Do Game Composers Get Royalties for Video Game Music A question that comes up rather frequently is: How do I get royalties on music I compose for a video game? The meaning of the word “royalties” is anything but precise. Sometimes “royalties” means a piece of overall game profits (“Back end”). Sometimes, it’s an extra payment for every copy of the game sold. However, when a composer asks “do composers get royalties from game music” they usually mean: “Do composers receive public performance payments from their PRO for music they have composed for a game like they do if they have composed for a film or TV show?” And that’s the question we will consider for this article. The short answer to that question is “for the most part, no” TL;DR Version It’s best to assume that any money you make from a game will be limited to whatever fee you negotiate with the developer, although you may receive some royalties for PlayStation game downloads only to some EU countries Try to make your Work for Hire contract allow you collect PRO payments, should they occur or license your music to the game developer Contact your PRO to ask them the best way to register your music for the game. If you have composed for a game available on Playstation in the EU, you may be entitled to PRO payments on game downloads to certain EU countries. You will likely be required to provide proof you are the composer, often in the form of an email from the work account of the game developer or publisher, or other public information. Game music is used occasionally in more traditional media. In that case, you may be eligible for PRO payments from those uses The game industry, copyright laws, PRO’s, platforms and technology companies haven’t properly sorted all this out Long Version The normal act of a user purchasing and playing a video game will not lead to any performance payments for the composer of the music for that game. So you should make sure your up-front fee reflects the full value of your work, effort and the creativity you bring to the project, since that is likely all the money you will receive. How can that be? Aren’t composers entitled to their “writers share” from their Performing Rights Organizations (PRO, such as ASCAP, BMI, PRS, etc.?). Seems pretty straightforward, right? Isn’t that the law? Above, I said that the short answer is ‘no.’ A more precise answer is “…it’s complicated…” We’ll try to go through some of these complications below. First, a quick refresher on Performing Rights Payments: There are several rights associated with composing and recording music. One of these is called the “performance right.” As the name implies, this is a right to control (i.e. get paid for) when a piece of music is performed publicly. “Performance” means more than concerts, though. The music of a movie is ‘performed’ when the movie is broadcast on HBO or streamed on Netflix as well. When a composer writes a score for a TV or film, they will typically make money in 2 ways. $$ 1) They are paid by the producer commissioning music for the show/film. That’s a straightforward exchange of music for money. $$ 2) Whenever the TV show or film is ‘publicly performed,” they can receive additional payments. This is typically done via a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC and analogous international organizations such as PRS or GEMA. This additional money comes from the broadcasters (HBO, ABC-TV, Netflix, Marriott, Delta Airlines, Your Local Bar, etc.) and is paid to the PRO, which in turn pays the composers and music publishers 50/50. For many composers, these PRO payments constitute the bulk of the money they receive for their work on a show. In fact, many TV shows and films pay quite small fees ($$1) , on the expectation that the composer will receive the bulk of their income from performance royalties ($$2). As noted above, when a composer asks about royalties for their music, they are usually referring to $$2). The business of composing for games is quite different When composing for video games, just like the film/TV composer, the game composer will generally receive a one-time fee ($$1) for their music from the game producer. That again is a straightforward exchange of music for money. However, for the majority of games, that’s where it ends. You will receive NO performance royalty payments; you won’t receive any more money for your work on the game. That’s because, in the normal course of someone purchasing and playing a video game, there is no ‘public performance’ occurring. For most games, there is nothing analogous to an HBO broadcast or Netflix stream. Because there is no public performance, no performance royalties are paid out to PROs. Therefore, composers don’t receive performance royalties. So if you compose for an iPhone, PC or Xbox, etc game, your up front fee will probably be all the money your receive for that project. But what about online games or games downloaded from the internet? Isn’t a game being downloaded on the internet and played, or played online with other players the same as someone watching a show on Netflix on the internet, which does provide a composer royalty? What gives? Unfortunately, no. That exact issue made it all the way up to the US Court of Appeals in 2010 in US v ASCAP. When you buy a game from the internet, typically the entire game, including the music are downloaded and copied to your hard drive. ASCAP argued that a download was analogous to streaming, which everyone had previously agreed meets the definition of public performance. ASCAP lost. In that ruling, the judges stated: “…we affirm…that a download of a musical work does not constitute a public performance of that work” With that ruling, video game downloads became ineligible for performance royalty payments (in the US….more on that later..) Purchasing a disk at the store and popping it into your PlayStation is not a public performance any more than buying and watching a DVD is. And since the court ruled that a downloading a game isn’t either, there are no PRO payments to be had when a typical consumer plays a typical game on their PC, Xbox, iPhone, Tablet, Android or just about any other game platform, even if you are playing the game online. So if you don’t get any performance royalties from the game you worked on, it isn’t because game developers are sinister… or cheating you… or keeping performance royalties for themselves. It’s because there were no ‘performances’ -- in the legal sense of the word-- of your music, so there were no performance royalties accrued. However..... Just because music for game usually won’t generate any performance royalties doesn’t mean that game music never generates them. There are many cases where composing game music can lead to public performance royalty payments. The most common cases where game music would generate PRO payments are: The game’s music appears in more traditional media. This can be everything from a TV character playing a video game onscreen to a marching band playing an arrangement of a famous game score at halftime on a TV sports network. The gameplay itself is broadcast via some means such as an esports match broadcast on tv or over a streaming viewing service such as Twitch The game’s soundtrack is played on streaming services such as Spotify or YouTube. The game’s music is covered by another artist The game’s music is played during a concert Although somewhat unusual for most games, these definitely occur, and when they do, they can mean big money for the composer. I've been fortunate enough to have music I've composed for games covered by The Pixies, as well as appearing in motion pictures. So don't discount the possibility! Except for one wrinkle.. The majority of game music is written under a Work for Hire contract. Under a typical WFH contract, the game developer completely owns all rights to the music, including performing rights. That means that even if the game were to appear in a TV broadcast, the composer might not able to collect their Performing Rights royalties, unless is were explicitly stated in the contract that they are allowed to do so. A good video game music contract, even though a Work for Hire, will contain a clause that allows the composer to collect performance royalties from their PRO. Such a clause may look like this: "In addition, and notwithstanding the above provisions, Composer shall also be entitled to receive the one hundred percent (100%) of the writer’s share derived from the exploitation of any and all performance rights that may exist in any scores and/or music, including any and all sums that may be collected from any public performing rights organization, union and/or guild in regard to such rights." If your contract has a clause like the above, and your game’s music ends up in a movie or TV show, or covered and released, then you will be entitled to your share of performance royalty payments. Some game companies are quite savvy about music rights and the music industry and are happy to have such a clause in your contract. Other game companies may outright refuse to do so. One thing to grease the wheel with the game developer/publisher is to point out that by adding that clause, they will be entitled to receive the publisher's share of performance royalties. An important note: the clause above is important only if you composed the music as a Work for Hire or otherwise transferred your rights. If you instead licensed the music to the game developer, you are fully entitled to any and all performance royalties. (the differences between licensing and work for hire are beyond the scope of this article). Still with me? Then there’s PlayStation EU… Remember when I said that a download is not a performance, and therefore not entitled to performance payments. Well, although that’s true in the United States, in many EU countries, things are different. There, laws specifically say that digital downloads (for example the downloading of music that is part of a game) is, in part, a public performance. Largely because of that distinction, a few years ago, Sony entered into an agreement with PRS (UK’s leading Performing Rights Organization). When games are sold on the EU Playstation Network, to certain EU customers, a performance payment is made to PRS. PRS then distributes the money to the composer and music publisher accordingly or to their international counterparts such as ASCAP, etc.. For extremely successful games, those checks can reach 6-figures. However, as of this writing, this is limited to