Where To Find Outstanding Music for Video Games
Where To Find Music For Video Games
Are you an indie game developer? If so, I want to help you get the most out of the music for your game. I want to help you punch above your weight and create memorable, unique game experiences that connect with people. Why? Because I love playing brilliant indie games and because I love to compose soundtracks for creative, original projects.
This blog aims to help you find the right music for your game and addresses several important topics, such as cost, copyright and licensing agreements.
Contents Quick Jump
Music for Video Game Developers
I like to play AAA titles, but often, the games I enjoy most are from independent developers, with standout titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem and The Banner Saga series among my favourites. And as games like Inside or Little Nightmares show independents, continue to produce sensational work!
I'm often amazed by just how much can be achieved by a small team of talented developers and artists. But, unless someone at the studio has composition experience, getting music into the game will require a composer or licensing of pre-composed music from a library.
A good composer can be a significant asset for an indie project. For example, a brilliant game like The Outer Wilds, crafted by just six people, was, in my opinion, made all the better by the addition of Andrew Prahlow's superb score. Indeed, I think it was a standout feature of the game and, perhaps, one of the reasons so many people loved it.
The Importance of Great Music For Games
As I just mentioned, the audio production of a game can have a profound effect on players. The dialogue, foley and sound effects all contribute to the atmosphere and sense of immersion, but it's the music players feel in their bodies.
Nothing speaks to our emotions more directly than music!
To understand the pivotal role music plays in games, try a little experiment and play a scene from a title you love with the music turned down.
You might notice that combat loses its intensity, horror scenes become less frightening, or grand vistas lose their majesty - I feel disconnected from a game when the music is gone because I lose touch with the emotional cues the music provides.
Essentially, music helps us connect to our feelings. Whether that's feeling invincible or weak, elated or moved to tears, emotions keep us returning to the games we love and supporting the studios that make them.
WHAT MUSIC SHOULD I USE FOR MY GAME?
In my experience, it's a good idea to think broadly about the music for your game before getting bogged down in details. Start with the basics - for example, should it be orchestral or 8-bit?
Plan and be clear about the type of music you want to use before committing to spending on it. Being confident about the style of music and knowing which scenes need music ahead of schedule will save time and money in the long run!
Check out this 2016 GDC lecture by Naughty Dog's Jonathan Mayer. Mayer discusses the planning and design of the music for The Last of Us and shows how the team developed a set of core concept pillars to guide the music production.
Music Planning & Budgeting Tool
Before moving on to the next topic, download my music planning and budgeting tool for Mac Numbers. This comprehensive spreadsheet is designed to help you plan and budget for your game soundtrack.
PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Researching music for video games can be a lot of fun, and you can make some surprising discoveries along the way. Not only is your appreciation and knowledge of music deepened, but you may also unearth a piece that changes your entire conception of the soundtrack.
You can start your music research with the soundtracks that inspire you the most. Jot down the composer and publisher details and use them to search for related content. Any tracks that work particularly well can also be used as temporary tracks, which I'll cover later.
After the broad choice of style comes the finer details of the music for your game. Start by compiling a master cue list - an inventory of scenes that require music. Think of it as your music shopping list.
Making a cue sheet will help establish goals for the soundtrack and guard against the tendency for mission creep later. The master cue sheet will also help you communicate effectively with a composer and will help refine your search for music if using a library.
As you fill in the cue sheet template, consider how many minutes of music will be needed to cover the scenes you've identified. It can help with cost estimates, as some composers charge per minute of composition.
TEMP TRACKS
As mentioned above, you can use pre-existing music that works well for a scene as a placeholder, known as a temporary track. Temp tracks are commonplace in the film industry and are used to make a mockup soundtrack until the final score is complete.
The temp track isn't supposed to be a perfect fit but rather to give a sense of how a particular feel works with a scene. Temporary tracks can also be helpful references for a composer if you choose to have an original soundtrack made.
