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Game Music Continuing To Gain Recognition

Posted by simoniker on from the bleep-to-orchestras dept.

Thanks to Yahoo/Chicago Tribune for their article charting the continued rise in popularity of videogame music. The piece quotes a music agent as saying: "Record companies are realizing that this is the new radio", and another commentator points out: "Consumers would rather download than pay $15 for a CD, leaving the record industry scrambling for revenue. How do they monetize music? License to video games." However, when it comes to stand-alone game soundtrack CDs, "sales aren't earth-shattering yet", and specific numbers are referenced for the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack, of which "...the most popular CD, 'V-Rock,' sold 42,300 copies."

3 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. Even so... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Call me the worst kind of geek, but about all I listen to are Game soundtracks. However this is ill news for myself and others who have similar taste, because it sounds more like companies targetting game platforms for their contemporary licensed crap, rather than original music from various titles getting recognition.

    I hope this doesn't phase out the querky and strange genre that is video game music, because it's definitely unique to itself. I'll take classic Zuntata over the lastest hot hits of record-label-X anyday, and I'll cry myself to sleep the next time I play a title who's full score is by some craptacular pop-group. (The Final Fantasy Series is well on it's way on that one).

  2. Umm.. by eddy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not sure what to add to that, but Machinae Supremacy is inspired by game music and they've done game music. But since you've reading this story you knew that already ;-)

    As for stand-alone soundtracks for Games I think that's going to be a niche for a very long time, but one that I think is worth having. Jeremy Soule and Inon Zur have done a lot of good music for games (BG, IWD, etc). Robert Holmes did good work on the GK games too (also available on soundtrack in the now somewhat-hard-to-get Gabriel Knight Mysteries (Limited Edition) package).

    --
    Belief is the currency of delusion.
  3. VGM = Pop music in U.S. by Webapprentice · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As the other poster said, it seems the majority of game players, who are not hardcore gamers, don't care for original game music. Some people even turn the sound off and play their own music.

    Using licensed pop music that was not originally created for a game can create a mismatch with the game environment. I've often thought, "How does this song relate to the game?"

    I think using licensed soundtracks will apply mostly to U.S. created console games. The Japanese games will most likely still have
    original music. My musical tastes lean heavily toward Japanese game music, so I will ignore U.S. created game music.