PlayStation games in the EU; no such deal exists for Xbox, iPhone, Android, Nintendo or any other game platforms. But, if you have composed music for a game available on the PlayStation network in the EU, and you have the rights to performance payments for that music, you should register your music with your local PRO (eg ASCAP, BMI), which can get that money for you via a reciprocal arrangement different international PRO’s have with each other. If a game you have composed for is available on the Playstation Network in Europe, contact your PRO to determine how to best register the music with them. This will ensure that you receive any EU Playstation Network PRO payments you are entitled to. Not complicated enough?.... Welcome to game streaming At the top of this article, I said that in the normal course of playing a video game, since there is no public performance occurring, there are no public performance royalties to collect. That is currently the case…. most of the time…. In March 2019, Google announced a new game streaming service called Stadia. With Stadia, (update: Google last year announced the cancellation of Stadia) and similar technologies such as PlayStation Now (formerly Gaikai), and Microsoft’s game streaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming, games are being run in the cloud and their visuals and sound streamed live to players as they play them. Since the games visuals and sound are being rendered in the cloud and streamed live, it would seem that would be considered ‘public performances’, exactly analogous to Spotify or Netflix streaming down audio/visual content. Some believe this is the future of video gaming—huge cloud-based “game servers” streaming live gameplay to gamers. These services are relatively new, so it remains to be seen how they will impact performance royalties for composers. It could be a complete game-changer. Some people believe we may be in the last generation of game consoles, and that the future of high-end gaming will be cloud based. …and YouTube Although beyond the scope of this article, YouTube is clearly a place where music streaming occurs, and we have seen that streaming is considered a public performance, even in the US. Many millions are paid out on hundreds of billions of views. YouTube is littered with ‘playthroughs’ of video games, often called Let’s play videos, some of which have tens of millions of views. So it would seem that one way to collect royalties game music is to register the music with YouTube (you do this through the “YouTube ContentID System”), and collect from these millions of views There are two problems with this: 1) As noted above, most video game music is composed under a Work for Hire. You can only register your music with YouTube (using its ContentID system), if you are the owner of the music. 2) Even if you own the music outright, YouTube has an explicit policy on video game soundtracks. You may not register music with YouTube’s ContentID system for a video game soundtrack unless you are the publisher of the video game itself, even if you own the music and the game publisher does not. If this seems bizarre and even outrageous to you, you’re not alone, but that’s the current state of affairs. Here are YouTube's guidelines regarding video game soundtracks: Further complicating matters is that the last thing the maker of a "lets Play" video wants is to have all the music in the game they are reviewing trigger revenue-sharing of their play-through video. And the game publisher--thrilled to have their game covered by a popular YouTuber-- doesn't want to annoy the YouTuber. So although a composer may be technically within their rights to demand a share of ad revenue for a Lets Play video, doing so may damage the relationship with the game developer, perhaps irreparably. So it could easily be the case that a composer gets zero royalties for music they own that is part of a "let's play" video that gets tens of millions of views. Because of the complexity of YouTube, video games and music, many YouTubers create their Lets Play videos with the music turned off. They just don't want to have to deal with music + video games + YouTube issues. So as I said at the beginning … “…It’s complicated…” And we're not quite done yet... A coming storm?... Copyright laws, Performing Rights Organizations, tech companies and game companies haven’t all caught up with each other regarding music. PRO's and games. New laws regarding copyright such as “Article 13” in the EU may have a large impact on music for games. And some of the PRO’s are actively looking at games, including streaming platforms like Stadia, Twitch and other game streaming services. Some of these laws and changes in technology have some game developers/publishers extremely nervous. So much that some are starting to be wary of PROs and have adjusted their business practices. I have first-hand experience with a European game company refusing to use music created by a US freelance composer who belonged to a PRO. I was hired, the music was written and was paid the upfront fee. But the company, upon discovering the composer they hired belonged to a PRO opted not to use the music in their game. That company has since implemented a policy that all music for their games would be created by salaried employees of their company, and have switched to hiring on-staff composers as employees to write their music from here on instead of using freelance composers. Summary The many issues surrounding performance royalties and video game are complex and changing. Game streaming, e-sports broadcasts and contracts with the EU and PlayStation mean that there many be many cases where composing the score for a video game can result in performance royalties of some sort, particularly for more successful games on the major game platforms. The landscape is changing quickly, and there are many issues that simply haven't been worked out. But it is best to ensure that your game music contracts reflect potential changes coming in the industry. However, in the general case of a consumer purchasing a game and playing it, more often than not, no performance royalties are due. You should negotiate your game music composition contracts assuming that the original fee is the only money you will make from the game. Appendix: As promised here is an example of what PRS requires for a "game cue sheet." For Duration, it is generally recommended you list the duration of the track, even if you do not know how long it plays in the game itself (due the nature of game music implementation), or you make a best estimate on how long a particular track will play. Read more at the GameSoundCon Blog #gamemusic #ascap #bmi #sesac #prs #royalties #composition

Congratulations! You’ve decided to start a business as a freelance composer or sound designer. One of the things you need to figure out is how you want to set up your business. How you set things up will affect how you sign contracts, determine your liability, deal with taxes and present yourself. One important note: In this article, we’ll cover some of the basics on how businesses can be set up. However, laws regarding corporation formation differ from state to state. What’s true in California might not be true in Rhode Island. Therefore, it’s important that you consult an attorney and/or account who is familiar with the laws affecting small businesses in the state where you live. The primary factors in determining how you'll set up your freelance composing business are usually liability and taxes. Below are the three most common ways freelance composers and sound designers set up their businesses and their role in determining how these are affected. Sole Proprietorship A Sole Proprietorship is the simplest and easiest way run a business. In fact, it’s so simple, there’s nothing you need to do. You just start providing services and getting paid. Doing business as a sole proprietor means that the “business you” is the same as the “person you.” All the financial, legal and other transactions you do as a freelance composer or sound designer are between you, a person, and the company hiring you (or whom you are hiring). Many sole proprietorships simply use their own legal name to do business. However, as a sole proprietor, you may decide you don’t want to do business under your own name. For example, maybe you want to be known as “All Things Music” instead of “Jennifer Davidson.” In that case, you will need to file a “Doing Business As” (DBA) with the state. Exactly what that entails will vary by state; some states will require posting of a public notice in addition to filing forms with the state; others have fewer requirements. Dealing with taxes in a sole proprietorship is quite straightforward. You list your business income and expenses on your personal tax return (1040) using “Schedule C: Profit or Loss from Business.” Depending on how much you make, you may also need to file quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS and/or your local state. Although sole proprietorships are easy, they have one large downside: Liability. In a sole proprietorship, the owner is personally responsible for any and all debts created as a result of operating the business. For example, if you were to be sued over anything related to your business, you would be personally on the hook to pay if you lost. And lawsuits can come for many unforeseen reasons such as… A session guitarist trips and falls during a recording session and breaks their hand (or worse) and sues for loss of income & medical expenses Copyright infringement (even if inadvertent) You are late providing SFX (say due to illness) and a developer has to delay shipping their game and sues You accidentally violate an NDA by accidentally forwarding a confidential email …. Lose a large lawsuit and they can go after your personal assets: your house, car, savings, etc. If you own enough where that’s a frightening thought, you may want to consider separating your “business you” from your “personal you.” Limited Liability Company (LLC) If you want to operate a composing business, but don’t want to be personally liable for any business loss, one of the easiest ways to protect yourself is to form your business as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). The most important characteristic of an LLC is that it is a legally separate entity from you. When you create or own an LLC, you are called a “member” of that LLC. When you enter into contracts, you do it as a member on behalf