BraveWords.com has received the following press release:

Crüe Fest, the season’s top rock festival and Rock Band, the music video game phenomenon from Harmonix and MTV Games, have earned a nomination for a 2008 Billboard Award for Concert Marketing & Promotion from the Billboard Touring Conference & Awards for their innovative partnership on a North American tour, Billboard announced today.

Fans can vote for Crüe Fest/Rock Band (here) for the collaboration, which included local contests at each tour date on a special second stage with the winners earning a spot as the local Rock Band champion, playing on the main stage in the slot before MÖTLEY CRÜE as well as in the backstage VIP tent with members from Trapt.

The Billboard Touring Awards honor the concert industry’s top artists and professionals based on actual data compiled through the Billboard Boxscore chart and by fan voting.

The first annual Crüe Fest featured the hottest names in rock: Mötley Crüe, BUCKCHERRY, PAPA ROACH, SIXX:A.M. and TRAPT.

The 5th Annual Billboard Touring Conference & Awards will be held on November 19th and 20th at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.

Rock Band and Mötley Crüe have a longstanding collaborative relationship. Earlier this year, the band released their first single, “Saints Of Los Angeles” simultaneously as a download on the video game and to traditional retailers. The track sold more than five times the number of downloads through Rock Band as it did on iTunes in its first week. Over the course of the tour, Rock Band released two Crüe Fest packs featuring songs from all of the Crüe Fest bands.

Mötley manager, Tenth Street Entertainment’s Allen Kovac who has a long history of creating innovative integrations and alliances, spearheaded the strategic partnership. “We are happy to be recognized with our partners at Harmonix and MTV Games for the Crüe Fest / Rock Band marketing alliance that really brought rock fans together and celebrates the effect that the game has had on the overall return to rock. By providing players with an interactive experience with their favorite music, both classic and new, Rock Band has added a whole new opportunity for fans to explore and purchase music,” said Kovac.

“Teaming up with Tenth Street for Crüe Fest to deliver Rock Band firsthand to rock music’s hungry fans across the country was a perfect fit,” said Kelley Electa, Senior Director, Promotions, MTV Networks Program Enterprises. “It was a phenomenal way for us to be on the ground and engage the audience in a completely innovative, new way - transforming the traditional concert format from a passive experience to a completely interactive one.

Developed by Harmonix and published by MTV Games, Rock Band is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune, mastering lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Released September 14th, Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date including over 100 songs on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack with an unrivaled blend of classic and new artists including AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more! With the addition of complete and immediate backwards compatibility for songs purchased from Rock Band’s ever-expanding online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end.