes coming out of their favourite video games.

Music-based games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, which let gamers play along to new and classic songs by established acts such as Aerosmith, Metallica and soon, The Beatles, are also helping to boost the artists' popularity and, ultimately, sales.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.