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Next Year's Madden, Others to Get Music Download Service

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the john-i-think-he's-going-for-the-double-dip-maneuver-here dept.

Joystiq is reporting that next year's version of Madden, and other subsequent EA games, will offer the ability to download new background music tracks. They have not yet said if this would be a pay-per-song service. "It might seem a bit silly for EA to offer a proprietary music download service when all current-gen consoles allow users to create their own custom soundtracks from their already-existing digital music collections. You have to realize, though, that EA needs to offer its own downloads so it can [...] gently suggest the latest hot track from Kid Rock to their captive audience of millions of players."

37 comments

  1. This is EA by Predathar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    so of course it's going to be pay per song. Actually I think most companies would make it pay per song as well, but didn't EA start the whole micro payment thing anyway?

    1. Re:This is EA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they made the songs free it would be great exposure for the bands and would probably boost Album sales similar to how Guitar Hero did for those featured songs.

      Most people would be reluctant to pay for music they don't know but if it were free they'd download it and check it out.

    2. Re:This is EA by icegreentea · · Score: 1

      The Asian market made the whole micropayment thing really popular/proved it worked. Make a game free or absurdly cheap, and make up for it with micro purchases. Design an MMORPG just right and 90% of the players will end up having/wanting to buy stuff so they can fit in, and because the equipment is just a bit better.

    3. Re:This is EA by Trojan35 · · Score: 1

      No, they were just the most annoying with it. They asked you to pay to unlock content ALREADY ON THE DVD. Sorry for caps. Im still annoyed with that.

  2. Hrm.. by voltel · · Score: 0

    Considering EA games track record of using obnoxious DRM in games, I bet this music will come encrusted with some form of it as well. So, how many nails did you want for your coffin again EA?

    1. Re:Hrm.. by Darkness404 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Of course it will be DRM-d, but think about the type of people who play Madden and other EA games. They don't care about DRM, all they really care about is shiny graphics and the newest players on various football teams.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    2. Re:Hrm.. by voltel · · Score: 0

      Da... prettay colooors!

    3. Re:Hrm.. by Bud+Dickman · · Score: 1

      "but think about the type of people who play Madden and other EA games. They don't care about DRM, all they really care about is shiny graphics and the newest players on various football teams."

      Nice stereotyping. Any other generalizations you can point out based on what games people play?

  3. What ever happened to... by Darkness404 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What ever happened to where game makers would create their own songs and people would buy the soundtrack? I remember back in the SNES/Genesis age, a lot of people would hum various Mario/Sonic tunes, sure they might have been low-quality but they were catchy. At least RPGs still have original soundtracks, I really don't want to play an RPG while hearing *insert song here* when an orchestrated soundtrack would be better. A theme song like on Namco's Tales games would be Ok, but really, do I even want to hear Kid Rock while I am playing a game? And even pay for it? No.

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:What ever happened to... by voltel · · Score: 0

      What ever happened to where game makers would create their own songs and people would buy the soundtrack? I remember back in the SNES/Genesis age, a lot of people would hum various Mario/Sonic tunes, sure they might have been low-quality but they were catchy. At least RPGs still have original soundtracks, I really don't want to play an RPG while hearing *insert song here* when an orchestrated soundtrack would be better. A theme song like on Namco's Tales games would be Ok, but really, do I even want to hear Kid Rock while I am playing a game? And even pay for it? No.

      Hrm... good point. For games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, maybe you should be able to buy the songs you *want* rather than having a bunch of preselected ones shoved down your throat. I can understand a select few to start with, but a bunch you might never want? Come on, I would like to modularize the cost if possible.

    2. Re:What ever happened to... by oahazmatt · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, for DDR fans, there was a game for the PS2 that allowed you to import your own music. It wasn't as complex as DDR, and it basically used the effect of any visualizer except it generated the arrows.

      --
      Those who believe the Internet is private,
      find their privates are on the Internet.
    3. Re:What ever happened to... by JCSoRocks · · Score: 1

      Amen. Almost no one has the same taste in music. I can't see this being a good thing. Worst case scenario - it comes with all Britney Spears tracks and your only option is to throw down money to buy new ones so you don't have to hear her. Best case scenario - it comes with a good variety of music but there's only 1 track you like and you end up stuck listening to it until you finally give up and buy more before you go insane. Either way... neither one is better than custom made songs for the game.

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
    4. Re:What ever happened to... by andy19 · · Score: 1

      Sports games are much different than RPGs, although in one NHL game (I think 2K7, I could be way off, someone correct me if I'm wrong) they had a great soundtrack with orchestrated music that dynamically changes based on what is happening on the ice. This was great because it really added some depth to the game and got you going when the action was really intense. Kid Rock just doesn't do the same.