of your LLC, not as you personally. And if the worst were to happen, since your clients do business with your LLC, not you, the person, they can sue the LLC, but they can’t sue you. Therefore, you are generally protected from losing your personal assets over things done in the name of your business. This is often referred to as the corporate veil. The corporation shields you from being personally liable for something that the business did or didn’t do. [note that the corporate shield doesn’t protect you from things like fraud or other wrongful acts] Liability protection is probably the single biggest reason most companies form LLC’s. Tax-wise, by default an LLC is what’s known as a “pass through” entity. That means that from a tax perspective, it’s no different from a sole proprietorship. You file pretty much exactly as you would if you were a sole proprietor, entering your business income and expenses on “Schedule C” of your personal 1040 form. Show me the Money---but keep it Separate: Co-mingling Since the whole purpose of an LLC is to separate the “business you” from the “person you” it is important that you keep the two separate. You will need to create a separate bank account(s) for your LLC. Deposit all business income into the LLC’s account, NOT your personal bank account. Likewise, pay business expenses from your LLC’s account. You may find it very helpful to open a credit card in your LLC’s name for business purchases. It is important to not pay personal expenses (groceries, the rent, gas for the car, etc) directly out of your business account. Doing so weakens the separation of the “business you” from the “person you” and is called co-mingling. Co-mingling can result in the government determining that the “business you” (your LLC) isn’t really separate from the “person you.” If that happens, there’s a good chance you will lose any liability protection, and if you’re sued, they’ll come after your personal assets as well as business assets. This is known as piercing the corporate veil. So if you can’t co-mingle, how do you actually get your money from an LLC? When you’re a member of an LLC, the company can give you some of its profits throughout the year. You can also hire yourself as an independent contractor. You can then pay yourself by writing a check or transferring money to your personal account from your business account. But make sure the that business incomes goes into the business account, and that you pay yourself from that account: Business income -> Business Account -> You (the person) -> Your personal bills LLC's were created in the 70's as a kind of 'corporation lite'. They have the liability protections of a corporation (see below), but without as much paperwork or overhead as a standard corporation. However, they may not have quite as many benefits as a corporation... “S-corp” (Subchapter S Corporation) A third way to set up your composing or sound design business is to form a corporation. There are two types of corporations “S” Corporations and “C” corporations. [We won’t discuss C corps here, since it would be very unusual for a composer or sound designer to set themselves up as a C Corp.] A subchapter S corporation is similar to an LLC in that it is a separate legal entity from its owner. And therefore, it provides the same liability protection. And as with an LLC, you must treat your business as separate from you: create separate bank accounts, and maintain a crisp delineation between the “business you” and the “person you.” Like an LLC, an S-Corporation is also considered a “pass through” entity. The profits (or losses) of the company flow to the owners (shareholders) of the company. However, an S Corporation has a bit more paperwork to go through. The biggest difference you’ll likely see as an S Corporation will be around taxes. Unlike a sole proprietorship or normal LLC, where you list business income and expenses on your personal tax return, an S-corporation must file its own tax return (form 1120-S). This is completely independent from your personal return, and is the place you enter business income and expenses (and is typically due a month earlier!). In addition to filing its own tax return, an S-Corp generally needs to file a quarterly Employment Tax form. In an S-corp, you typically set up yourself as an employee of the company, and pay yourself what looks like a more conventional, regular paycheck. At any time during the year (I used to do it at the end) you can opt pay yourself a distribution from what's in the business, or leave it in the business for various business expenses (day to day, new equipment, etc.) What is the tax advantage of an S-Corporation? The biggest advantage to organizing as an S-Corp has to do with how you are taxed on profits you (the person) receive from your company. Although we won’t get into the details here, the gist is that you may be able to avoid having to pay certain federal taxes (FICA) on a portion of your income. There may also be some additional tax benefits if your S-Corp provides health insurance. And just to make things more confusing, it is possible to have your business set up as an LLC, but to elect to file taxes as an S-Corporation. This is known as an S-corp. election and gives some of the benefits of an LLC (less corporate paperwork) with the tax advantages of an S Corporation. Summary: Thinking about the form your music composing or sound design business takes may not be as exciting as studying a the game score for Call of Duty or exploring a new sound library, but it can have a significant impact on your business and finances. This is a case where talking to a qualified account is essential; everyone’s situation is unique, and this is one place where you don’t want to decide what to do based on one article you read online, but to get professional assistance. Although it is possible these days for to create LLC’s or S-Corps online, without ever talking to a human being, this is one area where you want to make sure all the I’s are dotted and t’s are crossed correctly. If you’re serious enough to think about creating an LLC or S-Corp, it’s probably well worth a few hundred dollars to talk to an attorney, let them know your specific situation and have them handle the papework; if you get it wrong, you may lose your liability protection, which is probably the main reason you went to the trouble of creating an LLC or S-Corp in the first place. Summary of Business types and their impact on taxes and liablity Brian Schmidt has been a full-time, self-employed composer, sound designer and game audio consultant for 21 of his 32 working years. He has operated businesses as S-Corporations and LLCs (as well as a tiny stint early on as a sole proprietor). This article is informational only and should not be considered advice; Brian is neither an accountant nor a lawyer, and highly recommends that if you are serious about starting a music composing business or sound design company that you find a local attorney and accountant you feel comfortable with who can guide you through the process and tailor your business for your particular circumstances. Read more at the GameSoundCon Blog References: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/business-structures https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employed-individuals-tax-center https://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/research-topics/managing-your-taxes/federal-taxes/llc-electing-s-corp-statusthe-best-of-both-worlds https://info.legalzoom.com/can-llc-file-dba-still-business-under-llc-name-4511.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomtaulli/2016/07/24/when-to-form-an-llc-limited-liability-company/#775ba844e0d9 https://smallbiztrends.com/2012/10/doing-business-as-dba-filing.html https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/personal-liability-piercing-corporate-veil-33006.html

It’s no secret that a lot of composers from more traditional media such as TV, film, commercials are getting interested in doing games. Go to a GameSoundCon or GDC, and many of the composers there have done the bulk of their work composing for film, TV and other more traditional media. Oftentimes, these composers are struck by how different composing for games can be from composing for other media. Here are 8 things (ok, I've added a couple since the original post!) that typically surprise those getting into games for the first time: Writing game music presents a whole new set of creative challenges in addition to those required to create great music. As a composer, you know how to set the tone, evoke emotions in your audience and write to support story as well as how to orchestrate, record, mix and master. A game composer needs to do all of that, plus master techniques for non-linear composing and production. Because you don’t know when various story elements will actually happen (it depends on the player's actions from moment to moment), when composing for video games you have to write your music to be flexible, and know how to quickly change from “wandering around” music to” battling for your life,” while not sounding obvious or abrupt. Game composers also need to be able to write music that can be arranged and pieced together so as to not sound repetitive—even when the player plays the game multiple times-- and to know the specific game music tools that enable that flexibility. Adding music to the game itself is not as straightforward as it is for linear media. When composing music for a video game, composing the music is only half the challenge. The second part is trying to determine just under what circumstances it should play, and then how to tell the game that it's time to start/stop/change or otherwise alter the music. In film/tv, you just lay the music onto the linear video, but in games, at some point, computer code has to be written or created to control when and how the music gets played back. This extra step is often called "integration." When you write music for a game, you will have technical limitations placed on you that affect how you need to compose your music. Because of the technology used to deliver games, you will have restrictions placed on what you can do. These restrictions may be frustrating! You may be told that all your music needs to fit within a certain amount of computer memory. You may be told to learn and use a specific music tool that the game developer has created or licensed. You may be asked to break your music into layers which can be mixed on the