Music licensing in games: trials, tribulations, and what's next
Rhys Elliott
Monday 30th May 2022
The games and music industries have had a long and at times illustrious relationship. Early 80s arcade titles like Journey set the tone early, but licensed music came into its own in the 90s and 00s with titles like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Wip3out, Crazy Taxi, Guitar Hero, and licensed sports titles.
Today, licensed music is still a major part of the games market, but the relationship is far more multifaceted due to evolving market trends.
"We have gone from primarily background use in many classic titles to deeply integrated features such as in-game radio stations, artist skins with music stems built into abilities, rhythm games, and in-game concerts," says Gavin Johnson, head of gaming at Monstercat, an electronic music label known for its partnership with Rocket League.
Music licensing in games is essentially a web of negotiation, approval, and bureaucracy.
Lori Cromwell-Charron, EA's senior associate for music licensing, outlines the process of how big game publishers obtain a synchronization license, which is essentially an agreement between a music user and the owner of a copyrighted composition that grants permission to release the song in a video format -- in this case, a game.
"Labels and publishing folks get approval from their artists or writers for a sync use," she says. "Then, music licensors like me negotiate and obtain approvals from the rights holders and administrators on fees and terms.'
"Next, music supervisors get approval from game production on the creative direction for the music. And that's all before multiple rounds of license negotiations."
Music licensors are well-versed in staying on top of all these layers of approvals, but the various legal obligations and
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