    5. Re:What ever happened to... by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 1

      There are plenty of games with original scores for blockbuster games - look at the Halo series or things like Medal of Honor. A lot of time those licensing costs for pop songs are way more expensive than hiring a composer and an orchestra for few days (although EA has its own music label), so I don't think its a cost-cutting measure. (And hell, if you want an electronic soundtrack, you could probably hire an in house composer for salary and have them just crank out tunes for a bunch of games at once). I think it has to do with style more than anything - even in real life football and basketball often have pop tunes associated with them. And you probably want songs that mesh with your audience if you're doing a skate or snowboarding game. (And of course, the GTA series is that much cooler because of the range of music they have on the radio).

    6. Re:What ever happened to... by morari · · Score: 1

      Anyone know where I can download the Battletoads soundtrack?

      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    7. Re:What ever happened to... by icegreentea · · Score: 1

      They still have that. You can buy the Gears of War songtrack if you wanted it, and it only has one licensed song on it (Maaaaad Wooorld). You can do the same with MGS4, Halo (soundtracks come in licensed versions, and actual game soundtrack versions), every damn final fantasy game (and then you can go buy the soundtracks with all the songs done in piano, vocal only, remixed, and whatever you want). Most (and I really mean most) games still have soundtracks which you can buy, which are made up of primarily in game music with a couple licensed tracks thrown in (often said tracks are also used in game... often during credits or something).

      Madden is different (well, most sports games are different). The in game music is frequently just licensed tracks anyways (FIFA games are like this too), so when they release their soundtrack its just a collection of licensed tracks which are considered 'good enough for and captures the spirit of Madden/FIFA/NHL' or whatever. Their trying to capture the feel of actually being at the stadium/arena/the game, so the licensed tracks actually do fit in rather well.

    8. Re:What ever happened to... by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 1

      A lot of time those licensing costs for pop songs are way more expensive than hiring a composer and an orchestra for few days (although EA has its own music label), so I don't think its a cost-cutting measure. (And hell, if you want an electronic soundtrack, you could probably hire an in house composer for salary and have them just crank out tunes for a bunch of games at once).

      Hey game companies, if you're hiring I'm available. My musical and technological credentials are solid, and I have a portfolio available for review upon request. NYC area only, please.

      The thing is, "original soundtrack composed by Poot Rootbeer" on the game box isn't going to sell any extra copies, and that's true for just about every experienced game composer who isn't named K. Kondo, N. Uematsu, H. Tanaka, or Y. Koshiro. "Featuring songs by Kid Rock, 50 Cent, and Carrie Underwood," unfortunately, actually will result in increased sales.

      Original creative work is jettisoned to make room in the budget for the safe and the familiar.

      Come to think of it, that's a succinct summary of the EA-style approach to game publishing, right there.

    9. Re:What ever happened to... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Whatever happened to the idea of loading song onto the hard drive of your console (or SD card in the case of the Wii) in MP3 format and having the game play those songs. Why make people pay for something that they should be able to do for free?

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    10. Re:What ever happened to... by rugatero · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Why make people pay for something that they should be able to do for free?

      Unfortunately the guys that make the decision are more likely to ask 'Why let people do something for free when we could charge them for it?'.

      --
      This comment is for entertainment purposes only. Any similarity to real insight or information is purely coincidental.
    11. Re:What ever happened to... by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 1

      " and that's true for just about every experienced game composer who isn't named K. Kondo, N. Uematsu, H. Tanaka, or Y. Koshiro"

      You're kidding yourself if you think any mainstream gamer knows those names or if that will affect thier purchase decision. More likely it will say "from the guy who created the soundtrack to Saving Private Ryan". There's actually a good deal of crossover between movie scores and game scores for big budget productions - there's really no difference anymore - no one is a "game composer" so much as a "composer". You used to have to have 8bit composers or MIDI masters, but now you can record a 200 piece orchestra and slap it in the game the same as any other piece of entertainment. I think the real "art" to music in games these days is how tightly you integrate it with the game play. Dynamic scoring, that's probably a talent you could sell to a game company.

    12. Re:What ever happened to... by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

      So, annoyingly mostly random then.

      A friend's friend had a DDR game for the XBOX 360. After flipping through the bundled play list and hearing samples of what it had, I decided I would never have that game in my house. And I had considered it just for the exercise aspect before.

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
    13. Re:What ever happened to... by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

      John Madden: Thank you for playing "Madden 2009". Do you have a song request?
      Homer: "It's Raining Men"!