fly in reaction to game actions. In the course of getting into composing for games, you may have very creative ideas you would like to see implemented, but may not be possible due to technical or other handcuffs. With a few exceptions, there are no PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) royalties for video game music. Once you are paid for the music for the game from the developer, that will likely be the last money you make off the music. In the US, you will almost certainly not receive any performance payments from ASCAP or other PROs. It’s not that game developers are trying to be sneaky, underhanded or dishonest. Rather, it’s because the purchase or playing of a game in the U.S. is not considered a “performance” in the legal sense of the word. So unlike a film which might be broadcast on TV or other media (which generate Performance Royalties), since there are usually no “performances” of games, there are no performance royalties due to the composer. The above notwithstanding, it is always a good idea to try to get your music registered with a PRO anyway. There are few cases where game music can generate performance royalties. It’s relatively infrequent, but it does occur from time to time. Some of those cases include: The game’s music appears in traditional media (movie, TV, etc.). For example, a character playing a video game in a movie or TV show would generate PRO payments the same as any other piece of music in the film/show. The game itself is broadcast. "e-sports", where people playing video games are broadcast live. Game soundtracks (including covers of game music) played on services like Spotify or Pandora In addition, in some countries outside of the US, a portion of a video game download is actually considered a “performance,” so the above item is mainly applicable to US companies and composers. If you compose music for games in Europe please contact your PRO. [Edit: this is such a big topic, I wrote an entire post on PRO payments and game music ] Video game music is almost always done as a “Work for Hire” arrangement. With very rare exceptions, a composer contracted to write music for a video game will sign away all rights, including publishing, to the game developer or publisher. Although licensees do occur (especially for smaller, indie games), the bulk of game music is done under Work for Hire. The bright side of this is that for a professionally developed game you won’t be told “well, we can’t pay you much up front, but you’ll get your ASCAP/PRO when they show it on the Discovery Channel.” Game music commands pretty good up-front compensation. So never low-ball a game quote thinking “well, I’ll take low payment from the game creator, but will make it up in PRO royalties.” You will be sadly surprised when there are none. The team making the game works more like a software company, than a movie/media production company. When a company is making a video game, they are largely in the software-writing business. Their work processes follow much more those of Microsoft than of Amblin. “Agile” development, “Stand-up status” meetings are common, as are the use of software development tools like “version control software” such as Perforce or SVN. (Hint: know how to work those on a basic level, and you’ve got a leg up on your competitors).Terms like “release candidate,” and “Check-in” are important to understand and will help you fit in with the rest of the team. A surprising number of jobs composing video game music are full-time, ‘in-house’ employee positions. While TV, Film and other traditional composing jobs are overwhelming freelance, many video game companies hire full-time employees to compose their video game music. Companies like Blizzard (World of Warcraft), Bungie (Halo, Destiny), Electronic Arts (Madden, Peggle) and even Microsoft get a good percentage of their composition work from their employees and provide typical perks such as vacation pay, 401(k)’s, bonuses and stock. You can major in video game music composition. Over the past several years, several universities and colleges have begun to offer bachelors or masters degree programs in composing music for video games. These programs vary by institution, but generally cover music composition and orchestration, and some of the more technical aspects of writing music for games. Tools like Unity, FMOD Studio, Wwise, Unreal are taught alongside music production software such as Logic, Cubase, Reaper or ProTools. These programs may also include multidisciplinary team projects, where you work along side game designers, programmers and artists creating original video games Read more at the GameSoundCon Blog #composingmusicforgames #musiccomposition #musicproduction #recording

One of the most difficult parts of becoming a game music composer or getting a game sound design job as a freelancer is answering one of the very first questions you are asked when you meet a game developer. You know the deal-- you've got a great conversation going, and then the developer asks you: “...So, how much do you charge?” This can be very difficult to answer, particularly when the developer (or film director) is “indie” and is obviously on a tight budget. Before you answer, think carefully; the first words out of your mouth can make a huge difference... The “Anchor Price” and the difference between value and price Suppose you are in the market for a new string library, and your budget is $500. In your research you find 2 libraries, “Super Strings” and “Big Orchestra Strings” with very similar features: -- Super Strings sells for $450. -- Big Orchestra Strings sells for $750, but is currently on a 4-day holiday sale for $495. Which do you buy? If you’re like most people, you’d opt for Big Strings, even though it costs a bit more. Why? Because, you think to yourself, I can get a $750 library for just a bit more than a $450 library and it’s still within your budget. In our subconscious mind, we associate the value of Big Strings as much higher than that of Super Strings, even though rationally we may realize that the two libraries are probably pretty much the same. In marketing and psychology terminology, $750 is called the anchor price and is the value we automatically associate with it. By contrast the anchor price of Super Strings is $450. And it is very hard to now consider these two libraries on equal footing, since one is ‘worth’ $300 more than the other. How does this apply to your game composing career and your interactions with game developers, particularly indie game developers? When discussing price with a small game developer or indie film director, separate the value you offer from the price you quote. Your goal is to set your own “anchor value” appropriately high and disconnect it from the fee you will charge. Your anchor value is how much value you will bring to their project as a composer, and will be the amount the game developer (or film director) will have in their head associated with your skills, technique and quality. Chance Thomas in his book “Composing Music for Games” lists some realistic “per minute” music rates for composers at various stages in their careers from $250 to $2500 per minute (much higher if you have ‘star’ status). That is a good range for your anchor. You set your anchor by ensuring that the first number they hear associated with your services matches your value, even if it is not the price you will ultimately quote them. "My normal rate for this style of game is $1,000/minute of music for a full buyout. However I really like this project concept and understand you’re on a tight kickstarter budget. So I’d be willing to offer a less expensive license, and also discount my normal rate for you, which I’ll reflect in my quote." When setting an anchor, it is important that your (higher) anchor value be the first number you mention. So don't say: Since you are an indie, my rate is $100/minute, although I usually charge $1,000 for this kind of work It may seem like a trivial difference, but many studies have shown it is literally the first number you mention that will become your anchor value. Discussing your rates in this way does three very important things in your relationship with the developer. It establishes your anchor value. You are a $1,000/minute composer (and not a $100/minute composer) It shows your excitement about the game or film idea It shows your realization of the developer’s budget and willingness to be flexible When you later come back with a proposal, you can also reference your anchor price in your formal quote. This further cements the anchor value you set: Project X Music: 10 Minutes @1,500 $15,000 (Buyout Rate) License Only Discount -$7,500 Indie rate discount -$3,750 Project X Music Package $3,750 One important note: An Anchor price is NOT simply an inflated value over your regular rate; it should reflect what you would normally charge if their budget weren't so tight. So if you are just starting out, with few or no credits, setting an 'anchor' of $2,000/minute will backfire, since that is well above any reasonable "just starting out with no experience" rate. Using an anchor price has an added benefit: It provides a point of contract negotiation for the case where the game does well. It is perfectly reasonable to ask, if the game sales take off, that you get back the discount you offered. After all, you are discounting your rates because of their budget situation; in effect you have become an investor in their game. And like any investor, you would expect to be paid back as the game generates revenue. (there are other issues to negotiate with an indie developer, which we will cover in a later article). For music composers and sound designers, setting an anchor value is especially important. The value a composer brings to a game or film is always high. There are no situations, no matter how low budget the film or game is, where the value you as a composer bring to the product is zero or only a few hundred dollars. If all you do is quote a low price, you are setting value of your services to that low-ball rate, and that is probably not how you would like you or your work to be considered. People have lost gigs by quoting too little . That is not because their price was too low; it is because in the mind of the developer, their value was too low. So, the next time you are talking to a game developer or director, be sure not to accidentally set your value low by simply quoting a low price. Establish your value first… and then talk price.

