Microsoft Announces Official Halo 3 Original Soundtrack
Fans can enter contest to have their music featured alongside Bungies famed composer, Marty ODonnell in the upcoming album

Microsoft and Sumthing Else Music Works announced today the upcoming release of the Official Halo 3 Original Soundtrack album. The companies today confirmed the first details of the album, which will be available in stores this Thanksgiving and will be produced and co-produced by two of the music industrys most respected veterans, Nile Rodgers and Michael Ostin, respectively.

The Official Halo 3 Original Soundtrack, created by award-winning composer Marty ODonnell and Michael Salvatori, offers fans the chance to experience the sounds of Halo 3 and relive their battles as Master Chief with rich original orchestrated scores from the game and additional bonus tracks. This soundtrack will consist of a double CD set available exclusively on Nile Rodgers Sumthing Else Music Works label. ODonnells work on the three previous Halo soundtrack albums (also available on Sumthing Else Music Works) has garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards.

To celebrate the release, Microsoft is sponsoring a nationwide contest to identify one lucky artist or band to be included on the Official Halo 3 Original Soundtrack. Submissions are currently being accepted on the Halo 3 MySpace page at myspace.com/halo3 until 12:00 pm PT on October 22, 2007.

Submissions will be reviewed by an esteemed Halo Judging Council, moderated by both Halo 3 album producers Nile Rodgers and Michael Ostin and composer Marty O'Donnell.

Grand prize winners and second and third place finishers will also receive a Halo 3 prize package including a Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition Console, a copy of the Halo 3 game, additional Halo 3 merchandise, an exclusive Halo 3 Ibanez Xiphos electric guitar, and a Zune-Halo 3 edition music player.

For more information on the, contest and other exclusive content, please visit http://www.myspace.com/halo3. For more information on the Halo 3 soundtrack, please visit http://www.sumthing.com.

The critically acclaimed Xbox 360-exclusive Halo 3 achieved $300 million in global sales in its first week. Released on Tuesday, Sept. 25, Halo 3 is the fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history.

Halo 3 is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where Halo 2 left off, answering questions around the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant. In addition to the rich storyline, Halo 3 continues the franchises grand tradition of delivering innovative online multiplayer experiences via Xbox LIVE, the worlds largest social network on TV.