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Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 6 - Index

everything from rock to rap to classical and techno music.
When a game developer does decide to hire an outside
music vendor, they will definitely be looking for a company
that can deliver a variety of styles instead of having to go
to multiple vendors to satisfy their game’s music needs. So
make sure your versatility shines through and it must be
musically convincing and authentic no matter what styles
you plan to have on your reel.
I also believe it is possible that this marriage between the
music and the video game industry could end as quickly as
it began. Your average music CD goes for around $14.99. A
platinum selling artist means they’ve sold 1 million units and
it takes several months if not longer to go platinum. Now
take your average video game that sells for $60 bucks. Take
into account that a successful Triple A game title can easily
sell over 5 million copies worldwide in
the first few weeks! You do the math! I
believe that record labels may realize
that their music is helping these game
sales and maybe they should be asking
for a bigger piece of that pie. All a
game publisher has to do is say, “OK
the labels want too much money now,
lets stop licensing their artists and go
back to using music houses for our
game music needs.”
Maybe it will happen and maybe
not, but I do know that the record
industry needs the game industry a lot
more than the game industry needs
the record industry. Record sales have
been on a steady decline in the last
few years and they are hurting due to
the digital age of file sharing. At the
same time gaming sales continue to go
through the roof with no slow down in
site. In fact, Electronic Arts, the world’s
largest game publisher/developer,
has actually formed a record label
called Artwerk to sign artists who will
exclusively be featured in the games
they create. Now imagine full fledged
distribution scenarios for these “game
artists.” Who needs a major label deal?
The implications of this and what it
could mean to the record industry are
tremendous. How close do you think
Warner Brothers Records or Columbia
Records are to releasing a video
game?
The lines are blurred and obviously
still being formed. The only thing that
is certain is that things are changing
drastically and rather quickly in the
music and gaming worlds and will
continue to change. Where it will all
end up is anybody’s guess.
That’s my mix….let me hear yours
Darryl S. Duncan
//www.gamebeatstudios.com
Darryl Duncan is a music industry veteran. As a former staff
songwriter for A&M records and Warner Brothers records in Los
Angeles, Darryl has had the opportunity to write for and/or
produce artists such as Jeffrey Osborne, Chaka Khan, Michael
Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire and R. Kelly to name a few. Darryl has
had several billboard charting singles including a #1 record as well
as having had his work featured in major motion pictures. Today,
Darryl is the Founder, President & CEO of GameBeat Studios,
LLC. (www.gamebeatstudios.com) GameBeat is an established
award winning studio based in the Chicago area offering original
music production and sound design services to the advertising
and gaming industries. GameBeat’s clients include Toyota,
McDonald’s, Burger King, Illinois State Lottery, Wal-Mart, Miller
Beer, Volkswagen, Motorola, Equal, Altoids, Sears, Kraft Foods,
ComEd and Tyson Chicken. GameBeat’s gaming credits include,
John Madden Football, Microsoft’s Zoo Tycoon, The Sims/Hot Date
and Ultima Online to name a few. Darryl can be reached at:
dduncan@gamebeatstudios.com