Arena rock group Def Leppard is to become the first band to effectively release a single through a video game: Guitar Hero III.

The idea is that not only will you be able to listen to the new single a week before its retail and online release, but you'll also be able to play along to it. Called Nine Lives, the single is part of a three-track Def Leppard song pack which also includes two classics; Rock of Ages and Photograph.

The pack has just been released online for X360 owners, although PS3 players will have to wait a little longer to download it, as it's scheduled for an 8th May release.

Whether this will encourage more rock groups to release on Guitar Hero is a debatable point, but we're sure console-owning Def Leppard fans would probably have bought the song pack anyway, and appreciate the bonus of getting hold of the single early.