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When a passion for Rock and Roll and trivia grew into a board game and business venture in 2003, a new player in the game and music industry emerged – the Waukesha, Wisconsin based Aleken Games. With the launch of its premier product and highly successful music trivia game, ROCK AND ROLL TRIVIOLOGIES™, Aleken Games burst onto the music and game scene across the U.S., Canada and Europe. "When ROCK AND ROLL TRIVIOLOGIES hit the market in November of 2003, everything started happening so fast. When a rock star says they were like an overnight success, that was what we felt like too," said Aleken President and co-founder Ken Eichstaedt. "The game was everywhere – Rolling Stone, Music Inc., Guitar Player, DJs were playing on the radio; it was on TV; we had write ups and reviews in newspapers – the phone never stopped ringing. People, especially Rock and Roll fans, really enjoyed the game." In just four years, Aleken Games has grown from its ROCK AND ROLL TRIVIOLOGIES board game to a line-up of music themed products that includes board games, card and travel games, calendars, t-shirts and beverage coasters. Starting off as a "board game" company, the success of ROCK AND ROLL TRIVIOLOGIES propelled Aleken Games beyond the game market and added the music industry. "With all of the attention we were getting from music fans and the music industry, we soon found ourselves doing "grass roots" promotions at major music events across the U.S., including some of the biggest venues in the country like Bonnaroo, NARM, SXSW, NAMM, RockFest, and others," said Eichstaedt. The "players" at Aleken Games quickly gained an understanding of what types of music people were really listening to and enjoying: Rock and Roll, Alternative, Rap and Country Music. In 2005, Aleken Games introduced its next major product line, the Country cousin of its Rock game, COUNTRY MUSIC TRIVIOLOGIES™ board game. This time, Aleken Games scheduled the release of its game with Country Music's biggest event, the annual CMA convention in Nashville. "The timing for the release of COUNTRY MUSIC TRIVIOLOGIES was perfect," Eichstaedt explained. "When we arrived in Nashville for the CMAs, my business partner Julie bought a Nashville newspaper. There it was – right on the cover of The Tennessean, the world's first trivia game based on Country music. Country music fans from everywhere wanted the game." Simultaneously, the game review was published in Country Music's largest publication, Country Weekly magazine. By 2005, Aleken Games' products were selling at all of the most prestigious destinations across the U.S., including The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Virgin Records, Guitar Center, and a variety of retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Borders, Macy's, Dillards, Toyrus.com, Target.com, Corral West, Spencer Gifts, and others. In addition, the games are distributed to music instrument stores nationwide by Hal Leonard Music, based in Milwaukee. At The 2006 American International Toy Fair in New York City, Aleken Games announced the beginning of its successful relationship with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame candidate and recording artist Eddie Money. "Eddie Money has been really great to work with," said Eichstaedt, "he's helped us promote our games at trade shows, syndicated radio programs, and live concert events. He has an amazing fan base. People everywhere love Eddie Money and he's been a great spokesperson for Aleken Games." As a testament to his charisma, Aleken Games, Eddie Money and ROCK AND ROLL TRIVIOLOGIES were featured on the cover of the official publication of the 2006 International Toy and Game Show, The Toy Fair Times. In the last four years, Aleken Games has grown from a small "Made in the USA" board game company in Waukesha, WI to being the leader in music trivia games and related products. The company now offers a complete line of POCKET PACK music trivia card and travel games as well as annual daily box calendars, THE DAYS THAT ROCK and THE DAYS OF COUNTRY. The company's next game is LONG LIVE ROCK, a fast-paced chronological music history moments and milestones game, which is designed for multi-generational game play. As with all of the Aleken Games, LONG LIVE ROCK in particular, spurs many music memories and inspires fun interaction among the players for a complete story-sharing experience. Now, as Aleken Games gains its center stage spotlight, Eichstaedt gets a familiar question from music fans, "Where is Waukesha, WI? My response is simple and always gets their immediate attention; Waukesha is the birthplace of Les Paul." LONG LIVE THE GAMES THAT ROCK!
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