The annual GameSoundCon Industry Survey(tm), now in its 4th year, tracks compensation, working conditions, contact terms and production information for the video game music and sound industry. Originally designed to provide a more detailed look into the industry than Gamasutra’s annual salary survey, the GameSoundCon Industry Survey has grown into the most comprehensive analysis of game audio business and production issues and provide overall guidance on how much game composers and sound designers earn. The goals of the survey are to collect information which: Reflects the freelancer and salaried employee aspects of our industry Covers the range of games produced, from AAA to Independently developed. Is relevant to the industry New for 2017 are questions covering Education Breakdown by degree Entry-level Job/Salary analysis A Difficult to Define Industry: Because the game industry (and therefor game audio) is such a wide and diverse business, we broke things down into three main categories: Large Budget Games. These are your typical console or well-funded PC titles. These games are available at retail, and also may be downloadable. Think "Destiny," "Gears of War," and games you see advertised or on the shelves of WalMart. These games are made by large teams (100-400) and often take years to produce with budgets in the $30,000,000 - $150,000,00+ range. Professionally produced casual games. These games are sometimes known as "mid-core" or "casual core" games. They are smaller scale, smaller budget games than the “AAA” large budget games, but nonetheless are professionally developed, produced and marketed. Think "Plants vs Zombies," or "Candy Crush." Generally team size is in the 5-25 person range, with budgets from $500,000 - $5,000,000 or so. Indie games. These are smaller scale games, which are often self-financed or financed through non-traditional means such as kickstarter. Of course it is impossible to draw a sharp line between the three categories outlined above. Nevertheless, we believe it serves as a useful distinction so that we’re not comparing the compensation from a blockbuster like Call of Duty with that of a part-time, 2-person dev company making an iPhone game in their basement. Format of Survey Reporting 1/ Compensation 2/ Work and Environment 3/ Contract Terms 4/ Use of Live Musicians & Middleware 5/ Education 5a/Entry Level Jobs & Education 1/ Compensation: Game Audio is a highly diverse field, and as a result has a lot of variation in compensation. Although it is convenient to talk about “average” game audio compensation (and we will report that as the “mean”)[1], the median value and compensation distribution may be more meaningful, which we present in graphic histogram form. Note that all compensation numbers are guaranteed compensation, do not include any kind of bonuses, royalties, stock awards, etc, which are reported on separately. In order to maximize participation in other areas of the survey, the question on compensation, which some are hesitant to report in a survey, was optional. 89.2% of the 464 respondents provided answers on compensation. To calculate compensation, we broke respondents into three categories: Salaried Employees companies Freelancers Salaried employees who do freelance work on the side We further broke freelancer Work for Hire projects into: Large-budget Games Casual Core (Professionally produced, small scale games) Indie Respondents who listed compensation numbers of 0 were filtered out of all compensation charts, as were entries we determined to be obviously anomalous. For compensation questions, those who reported they were “hobbyists or aspirational” were also filtered out. For salaried employees, we report the annual salary, not including bonuses or other compensation (health plan, retirement, stock purchase/options, etc.) For freelance/contractors, in addition to total annual income from games, we asked respondents to give us what their compensation is on a per-project basis, not including any potential or realized bonuses/royalties, etc. All compensation information was requested in the participant's local currency and has been translated to U.S. Dollars. Note that not all numbers add to 100% due to rounding and because some apparently anomalous respondent data was filtered out. [1] “Mean” is the average: the sum of all numbers divided by the number of entries. “Median” is the ‘middle number’. There are as many salaries higher than the median as there are lower. The mean can be skewed by a small number of very high or very low values. Annual Income: Salaried Employees (non-freelancer): Average (Mean) Yearly Salary: $74,732 ($71,838 in 2016) Median Yearly Salary: $64,000 ($64,434 in 2016) Average (Mean) Years in Industry: 8.5 (8.6 in 2016) Median Years in Industry: 10 (10 in 2016) Salaried jobs in game audio again in 2017 have two main peaks, one at around 60,000, and one around 150,000. Higher salaries tended to be correlated with descriptions such as “management” or “Audio Director.” Annual Income vs Experience for Salaried Employees As expected, those working in the industry longer generally receive a higher total income, with the highest salaries (> $150,000) going to those with at least 8-12 years experience in the industry. Salaried Employees with Freelance Income on the side About 15% of Salaried employees reported earning additional freelance income on the side Average “On the side” income: $15,604 Median “On the side” income: $4,000 Note that “On the side” income is NOT included in the graphs above or in the average/mean salary numbers Annual Income: Freelancers: Average Yearly Salary: $69,848 (85,687> 50% income from audio) Median Yearly Salary: $25,000 (43,520 > 50% income from audio) Average Years in Industry: 7.25 Median Years in Industry: 5 Full-time freelancer game composers and sound designers in general had greater annual incomes than salaried employees. The very highest salaries were obtained by freelancers. Average annual income from a game audio freelancer was $69,848; $85,687 when excluding people who made more than half their income from non-audio activities (more than half income from a non-audio “day job”). As with salaried employees, freelancers working in the industry longer generally receive a higher total income. However the range of income varies much more than for salaried employees. The highest annual incomes were reported by freelancers. Because a few high-income freelancers make it difficult to see more typical incomes, we have included the graph above, but zoomed in to exclude incomes > $200,000. Note that the graph below SHOULD NOT be used when reporting on this survey, since it is only partially representative. It is provided simply to show greater detail in the sub-200,000 composer/sound designer income range. Salaried Employees by Gender The average and median salaries reported overall different by gender significantly. It should also be noted that women represented approximately 12.7% of those reporting; the smaller sample size may cause less accurate results. Numbers in parenthesis represent the 2016 numbers Salaries (Employees of Companies) for Game Audio by Gender Compensation: Freelance “Per Project” fee Per project fees charged for game music and sound design varied tremendously, from a low of zero, to a high of over 300,000. Large budget games of course dominate at the higher end, with Indie games clustered toward the low end. However, there are significant number of Indie games (self-funded, kickstarter, etc.) with per project fees rivaling those of Professionally Produced small scale/casual games ("casual core"). Compensation: “Per Minute” rates for Composers: 62% of respondents who provided income information also provided their “most typical” per-minute rate for music. Many of the respondents said they did not charge or calculate on a ‘per minute’ basis, or declined to provide their rate. As seen below, “per minute” music composition rates by freelancers varied with the scope of the game developed: 2/ Work and Environment Game Audio professionals are evenly split between freelancers and employees 41% replied that they were pure freelancers. However, 15% of those who worked as employees (either at a game company or an audio production house) reported earning additional freelance income on the side. These numbers are very similar to previous years. Almost 3/4 of game composers also do sound design The chart below shows what percentage of people who compose music for games also provide other services for games. Integration & Programming by Composers 54% (47% in 2016) of composers also did either integration work or some programming or both. 17% (15% in 2016) of composers also provided scripting or programming work 26% (30% in 2016) of composers also filled the role of “Audio Director” At least some “Integration” is done by 1 in 2 composers 54% (47% in 2016) of composers also reported using game audio Middleware; 40% reported doing Game Engine integration (Unity, UE4, etc.) Game Audio professionals are predominantly male 12.7% of all respondents were female (up from 10.4% in 2016) 36% of game audio professionals are currently working on a Virtual Reality Title Platforms include, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Playstation VR, Gear VR, Hololens and others 2a/ Work: Getting Gigs Like many other music/sound jobs, networking and referrals is one the largest ways game composers and sound designers found either their job with their employer or their last freelance gig. 19% obtained their job or most recent freelance gig through a job posting. 50.8 % were recruited or referred. Referrals and previous contacts remain significant ways to find new work. Important for freelancers, networking (via conferences, local events, and on social media) were frequently listed as the way they got their last contract or position. Other responses included: "Joined Q/A team," "random Craigslist Ad," "Agent," and "Just found them and asked if needed help." 3/ Contract Terms “Per unit royalties” are uncommon for the big titles 2.5% of composers of large-budget games reported receiving payment based on unit sales. For professionally produced casual, it increases to 6.2%, for Indie games it increases to 26% Soundtrack clauses are becoming more common, though still relatively low Only 6.7% of large-budget composers reported being eligible to receive some share of game soundtrack sales (from 5% in 2015). For indie games, this number is 37% (27% in 2016). Professionally produced casual games report only 8.7% of composers eligible for revenue from soundtrack sales. Sales Milestone Bonuses Sales milestone bonuses are fixed payments paid when game sales exceed a certain amount; the may be tiered. 16.5% of large budget games have bonuses for sales milestones 11% of professionally produced small games have sales milestone bonuses 13% of indie composers receive sales milestones bonuses “Work for Hire” for Freelancers** AAA Games Require “Work for Hire” 95% of music for large-budget, freelance games is created under Work for Hire. Only 5% worked as a freelancer and licensed their music to large-budget games. Professional Casual “Work for Hire” 81% of freelance composers reported music for professionally produced non-AAA games was composed under Work for Hire. Indie “Work for Hire” Freelance composers for “Indie” games reported 45% of music was done under a Work for Hire agreement, while 49% reported licensing their music to the Indie developer. **(Note that salaried employees who compose music or otherwise create content are, by definition, working under "Work for Hire", so their numbers are NOT included above) Large budget games more likely to register music with a PRO than smaller games For large budget games, 49% (35% in 2016)of music was registered with a PRO. For Professionally Produced casual games, 18% (23% in 2016) of music was registered with a PRO. For Indie games, 28% (unchanged from 2016) of music was registered with a PRO. Note that any game music may registered with the PRO, if the publisher (typically the game developer or publisher) so desires. 