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
    14. Re:What ever happened to... by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

      But if I remember correctly, one of the reasons that Brawl was praised was because of the diverse musical score it had, and in fact the themes made by Nobuo Uematsu which is well known in the Final Fantasy community, contributed to that.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    15. Re:What ever happened to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SimCity 4 let you do that. It was highly primitive (you have to copy your music to the SimCity 4 Program Files directory, and of course, you can't make a symlink to your music directory because you're on Windows), all songs played on shuffle (no playlist feature), but it still let you do it. And it was developed by EA, too (Well, Maxis, but it's owned by EA).

      Funny how far back EA could be going.

  4. Hopefully the record labels will pay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As far as the labels are concerned, getting a new band into a game like this is one of the coolest ways to get their name out. I wouldn't be surprised if this feature was created at the request of the record companies as a way to advertise more.

    1. Re:Hopefully the record labels will pay by Darkness404 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But you still have to download it. Games like Guitar Hero and DDR advertise more because of the fact that they are default and you hear the song over and over again as you play it. Think about it this way, if you asked someone who Dragonforce was before GH:3 they would likely have no clue, but afterwords they started recognizing them due to Through the Fire and the Flames.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
  5. What's next? by electricbern · · Score: 1

    In the year after the next's Madden you'll actually have to purchase the players from EA before actually playing the game. And the ball. And rent the stadium.
    You can also... erm... "tip" the referee by just entering your credit card information.

    --
    alias possession='chmod 666 satan && ls /dev > il && tail daemon.log'
    1. Re:What's next? by oahazmatt · · Score: 1

      In the year after the next's Madden you'll actually have to purchase the players from EA before actually playing the game. And the ball. And rent the stadium.

      I think the NFL would recognize that stupidity and strip EA of the license. Then, we could all sit down and play a nice round of EA's XFL 2K10.

      --
      Those who believe the Internet is private,
      find their privates are on the Internet.
  6. up next by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

    Sure, they'll let you buy the songs, but every time We Will Rock You or Rock and Roll Part 2 come on you'll get a bill from ASCAP/BMI. : p

    --
    This guy's the limit!
  7. This is major league sports by HalAtWork · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is major league sports, in actual life that stuff is 50% commercial anyway. They have theme songs, billboards, commercials dedicated to sports events, half time shows, etc etc... Only half of it is about the actual sport. They're only bringing the real experience home.

    --
    Twinstiq, game news
  8. Not all next gen consoles... by radish · · Score: 1

    It might seem a bit silly for EA to offer a proprietary music download service when all current-gen consoles allow users to create their own custom soundtracks from their already-existing digital music collections
    Well that's not true. The 360 can do it, sure, but it's not available at all on the Wii and it's optional (for the dev) on the PS3. So I'm gonna guess EA won't be enabling it for their PS3 games from now on :)

    Some games come with pretty awful music (I'm looking at you Puzzle Quest!) so the custom soundtrack feature on the 360 is a lifesaver.

    --

    ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    1. Re:Not all next gen consoles... by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      As of the most recent PS3 firmware, you can play any background music you'd like off the console hard drive regardless of what game you're playing.

      On the Wii, there are games that allow custom MP3 soundtracks played off the SD card.

      I'm guessing you have a 360, but not a Wii or PS3?

    2. Re:Not all next gen consoles... by radish · · Score: 1

      As of the most recent PS3 firmware, you can play any background music you'd like off the console hard drive regardless of what game you're playing.

      Not according to ps3fanboy.com:

      You also will not be able to use music from your hard drive, unless the game is specifically programed to take advantage of the feature. Unfortunately, no games will be able to take advantage of in-game custom soundtracks when the firmware update goes live. (However, future games and game patches can enable this feature. It depends on whether or not the developer chooses to include it in their game.)

      Like I said, it's up to the dev to enable as far as I can tell (everything I've read on a number of sites says it's enabled per-game). I haven't installed 2.41 yet so I can't comment from personal experience.

      On the Wii, there are games that allow custom MP3 soundtracks played off the SD card.

      I didn't know that - I've not seen such a feature on any games I have. Regardless, wouldn't help me as my music isn't on an SD card it's on my media server.

      I'm guessing you have a 360, but not a Wii or PS3?
      You'd be guessing wrong. But I'm guessing you're a rabid anti-MS fanbot?

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    3. Re:Not all next gen consoles... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      I don't see why EA couldn't do it on the Wii. Endless Ocean allows you to play songs from the SD Card when you're diving. Granted, they play the same song repeating forever, instead of continuing on with the next song, but there's no reason EA couldn't do this.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  9. First EATrax by AkaKaryuu · · Score: 1

    The first Madden year ( I wanna say it was 02 or 03 ) that offered EATrax had a very good sound track... but since then I enjoy maybe one or two songs off of their games per year. I'm obviously not the target audience for this service; but I guess it's nice of them to think of new ways to squeeze money out of their customers.