From the Ear’s Perspective: The Economy of Rock
Music and video game writer, Adam Dolge, takes a deep look into the relationship between video games and music. Whether it’s bands covering music from video game soundtracks, the musicians who compose songs for games, or the line between what sounds good and what hurts to hear, he’ll stroll with you through video game history, pulling out the best and worst of music in games.
I imagine there will be a day when there are no more record stores, video game shops, or book stores. Maybe they’ll exist, but in the same way Ma & Pa dinners exist in a community with Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Ground Rounds. The economy is causing everyone to monitor their spending habits and making businesses, large and small, reexamine their business model.
As an old newspaper reporter, I was quite upset to hear about Colorado’s Rocky Mountain News closing. In my fair salt city, we recently lost one of three network TV news stations. Just north of the city our mall is being expanded with the hopes Destiny (what a clever name) will become one of the biggest orgies of concrete, shopping, and societal vomit in the US. Yet there is hope. Our little record store, Sound Garden, is alive and well, and with any luck, it will continue to sell music, DVDs, and video games for a nominal fee.
I’ve made it clear in previous posts my opinions about music video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. This feature is not meant to further illustrate my disappointment with these games. There is an article in Wired, that explains why the music industry isn’t on a honeymoon with these games. Musicians are an interesting bunch. The most popular are arguably the most overpaid people next to professional athletes, but the small no name musicians looking for their break are often more interested in having their music heard as opposed to what model Porche they want.
Musician Jonathan Coulton, relatively well known but certainly no Michael Jackson, must have been ecstatic when he played his song “Still Alive” for the first time on Rock Band. Still, I read an article about Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo saying these music games are a waste of time, and that kids should spend their time learning actual instruments. I don’t know specifics about contracts between video game publishers and record labels, but I imagine Weezer, which has songs on both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, should be glad they are making money off their music and spend it on another crummy new album.
In the future, bands will only release albums electronically. These music games will provide advance sales – imagine getting a Coldplay song on Guitar Hero a month before their new album comes out. It’d likely result in dudes forcing smiles as their girlfriends rock-out in ecstasy to the nauseating sounds of Chris Martin and company. And when the guys get a straight-to-game album from Deftones, their girlfriends will return the favor with a “why is this guy yelling” smile.
So do you think these music games are helping or hurting the music business? I spend most of my day writing about union musicians, and I’ve talked with them about this very topic. They seem split. On one hand, some of them think these games help expose their music to new audiences – think of all the tweens learning about The Pixies for the first time playing Rock Band. But musicians deserve money for their work, for their property. It’s wise for record labels to work closely with game publishers to encourage a fair payment plan. Back in my Music Industry major days, I remember learning that the band typically made about 10 percent of record sales – I’m sure that’s changed. If iTunes downloads are about $1, that means they make about 10 cents for each download, hypothetically. Should they get the same for music games? 
I know if any of my songs every made it into a video game, especially Rock Band or Guitar Hero, I’d probably run around clapping and dancing like Pee Wee Herman. But I don’t make my living from music. If, for instance, this article was picked up by Rolling Stone, I’d be ridiculously happy, but I’d also hope for some payment. This debate will go on and musicians and gamers will have their opinions. Like every other blabbering idiot with a connection to the internet, this is my opinion.
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