If you listen carefully to a soundtrack, it's sometimes possible to hear what the temp track was, especially if the composer had to follow the reference closely.
There are famous examples of how temporary tracks have influenced the final soundtrack, and one that comes to mind is Star Wars. The temp music was Gustav Holst's masterpiece, The Planets 1914-17.
I've spliced the two tracks together for comparison. Check out how close in character Williams' composition The Imperial March is to Holst's Mars.
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Star Wars Temp Track Comparison
TOP THREE WAYS TO GET MUSIC INTO YOUR GAME
After identifying the general musical style and the areas of the game that require underscore, it's time to think about how to achieve your vision.
Here are my top 3 ways to get music into your game:
Hire a music composer for video games
License music from a library
Write and record the music yourself
The above options don't have to be mutually exclusive! Often licensed tracks are combined with original compositions to create a soundtrack, especially when a pre-existing piece has a unique flavour to add to the soundtrack. Sufian Stevens's Death With Dignity, as used in Life Is Strange 2, is a good example.
I'll break down the pros and cons of each approach.
MUSIC COMPOSER FOR VIDEO GAMES
Hiring a music composer for games is perhaps the best way to get a soundtrack that perfectly fits your production. From linear compositions that underscore a cut scene to dynamic or procedural music that adapts to player decisions, a good composer can transform the game experience.
The unique quality a composer brings to the table is the ability to tailor each piece of music to fit the scene. And if you're interested in developing adaptive music, a composer is indispensable, as they can provide you with the necessary control over the composition and the music audio stems.
A good composer can also help develop the core music concept for a game and write themes to underpin the pillars of that concept. Having an experienced musician to bounce ideas off of is handy, and the opportunities for creative exploration are endless!
How To Find A Music Composer For Video Games
In the research phase, you identified composers you enjoyed. Some of your favourite composers may be financially out of reach. However, you can hunt for lesser-known composers who sound alike!
Use Google to find similar soundtrack suggestions. Follow artist recommendations on Spotify. Use YouTube to find other indie game releases and note the composers of the soundtracks you like. Search games on Steam and narrow results with the Great Soundtrack tag. Reach out to the game dev community to ask for recommendations - Word of mouth is a powerful resource! There are many avenues to explore, so get hunting and stay open-minded.
Once you have a few names, familiarise yourself with the composers' style. Do they sound versatile? Can they work in different genres, or are they focused on one genre?
Generally, the composes I would suggest looking for are those on the up - able to produce high-quality work but still approachable with a simple email or phone call.
What To Look For In A Composer
When working with game developers, I'm often aware of how essential good communication is. I’m a good communicator and I pride myself on being able to tease out the finer details of a brief to distil the essence of an idea.
Along with communication skills, composers need a good sense of intuition and sensitivity to interpret a developer's vision and must do so with artistry and integrity.
Some composers record and produce their music and may have a studio. Making recordings without the overhead of hiring a commercial studio can reduce the cost for you. I would advise comparing the production quality of music made by the prospective composer to the commercial recordings you used as temp tracks. If they sound similar, you can be more confident to employ them.
When looking for a composer, I think the bottom line is to find someone who communicates well, understands your vision and inspires confidence in their work.
How Much Will It Cost?
After finding a composer, you may want them to produce an original soundtrack, but how much will it cost?
It's a difficult question to answer with certainty, and you should be ready to negotiate! My advice is to be open from the beginning. Ask upfront if the composer will write music for the budget you have.
Some composers charge per minute of music. As a rough guide, you can expect anywhere from $200 to $600 per minute, but it will depend on the composer's experience.
Earlier I mentioned if you know how many minutes of music you need, you can estimate the cost of composing music. Say you need 20 minutes of music, and we divide our composers into three groups: less experienced, moderately experienced and very experienced. The price would look something like this:
Less Experienced - $2,000
Experienced - $4,000
Very Experienced - $6,000
The above figures are very rough estimates, and many composers don't charge per minute, but at least it gives you some numbers to go on.