4/ Music Recording & Use of Live Musicians & Audio Middleware Most game music is performed by the composer alone, although slightly more than half large budget games are predominantly recorded by live musicians. Among all respondents who delivered music, the overwhelming majority of the music was created by the composer alone. 63% of music was delivered either as completely virtual or as virtual with any real instruments played by the composer personally. Among professionally developed large titles (AAA), 38% music is fully live or hybrid score. 41% of the music was created by the composer alone, 21% being created by the composer “virtually” with 4 or fewer live musicians to sweeten the score. Use of 3rd party Middleware FMOD and Wwise remain the most popular audio middleware, although other solutions such as Fabric, Elias and CRI are growing in popularity. Although Middleware usage was common in large budget AAA games, many AAA games use their own customized audio engine, rather than commercial game audio middleware. Indie games are as likely to use no audio engine at all as they are to use middleware. Note that "no audio engine" may either refer to the built-in audio engines in larger game engines such as Unity or Unreal, or may refer to to low-level systems where the programmer directly plays wav files. 5/ Education Almost ¾ of respondents reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher, just under ¼ reported having had some college or an associate’s degree; 19% reported one or more graduate degrees. (note: The chart below does not count those who reported <25% income from audio). Among salaried employees working in game audio, 54% have a degree in music or audio-related field; 14% have a computer or technical degree, while 13% received a degree in an area other than music or computer/technical. Education effect on Income It is difficult to draw conclusions on formal education’s impact on income. We report in two ways: first a simple average/median analysis, and then graphically. In each case, we also report numbers with the highest earner removed, since one or two unusually high earners can affect average numbers significantly. It should also be noted that when looking at the above numbers, the relatively small sample sizes for HighSchool/GED and “Associates Degree” make it easy for a small number of outlier points to have an outsized impact on the average and median results. To give a better picture of income as a function of education, we have charted income against education and years in the industry. The very highest incomes are generally achieved by those with Bachelor’s degrees or higher (Green and Purple), but not exclusively so. In addition, all “High income” (>$150,000) individuals had at least some college. It should be noted that when looking at the above numbers, the relatively small sample sizes for HighSchool/GED and “Associates Degree” make it easy for a small number of outlier points to have an outsize impact on the average and median results. Of note is that those reporting “Bachelor’s Degree or higher” tend to have the highest total income, although there is a significant clumping of lower-income Bachelor’s degree holders as well; this may be due to the large percentage (72%) with Bachelors+. 5a/ Entry Level Game Audio Jobs For those employees new to the industry, which we define as having reported 1 year of experience: Mean Year One Salary: $36,852 Median Year One Salary: $33,276 A high percentage (86%) of first year, salaried employees hold a Bachelors or Masters degree. In addition, almost 4 in 5 first year, salaried employees of game companies hold a degree in music or audio. 6/ Part-time game audio workers We also asked respondents what percentage of their annual income they make directly from working in the game industry vs traditional media or music production. Of the respondents, 66% reported games as 95% or more of their income, with another 15% reporting it is at least half. 39% of respondents also reported additional income from audio for traditional media. 31% of people reported earning between 25% and 75% of their income from game audio; 11 % reported earning 75% or more of their income from non audio sources (a “day job”) whom we (arbitrarily) designate as “people who do game audio part time.” The 2017 survey ran from June 15 to July 30, 2017 and was promoted via social media and other game or music industry web sites. We received 464 usable responses. In addition to compensation numbers, we wanted to see what some of the business terms and creative issues were current in game music and sound design. This year, we provided greater breakdown for professional status, with 3% reporting they were “hobbyist or aspirational.” These results have been excluded from the compensation calculations, except where as noted. A bit on statistical validity The 2017 Game Audio Survey, like any survey, has inherent limits and biases. These include, but are not limited to: The survey was publicized via social media and email networks and known audio groups and via some major music industry web sites. This may bias results towards the ‘more connected’ composers and sound designers in the industry. As noted, compensation questions were optional. for both men and women, just over 81% of respondents provided compensation data. A small number of very anomalous looking responses were all or in part discarded. This may result in pre-conception bias. A very small number of responses were not self-consistent. These were analyzed manually to determine intent. This may result in pre-conception bias. In order to increase participation, survey questions directly related to compensation were optional; as noted, approximately 90% of survey participants reported compensation data Some number of participants may have misrepresented their data or mis-interpreted survey questions. Thank you to the Game Audio Network Guild For assisting in the survey. Contact Brian Schmidt Executive Director, GameSoundCon info@GameSoundCon.com Facebook: Facebook.com/GameSoundCon Twitter: @GameSound #videogamemusic #sounddesign #musicproduction #recording #gamedevelopment #musicjobs

Tips for becoming a game music composer and getting a job as a game composer If you’re looking at making a career composing music for video games, you are probably thinking about scoring the next Destiny, God of War or BioShock. And those are certainly great gigs, developed by incredible companies spending tens of millions with teams of hundreds of ‘elite’ game developers and hardworking, super-talented composers. Land one of those, and you will be part of an awesome sound team, often made up of a dozen or more audio specialists: composers, sound designers, technical integrators, VO directors and managers and more. Your job will be to compose, and pretty much nothing else. However, those large-scale, large-budget games (“AAA” games), represent only a very small number professionally created video games each year. For every “Mass Effect,” hundreds of small, 2-50 person teams make games for mobile devices, Virtual Reality, PC’s and even the major game consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. And the team makeup for these is drastically different from the big AAA games; in particular there is little, if any specialization, especially for audio. These companies aren’t looking separately for a composer, a sound designer, etc for their game. More often than not, they are looking to contract a single “audio person” to handle all their game's audio needs. And here’s one of the lesser known facts about writing music for video games: What skills do game composers also have? According to the most recent GameSoundCon survey, almost 3 in 4 game composers say they also do sound design. In fact, they often are responsible for everything that comes out of the speakers for the game: music, ambiances, sound effects, voice over recording and sometimes even script-writing. In a small game studio, people are expected to wear many hats: programmers double as the "IT" team, game concept artists double as 3D modelers, the game designer doubles as "the game trailer person," etc. A game team of 5-10 is not going to have 2 or 3 working on audio. To best fit in with these teams, the “do it all” game composer/sound designer has a clear advantage over the person who only knows how to write music. If you say “sorry, I don’t do sound design,” they may reply, “sorry, we’ll have to get someone else.” According to the most recent GameSoundCon Survey data, more than 40% of non-AAA games had just a single person create all the audio content: music, SFX, VO recordings—the works. So, if you want to be a working game composer, here are tips to increase your employability for these smaller, yet still very serious and well paying, game companies by getting started in sound design. Take Sound Design Seriously This should go without saying. While it’s natural you that will be the most enthusiastic about your composing and music production, how well you do on the sound design will factor greatly in whether they use you again, or—worst case, they drop you mid-way through the gig. Chances are you will find that good sound design has challenges not dissimilar to composition or orchestration—figuring out how various sound elements work (or don’t work) with each other and combining sounds in compatible ways. You may even discover you enjoy using sound as well as music to help tell the story. Use your composition chops to your sound design advantage For many styles of games, many of the ‘sound effects’ can be more accurately described as ‘musical flourishes’ or fanfares. Think of a brass fanfare when you find a hidden treasure item, or a musical glissando when you collect an item. Far from diegetic game Foley that make up most AAA sound effects, these musical sound effects also must fit in well with the background music and other sounds. When quoting on games, I treat ‘musical sound effects’ differently from other sound effects, and charge more for them accordingly. (My rule is “if I can write it down on music paper, and is more than one instrument, it’s a musical sound effect”). Get a broad-based, professional sound library As with any other aspect of your game audio career, proper tools are essential. You should count on investing between $500 and $2,000 on a professional, broad-based sound library. Although it is tempting to pick and choose ‘one of’ sound effects off the internet as needed, having a local, fast indexed, general purpose library will increase your productivity by literally orders of magnitude. When a deadline is looming, you can’t afford to be wasting time google searching various ala-carte sound libraries online. Companies like Sound Ideas or Pro Sound Effects have excellent, broad-based sound libraries at a variety of price points. Create interesting, layered sound effects Very few game sound effects are simple recordings. To keep your sound design quality high, create interesting and unique composite sound effects by combining multiple individual recordings and using appropriate DSP effects (pitch shifting is especially useful!). Then, you won’t have your game producer say “hmm..that sound sounds familiar” if they recognize a particular explosion or car crash sound (yes, that happens more than you’d think). [even better is to learn to use the game audio design tools like Wwise, FMOD, etc to create complex composite and interactive/variable sound effects—we’ll cover that in a future post]. Look for a DAW with ‘sound search’ capability Your music DAW may or may not be the best for sound design. You want to be able to very quickly and easily search your 20GB sound library by keyword or description and be able to easily drag sounds from the library into your DAW. I originally bought Reaper just for its integrated media search engine. Later I discovered Reaper is an excellent DAW for sound design —I can almost instantly go from needing individual elements to make a complex sound effect to having several wave files populated in Reaper tracks. Reaper is also nice that it is inexpensive ($60 for nonprofessional use, $225 for professional use) and comes with a lot of very usable DSP effects. You can also install it on multiple computers without any dongle hassles. Buy an affordable portable recorder and acoustic mic shield No matter how good your broad-based sound effects library is, there will be times you need to record custom sound effects. A hand-held device such as a Zoom H4n makes it very easy to sounds which are more precisely tailored to the games’ specific needs. Hint: as you create your own sound effects wave files, tag them appropriately with descriptive words and put them where your DAW’s ‘sound search’ functionality can find them. A decent enough mic shield can be had for about $100, and is essential if you want to be able to record simple VO in your home studio. ...or considering partnering up with a sound designer If you really have no interest in doing sound design, consider partnering up with someone who does. Ideally, that person would be fluent not only in sound design, but also the specific game audio tools such as Wwise and FMOD Studio used most commonly by game developers. As an audio team, the game studio will still have just one point of contact (which they like), and the two of you will own the overall aesthetic. Many successful game audio outsourcing companies have started just this way. Owning the big picture One of the advantages of being both the composer and sound designer in a game is you directly own the complete aesthetic—During the parts of the game where you’ve created sound effects with a lot of low end (say explosions, earthquakes, etc.), you can keep the music free of bass sounds or low percussion. Not to mention the possibilities that lie in doing the sorts of coordination between music and sound effects found in games like Peggle Blast. These are the sorts of games whose composers/sound designers really stand out and win awards and are only achievable when game composers embrace their inner sound designer with both hands. So, as a composer who wants to do more video game composition, consider using your musical ear and stretching into sound design. In addition to finding it interesting and challenging, you may find it to be lucrative as well. Brian Schmidt is a 30 year veteran of the game audio industry and the Founder and Executive Director of GameSoundCon

Virtual Reality Sound Design, and its close cousins Augmented and Mixed Reality present some new challenges either not present or not as important in more traditional interactive media and games. By keeping in mind how our hearing system works under the hood, and understanding 3D sound perception's key elements--- delays, filtering, expectations and interaction with our other senses--- we can create more compelling and natural sounding VR audio soundscapes. Here are nine things to keep in mind when creating sound for virtual reality experiences. 1) Broadband sounds will localize better than narrowband The wider the frequency content in the original source, especially at high frequencies, the better the audio spatialization technologies will operate. This is because HRTF processing, which is at the core of most spatialization algorithms, filters the sounds particularly strongly at high frequencies (above around 6-8kHz). If there is no frequency content there to filter, the HRTF filters have nothing to ‘grab onto’, and the spatialization effect will be weaker, particularly for elevation/declination and front/rear effects. 2) Be wary of going against expectations! Because much of sound localization is learned, going against expectations can be dangerous. Both Microsoft and Google, for example, have independently stated that they have found it very difficult to process a “bird song” and have it robustly appear to come from below you, no matter what kind of processing they do. You can take “whitenoise.wav”, and process it to make it convincingly sound like it is coming from below. But if you take “birdsong.wav” and do the exact same signal processing, the bird will sound like it is above you. Why? Because in virtually all our human experience, bird sounds come from above you, and it is very difficult to override that preconception. In this case, expectations appear to override signal processing. 3) Don’t rely on the “spatialization processing” to do all the job of spatialization. Current day spatialization algorithms are very powerful, and can do a good job. But there is more to 3D hearing the “the big 4” (HRTF, ILD, ITD, reverb). Have a look at this three minute video, a demonstration of audio and visual changes as objects are near and far from the listener. Part of the reason we perceive the character's voice as being “far” is a) he is shouting and b) he is simultaneously relatively quiet. That is, a ‘far away’ voice isn’t just a near voice with a “far” distance effect applied, but is a complex interaction of the sound source itself, plus the environment it exists in and our learned expectations of the timbre of normal speech vs shouted speech and how loud we expect them to be. The nature of the sound itself is critical in determining its perceived distance. Even the best HRTF plug-in can’t do that. 4) Don’t go against visuals This is a refinement of the above point. Our hearing works in conjunction (not in isolation from) our other senses. If you create a mismatch between the aural location of a sound source and its visual representation, you create a conflict in the brain, which it will try to resolve, more often than not in favor of the visuals. 5) Use natural, rather than synthetic sound sources Much of our ability to properly localize sounds in 3D space around us is learned. We spend a lifetime learning what the tone of a human voice is like, what various environmental sounds sound like at various azimuths, elevations and distances. Because we localize sounds by detecting changes in frequency content, it is easier for us to recognize the position of sounds we are familiar with. 6) Use the visuals to your advantage You can use visuals to help augment the quality of sound localization. For example, if you see a jet flying towards you, and hear and see it fly past your left shoulder behind you, that will be a more robust “rear audio image” than placing the same static jet sound behind you. Note: using visuals is not ‘cheating’! Your brain is trying to make a single coherent picture of its world based on aural and visual (or other) inputs. Since it just saw a jet fly out of its field of view, it will do a very good job of making you think the jet still exists and is behind you. 7) Tread carefully when creating a gameplay mechanic that relies on audio spatialization accuracy It turns out that even in nature, we aren’t very good at determining the location of a sound in 3D space. (See this GDC video, starting at about 15:15 in for about 3 minutes). Since we aren’t exactly perfect in the real world, creating a gameplay mechanic which requires the player to use pinpoint sound location accuracy will likely result in a frustrating experience for the player. This is especially important because, since everyone’s ears are different, the same spatialization algorithm can sound vastly different to different people. I learned this the hard way when I created a simple iOS game that relied on 3D sound for its main gameplay mechanic. 8) Localization on the horizontal plane is much better than above/below Our ability to determine the position of a sound source varies greatly with where it is. We are the most precise on the horizontal plane, directly in front. We are the worst directly overhead. So if your game has sounds primarily on the same plane as the listener, you’ll get the best effect. By contrast, elevated sounds will be harder for a listener to locate with any accuracy. 9) It’s very difficult to properly judge 3D sound processing without head tracking One of the great advantages of Virtual Reality is that it finally allows us to include head tracking into the 3D audio processing. Head movements greatly assist with 3D audio perception, and is an extremely powerful addition, particularly for front/rear differentiation. So be wary of judging your 3D audio implementation in your DAW or running an application without actually wearing your VR/AR/MR device—the audio experience may be drastically different #virtualrealityaudio #VRsounddesign #VRaudio

We're happy to announce that Audio Director for EA/PopCap, Becky Allen will be the featured keynote speaker at GameSoundCon this year. (GameSoundCon will be held November 7-8, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA). Becky has been in audio and/or game audio for since 1994, where she was an Audio Lead for Microsoft. Since then Becky has worked as General Manager for Soundelux DMG, Director of Interactive Audio for Gametracks/Danetracks and most recently as a composer, audio producer and audio director at EA/PopCap. Becky received her MFA at California Institute of the Arts where she studied with Morton Subotnick. After graduating, she worked at Microsoft as Audio Lead, Sound Designer, and Composer on a variety of projects. She returned to Los Angeles and worked in business and production for Soundelux Design Music Group for 13 years. During her tenure there, she also continued working on her own music with artists such as Sharon Lockhart and Bill Viola. In 2012, she moved back to Seattle to work at PopCap Games where she is currently head of Audio for the Studio. Becky is also a Founding Member of AMP (Audio Mentorship Project) since 2017 I've known Becky for close to 20 years now, and in that time, I've been impressed by the very wide range of skillsets she brings to the fold, whether it's as a composer/sound designer or working the business side of the industry. I'm thrilled that she will be our keynote speaker this year! Thank you, Becky! I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say! Brian Schmidt Executive Director, GameSoundCon

