Those counting down the days waiting for Rock Band 2 now have a way to fill at least 10 of the agonizing minutes by downloading and applying the update released today that allows you to export your songs in preparation for the sequel.

Owners of Rock Band will be prompted to update their game next time they boot it up, and those applying the patch will find a new selection titled "Export Songs" in the Options tab. Once you enter, you are prompted to download the export tool (a free device that takes seconds to install) and then purchase an export license for your music. This step is a one-time $5 fee, and once taken care of, the game will begin exporting all the current Rock Band tracks onto your hard drive. The whole process takes about ten minutes and uses a little over 1GB of hard drive space, so make sure you have plenty of room.

55 of the game’s 58 songs make the jump, satisfying the "almost all" statements Harmonix has been making concerning the transfer. The tracks not making the jump are "Enter Sandman" (Metallica), "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath), and "Run to the Hills" (Iron Maiden). So if you happen to be particularly fond of those songs, better jam out to them now, because once you upgrade they’ll be gone forever. Also, remember that you need not worry about your downloaded music making the jump; all that will be ready and waiting for you the first time you start up Rock Band 2.

In addition to the export tool, the update also includes a fix to take care of "unhittable" notes, as well as reducing the amount of points needed to get gold stars on a song. Anyone who doesn’t shred extra hard on expert needn’t worry about the latter update, but for those infuriated at getting 100% on a song and still not getting the gold stars (I’m looking at you "I Think I’m Paranoid") can now breathe a sigh of relief.

I went through the export process this morning and it was pleasantly painless. Also, if there are any songs from the original Rock Band you absolutely don’t want on Rock Band 2, you can simply delete them from your hard drive and forget they ever existed. Of course, if you ever decide you want them back, you’ll have to go through the whole process all over again. I know some people were concerned about the licensing fee, but I think $5 for 55 songs is more than fair. Considering downloaded songs cost $1 each, this is a pretty good deal considering everything that’s coming over. All in all, it’s another good show for Harmonix and yet another reason to be absolutely pumped for the sequel’s impending release. I wonder if it’s too early to start camping out for my copy...?