Tips For Negotiating Game Music Fees
Composers are not usually risk-averse, and a music career comes with few guarantees. Composers are well aware of this and may choose to work with you for more than just financial gain; composing music for an indie game that does well is an alluring prospect.
When negotiating, remember that you have the potential success of your game as a bargaining chip. You may have significant press coverage or have previous accolades, so why not share this information? It never hurts to share your success with people and invite them to be part of future triumphs.
You may also wish to offer some incentives, for example, an option for the composer to sell the soundtrack post-release. Promoting the soundtrack from the game menu could be another deal sweetener.
Game sales do not generate performance royalties for the composer as they do for a film. Consequently, the composer can't benefit from royalty earnings. The option to generate income from the music post-release by sharing sales of the soundtrack is a great way to support musicians in their careers!
MUSIC LICENSING FOR VIDEO GAMES
If you are not ready to hire a composer, then licensing music for your game might be the next best choice.
Although licensed tracks lack the tailored nuances of custom composition, they can be very effective. And with some skilful editing, it's possible to adapt the music to fit a scene quite well.
Indeed, some soundtracks are made entirely from pre-existing music, and I can think of two great examples where it works very well.
The first is the soundtrack for the Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island. The soundtrack comprises a carefully curated playlist from a wide range of composers, including some of the 20th century's most unique voices - György Ligeti, Ingram Marshall and Krzysztof Penderecki.
The soundtrack for Shutter Island is curated with a deep appreciation for and knowledge of music and underscores the benefit of good research.
The second example comes from the Luca Guadagnino film I Am Love. The soundtrack features music chosen exclusively from American minimalist composer John Adams. By using only the music of John Adams, Guadagnino was able to create a uniformity to the soundtrack that feels as though it was composed for the film!
Licensing music from such established composers as John Adams requires a healthy budget and working with publishers. I have more information to share on the topic of publishers later. However, if you are on a tighter budget, you might want to use library music.
MUSIC LIBRARIES
Music libraries are collections of production music for licensing. They typically feature thousands of tracks from hundreds of composers and cover all genres of music.
Using a music library to license music is easy. All the music is pre-cleared, and you can be confident that the license you buy legally covers you for using the music in your game.
The price for licensing music varies according to usage. For example, the music library Epidemic Sounds charges the following:
Standard - £79
(All productions without marketing spend)
Social Media - £119
(Boosted posts on social media)
Online Advertisements, National - £399
(National advertisements distributed online)
Online Advertisements, Global - £699
(Global advertisements distributed online)
All Media, National - £899
(National advertisements distributed via any media)
All Media, Global - £1,999
(Global advertisements distributed via any media)
Prices for all examples above are per production.
A more accurate cost for licensing a piece of music for your game may require a custom quote.
Music libraries can have tens of thousands of tracks to wade through, even after filtering for music for video games! And finding what you need can be daunting and time-consuming. To make life easier, some libraries offer a research service where a team of specialists will curate a selection of music based on your brief.
Not all music libraries are equal! Good-quality music libraries feature great-sounding tracks written and recorded by professionals, but cheaper libraries can feature low-quality or amateur recordings.
The success of your game, in part, lies with the music you choose! Let your ears be the judge and steer clear of poorly written or low-quality music.
There are hundreds of music libraries to explore, but here are a few reputable companies to get you started with your search:
Audio Network
Universal Production Music
Marmoset
Pond 5
Epidemic Sounds
WRITING MUSIC FOR YOUR VIDEO GAME
A third option to explore is making the music yourself. For this to work, someone on your team must have a little experience with writing or performing music, but if you get creative, it can work!
I'll share a quick story with you to illustrate. At last year's Adventure X narrative games conference, I got talking with Marina, one of the developers of We'll Always Have Paris. Marina shared their creative approach to the game music - using classical pieces (old enough to be out of copyright) performed by Marina on the piano. It's such a clever idea!
Using Marina's recordings sidesteps the issue of performance royalties, and as the music is out of copyright, there is no restriction to prohibit its use in the game - brilliant!
