We all know that Guitar Hero and Rock Band are huge, and now other game companies are joining the music act, such as Disney with Ultimate Band, Nintendo with Wii Music, and Konami with Rock Revolution.

Just how important is this growing sector of the industry? According to UBS analyst Ben Schachter, music games have been a "key driver" this year, with "sales of music-themed games responsible for 19% of overall industry software dollars in July (15% YTD) and 44% of y/y industry dollar growth during the month (32% of growth YTD)."

Total dollar sales in the U.S. games industry hit $9.47 billion through July, according to the latest NPD data. That's 35 percent ahead of 2007 at this point, and Guitar Hero and Rock Band have no doubt