Musicians and video games

It's from Electronic Arts' worldwide director of music and marketing, Steve Schnur.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17143

it would be great to have music in a video game.

he must have been watching al those cribs where lazy assed rappers spend their days playing vice city while their home studios look like they just came out the box. I loved that wu-tang taste the pain game though, sick soundtrack and inspecta deck with a fuck-off hammer, anyone know of any other actually good musical games? dont say musical chairs

I'd rather listen to the in-game R-Type or Gemini Wing music than some lousy GTA soundtrack.

To my mind, if EA thinks video games are going to be the premiere delivery platform for popular music it's going to need to start diversifying what kinds of games it makes JUST A LITTLE BIT.

Lumines soundtrack was alright. But do the game makers choose the musicians or do the musicians try to become part of the game? I mean, who decides what songs are going to be on the Grand Theft Auto radio stations? I admit I would never have listened to Joe Jackson if it wasn't for his song in one of the grand theft auto games (stepping out lol). Turns out he has some great music.

I remember when Yes had a song for Homeworld -- some pc game that came with lots of computers. I bet that helped their career.

But in general, most games I would want ambient/atmospheric music.
Oh and EA sports does suck donkey balls.

"all artists"

"If you’re an artist [...] [your fans] are playing a video game right now"

waht

I'm trying to think of a good video game in which to feature the Trash Can Sinatras.

There are no lousy GTA soundtracks.

Why isn't the Consolevania/Tony Yayo sketch online?

Don't know, but this is good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CiKj_vwSq0

I mean, who decides what songs are going to be on the Grand Theft Auto radio stations? I admit I would never have listened to Joe Jackson if it wasn't for his song in one of the grand theft auto games (stepping out lol). Turns out he has some great music.

rockstar's founders have a background in the music business, terry donovan (whose since left) was a club techno DJ and also an A&R for uk major label in the early 90s...sam houser's father i believe was a jazz club promoter and his mother was a UK soap opera star or something...they definitely put a lot of effort into selecting their music, and it's not marketing/payola driven as is EA TRAX.

but jeez ppl it's fuckin' EA PR, don't get too excited over it.

and obv i fuckin' love video games 2 deth but being in the industry i get SO SICK of how much we pat ourselves on the back for the the BRAVE FUTURE OF INTERACTIVE MEDIA

like the yearly "Well say old chap, what if i told u that video game sales totaled MORE THAN BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS IN THE U.S.? would that, say, BLOW YOUR MIND, chum? We're BIGGER than Hollywood*"

*if you conveniently ignore, say, DVD sales and movies, rentals, but that's just nitpicky!

I frequently would find myself introduced to new music via videogames, and pretty happy for it. The Tony Hawk games, in particular - they all have pretty kick ass soundtracks. I would find myself singing along with music I would have no idea about or about how I knew it so well, only to discover that I had been "listening" to it for all those many hours trying to manual->double kickflip->50/50 the handrail at the end of the block. Not really subliminal, but sub-main focus of my attention.

And the GTA soundtracks are awesome. Some stellar music.

But the new tracks in EA sports games - Madden, in particular - are abhorrent. I just turn off all the new tracks and have the game play only NFL Films tracks, like "The Ramblin' Man from Grambling." Awesome.

GTA soundtracks blow every other video game soundtrack out of the water. I mean, Kate Bush was on the Vice City soundtrack.

Super Metroid has some of the best original music I've heard, though. The Final Fantasy series had some good music, though it was (appropriately) extremely melodramatic. Also Streets of Rage had suprisingly good music.

EA is full of shit.

Bottomline is unless you're a rapper no one wants their music in a video game, and even some rappers probably look down on it...

Until they start making some different games which have other audiences besides teenagers who smoke weed that's how its going to stay.

re: last two posts

Game Industry Bigger Than Hollywood
Posted by michael on Sun Dec 19, 2004 09:27 PM
from the been-true-for-a-while dept.