UNDERSTANDING MUSIC LICENSING
Although there are times when a music license isn't required, in the vast majority of cases, whether you use a music library or commission an original soundtrack, using music for video games will require a license.
Essentially, licenses grant legal permission to use copyrighted music. It is worth mentioning that almost all music is subject to copyright, and aside from works in the public domain, it is rare to find a music composition that is not copyrighted.
The Six Types Of Music Licenses
There are six commonly used music licenses, each dealing with a slightly different aspect of copyright law.
Sync (Synchronisation) License
Master Licence
Public Performance License
Mechanical License
Print License
Theatrical License
We'll focus on the two licenses most often needed for using music in video games: The Sync and Master Use License. Licensing music for video games requires these licenses because recorded music is subject to two copyrights:
Musical Composition: Rights to the underlying arrangement, melody or lyrics of a song.
Master Sound Recording: Rights to the original studio recording.
The Sync License grants permission to use a musical composition with visual media such as movies, TV shows or video games. However, the Sync License does not permit the use of the master recording. For this, you need a Master Use License.
The Master Use License is an agreement between the owner of the master recording and the person or company wishing to use the original recording. When a composer signs a record deal, the record company will usually own the rights to the master recordings.
Exclusive & Non-Exclusive Licenses
Licenses vary in their scope. Some licenses grant the exclusive use of the music to the licensee. Others, however, do not reserve exclusive use for the licensee.
Exclusive License: The license holder can use the music exclusively. No third party can use the licenced music for the agreed duration of the contract.
Non-exclusive: The licence holder may use the copyrighted material but not exclusivity. Additional licences may be assigned to a third party by the copyright owner at any time.
Exclusive licenses are more expensive, but the benefit is that the music you use will be solely associated with your production.
Work Made For Hire Contract
Video game music composers are sometimes employed to write music for video games with a Work Made For Hire contract.
Work For Hire is a legal term that describes music created as a commission. Once finished, the music becomes the property of the person or company that commissioned it.
A Work For Hire contract allows a game company to use music without licenses because they take ownership of the soundtrack. However, a good Work For Hire contract should protect the composer's right to collect the writer's share of any royalties derived from the music. Protecting the composer's rights will not prohibit the game company from collecting the publisher's share of royalties, but it will help to support the composer in their career.
Composers hired to write under a work-for-hire contract sell their copyright to the games company. As I mentioned earlier, game sales do not generate performance royalties. In all likelihood, the fee for composing will be the only money a composer makes from the project. Consequently, the composer will quote prices with that in mind.
Music Publishers
If you want to use an existing piece of music, it may belong to a publisher.
A publisher manages copyright issues for composers and collects royalties generated from sales, performances or sync placements. The publisher takes a percentage of income generated by the commercial exploitation of the music it controls and distributes the remaining money to the composers it represents.
Publishers have a more diverse role than the simple collection of money and are often involved in advancing the careers of the artists they represent. A good publisher not only protects the rights of composers but also seeks opportunities to place music in adverts, films and games.
Many publishers run a sync service to help producers of visual media clear music for use in their projects. You may have an existing track in mind for your game, and if so, why not contact the publisher to enquire about purchasing a sync licence?
You can expect to pay several thousand dollars, but prices vary depending on the music you want to use and the composer involved and can reach six figures for music recorded by the most famous artists.
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes licensing a great track can work really well. For example, when developer Relic announced that their game, Homeworld, was remastered, I suddenly remembered how well Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings set the tone for this brilliant RTS space extravaganza.
Homeworld prominently features Adagio for Strings, not only Barber's most famous work but also the perfect piece of music to lend this superb game a sense of gravitas and melancholy.
Barber's lifelong publisher G Schirmer Inc. owns the rights to Adagio for Strings.
UNDERSTANDING MUSIC ROYALTIES
Music Royalties can be confusing, and it's not always clear how they work or who needs to pay them.
