hitTwo blind graders agree (D7, rule D16). Not in the audit sample (D11).
Grader A: hit
Purpose-built music controllers were widespread by 2009. Guitar Hero and Rock Band sold tens of millions of units with guitar and drum controllers, and World Tour (2008) added a song-creation mode. Pad and grid controllers also spread among electronic musicians.
Test: Guitar Hero series: more than 25 million units by 2009-2010 with dedicated controllers.
Guitar Hero (Wikipedia) (2026-09-28): More than 25 million units and $2bn retail; purpose-built guitar controllers; GHTunes song creation in World Tour (2008).
Grader B: hit
Purpose-built music controllers were prominent by 2009. The Guitar Hero guitar-shaped controller sold with more than 25 million franchise units. The Reactable tangible tabletop instrument was used on Bjork's 2007 tour and named 'the hot instrument of 2007' by Rolling Stone; an iOS version followed in 2010. Grid controllers and pad controllers were widespread in electronic music.
Test: Test: novel dedicated music controllers in wide use by 2009. Guitar Hero: more than 25M units and $2B at retail. Reactable: professional use from 2007.
Reactable (Wikipedia) (accessed 2026-09): Tangible tabletop instrument; Bjork used it live from April 2007; Rolling Stone called it the hot instrument of 2007; iOS version late 2010.
Guitar Hero (Wikipedia) (accessed 2026-09): Guitar-shaped controller; more than 25 million units sold worldwide, $2 billion at retail.
All captured fields
rank
116
kind
decade_prediction
section
The Arts
subject
Novel musical interfaces
target year
2009
timing
in
position
Chapter 9, "2009"; item The Arts 11 in Kurzweil 2010, p. 96
confidence
high
note
Wording as reproduced by the author in "How My Predictions Are Faring" (2010); book page not given there. Subject label is the essay's own item heading.