There are many different ways that music generates royalties. Here are some of the most common:
Public Performance Royalties
These are royalties paid to artists by PROs (Performing Rights Organisations) whenever their music appears in a public broadcast.
Digital Performance Royalties
These are charges applied to service providers such as Spotify for streaming music content from their platform.
Synchronisation Royalties
A royalty generated when using music with visual media such as film, TV or live-streamed video games.
Mechanical Royalties
These are the royalties paid to composers whenever their music is distributed or reproduced in digital or physical formats.
Master Recording Royalties
These are royalties paid to recording artists, record labels and producers of a sound recording when it is downloaded, streamed or bought physically.
Neighbouring Rights Royalties
These are royalties generated by the public performance of music on terrestrial television and radio, cable music channels, cinemas and public spaces.
You can see that music royalties are a complex subject, and there are many instances where music can generate royalties for composers and musicians.
However, the good news for game developers is that they do not usually pay royalties for the music they use in their games. The law doesn't yet consider music used in video games to constitute a performance, which exempts the developer from having to pay royalties to the composer.
ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, raised the issue of game downloads, arguing in court that a download of a game constitutes performance in a similar way to streaming music, which is considered a public performance. The US Court of Appeals disagreed with this assertion, and ASCAP lost the case.
There are, however, occasions when game developers need to pay a royalty for the music they use. For instance, if a game developer uses a licensed song in a trailer, they would have to pay the composer a royalty.
Royalty-Free Music For Games
Royalty-free means the licensee only pays once for the music they use. The composer waives the right to collect royalties, and the licensee pays no additional charges. The licensee can then use the music as often as they wish.
Royalty-free music does not mean that the music is free of copyright, and royalty-free music is not free to use! A license to use the music is still required.
Royalty Managed Music for Games
Royalty-managed music means the licensee pays for each performance. Imagine you license a piece of music for an online advertising campaign. Each time the ad plays, you pay for the music performed.
COPYRIGHT
When a composer puts pen to paper, the resulting composition is copyrighted.
Music is the property of its author. For another person to use the music in their production requires permission granted with a license.
For game developers who want to use music for video games, understanding the fundamental concepts of copyright is useful. Check out this presentation by Berklee Online covering the basics of music copyright.
VALUE YOURSELF AND YOUR WORTH
The music and games industries have much in common. Composers, like game developers, want acknowledgement for their work and affirmation of their talents. But with millions of songs and thousands of games already in existence, it's becoming increasingly difficult to be heard!
The abundance of music and games can drive a devaluation of creative output, placing pressure on composers and developers to undervalue their work and ask people to pay too little to enjoy their creations.
Sergey Galyonkin, the founder of SteamSpy, suggests that indie game companies charge too little for the games they produce. His figures indicate that the average price for an indie game on Steam is as little as $8.72 and can drop even further to just $4.63 during Steam sales events!
A problem for musicians and game developers alike is once you have undervalued your work, it becomes increasingly hard to encourage people to pay a fair amount for it!
Artistry Front & Center
There are many financial pressures on indie game developers, but I want to encourage you to invest in the creative vision of your game!
If your budget will allow you to work with a good composer, do it! The collaboration between the composer and game director can be one of the most rewarding creative experiences you will encounter! And it can significantly improve the audience reception of your game.
Here's a brilliant interview with Denis Villeneuve discussing his work with Hanz Zimmer on the 2021 movie Dune.
If hiring a composer isn't for you, license the best quality music you can find. Do your research and hunt for the tracks to make the brilliant soundtrack that your game deserves!
If you're feeling inspired and can play instruments or use a DAW, why not record the game soundtrack yourself? Being so intimately connected to the game you're making gives you a unique perspective and passion for the project.
I hope you've found this blog helpful and that while answering some of your questions, I have convinced you that music is vital for creating brilliant game experiences.
If you have questions about topics not covered here or want to discuss specific aspects of music for games, leave a comment below or shoot me an email.
Good luck with your future projects, and as always, stay creative!