Addendum to the Game Audio Industry Survey 2016: An Analysis of Income Differences Between Men and Women in Game Audio The 2016 Game Audio Industry Survey results found a significant discrepancy in both median and average incomes between male and female respondents. The average male income reported as consistently higher than the average female income. We felt these results warranted a deeper analysis and discussion.This follow-on to the Game Audio Industry Survey attempts to dig deeper into this discrepancy. High-level Summary of Results: A greater percentage of women reported income from game audio (10.4%) than prior years (7% in 2015, 3.5% in 2014) Even after accounting for the lower average number of years of experience in the game audio industry, women make less than men The difference in total income is equivalent to approximately 2.1 years of experience; That is, the ‘cost’ of being female in game audio is approximately the equivalent of having 2.1 fewer years of experience in the game audio industry. First the good news: This year saw a continued increase in the percentage of female respondents to the Game Audio Industry Survey. 61 of the 587 usable responses were by women (10.4%); this is up from 7% in 2015 and 3.5% in 2014. However, the 2016 Survey suggested a gender-based discrepancy in incomes and salary, showing women earning less than men in game audio. We wanted to see if the discrepancy was indeed a factor of gender, or was a byproduct of some other factor. As we noted in the main survey, although the reported incomes of women were lower than those of men, women also had fewer years of experience in the game industry. And since years experience in game audio was shown to have a significant correlation with salary and income, perhaps the fact that women in game audio reported fewer years of experience in game audio might be among the reasons for the difference. To determine if this was the case, we hired professional statistician, Dr. Mary Siegrist, PhD from IMSA Consulting to analyze the raw data. We specifically commissioned a statistical analysis to determine what amount of the difference in income, if any, was attributable to gender and what might be due to other issues such as education or number of years’ experience in game audio, sampling error or other factors. We asked to consider three different types of respondents: All respondents, considering their total income (freelance or salaried income, including any 'on the side' income of employees of game companies or audio contracting houses) Salaried employees only (not including any ‘on the side’ income they might earn) Full-time freelancers First, we asked for a more thorough statistical analysis to verify our prior finding that "years in the game audio industry" has a statistically valid impact on total income. The analysis verified that for both salaried and freelancers: “Total Income has a positive correlation with Years in Game Industry, which means that the longer you work in the gaming industry the more likely your income will also increase.” Given the verified relationship between income and years of experience in the industry, variance analyses were performed to determine if the income difference between men and women could be attributed to the differences in experience. The analyses concluded: "There is sufficient evidence to determine that gender has a correlation with total [game audio] income earned. Females earn less than males regardless of the length of time working in the game industry." The difference in income was then quantified, with the result: “The cost of being female is 2.15 years of experience. However, females never do catch up males.” Analysis of Salaried Employees and Freelancers Note that for all analyses, we removed respondents who reported that more than half of their income was from non-audio sources (aka their ‘day job’) and also filtered out any total annual compensation < $1,000. This was to remove any hobbyists or ‘aspiring’ respondents from the analysis, or for whom 'game audio' is not their primary income. 1) All Respondents (Full-time Freelance and Salaried, including ‘on the side’ income by salaried employees) We looked at “total merged income” which is the sum total of any salaries paid to an employee plus any freelance income these employees had on the side, or the total amount of freelance income (if the person was a pure freelancer). The analyses showed a statistically significant correlation between gender and income earned; women make less than men, even accounting for differences in experience. “Total Merged Income has a positive correlation with Years in Game Industry, which means that the longer you work in the gaming industry the more likely your income will also increases. Correlation was significant, r = .513, p < .0001. Gender has a negative correlation with Total Income, which means that gender plays a role in total income regardless of the number of years in game industry. In this study females earn less than males. Correlation was significant” There is a demonstrated statistically significant difference between genders and total income earned, F(1,427)=9.553, p=.002. Females (n=48) average total income was $45,469.27 and Males (n=381) average total income was $75,615.68. 2) Salaried Employees; Salary Only We also looked specifically at Salaried employees only, removing any full-time freelancers and also any “on the side” income reported by the salaried employee. The analyses showed a statistically significant correlation between gender and income earned; women make less salary income than men, even accounting for differences in experience. Total Salaried Employee Only Income has a positive correlation with Years in Game Industry, which means that the longer you work in the gaming industry your income also increases. Correlation was significant, r = .580, p < .0001. Gender has a weak negative correlation with Total Salaried Employee Only Income, which means that gender plays a role in total income, but that there may be variables that have a stronger impact. The females earn less than males in relationship to this study. Correlation was significant, r = -.151, p -= .009. There is a demonstrated statistically significant difference between genders and total salaried employee only income earned, F(1,297)=6.921, p=.009. Females (n=32) average total income was $52,716.41 and Males (n=266) average total income was $75,131.68. Females average total income was higher than total income (including freelance income) for females. Males average total income was similar with total income (including freelance income). 3) Freelancers Only We finally considered Freelancers only. Here the results show no significant correlation between gender and income. Freelance income differences between men and women could be due to factors other than gender Total Freelance Only Income has a positive correlation with Years in Game Industry, which means that the longer you work in the gaming industry your income also increases. Correlation was significant, r = .489, p < .0001. Gender has a weak negative correlation with Total Freelance Only Income, which means that gender plays a role in total income, but that there are other, factors which could have a stronger impact on the income difference. Using a significance level of .05 (also referred to as alpha), there is no statistically significant difference between gender and total income earned. Correlation was significant, r = -.160, p -= .068. There is no statistically significant difference between genders and Total Freelance Only Income earned, F(1,130)=3.384, p=.068. Females (n=16) average total income was $26,750.00 and Males (n=115) average total income was $69,667.64. Females average total income is lower than Males average total income, however the difference between genders is not statistically significant using an alpha of 0.05. All Respondents Data It is helpful to view compensation of all respondents graphically by gender (Freelancers and Salaried, including ‘on the side’ income, including all respondents). Note that this includes all respondents who reported their income, except those explicitly calling themselves 'hobbyists or aspirational.' Education: Finally, we looked to see if the difference in gender income was due to differences in education level. There was not a significant relationship between respondents’ gender and their level of education. In addition, somewhat surprisingly, when asked to consider the effect of education on income, the conclusion was: “There is no statistical significance between Education Levels and Income [Freelance or salaried]” It should be pointed out (as noted in the Game Audio Industry Survey), however, that 95% of respondents engaged in game audio had at least some college; 72% had graduated with Bachelors degrees or higher. Summary Although there is certainly good news in the increasing participation of women in game audio, even accounting for number of years experience, there is a clear discrepancy in the compensation rates between men and women; a "Gender Gap" exists in game audio. In addition, the highly compensated and very highly compensated women are significantly underrepresented. It should be noted that in the survey, any questions on compensation were optional; this was done to maximize survey participation and increase accuracy in other areas of the survey. 483 of the 559 non-hobbyists, non-0-income respondents provided their compensation, including 51 women, salaried and freelancers; 16% of total female respondents (10 of 61) declined to provide compensation information. It is also important to note that there may be causes beyond those which were analyzed that caused the results in the findings presented. The type and format of the survey render it difficult to make any definitive case whether the discrepancy in compensation is systemic (gender bias) or is an artifact of the survey itself. Among possible causes are: Women are paid less than men, systemically (Gender bias) Highly compensated women were less likely to report their income than highly compensated men Men were more likely to exaggerate their income Women were more likely to underestimate their income Some other unknown bias or artifact of the survey itself However, given the data provided by the respondents, statistical analysis showed a clear correlation between gender and income. The amount that women make less than men in game audio is the equivalent of just over two years of experience in the game audio industry. Analysis Footnotes: Analyses are performed in 3 steps: First an analysis is done to see if there is a relationship between # of years in the game audio industry and income (First bullet point). Next, a two-tailed Pearson correlation is performed to determine the strength of the correlation (if any) between gender and income (second bullet point in the analyses). 'Then an ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) is done to determine if the correlation is due to gender and not sampling error or chance (third bullet point in the analyses) Calculation of “cost of being female in years experience” analysis done using ANOVA with a post-hoc Bonferroni. Although fewer women than men participated in the survey by a 9:1 ratio, a Levenes Test for Equality of Variances test was performed. The Levene’s test was significant, p = .012 which means equal variance for each group and then the equality of means was significant, p = .002, also evidence that the results can be trusted. Limitations of the Survey Format The 2016 Game Audio Survey, like any survey, has inherent limits and biases. Although the survey attempts to obtain an accurate picture of the industry, from those working in the industry, it may not be fully representative of the industry as a whole. Some potential issues include, but are not limited to: The survey was publicized via social media and email networks and known audio groups, and via some major music industry web sites. This may bias results towards the ‘more connected’ composers and sound designers in the industry. A small number of very anomalous looking responses were all or in part discarded. This may result in pre-conception bias. A very small number of responses were not self-consistent. These were analyzed manually to determine intent or discarded. This may result in pre-conception bias. In order to increase participation, survey questions directly related to compensation were optional. Some number of participants may have misrepresented their data or misinterpreted survey questions. Thank you to the Game Audio Network Guild for assisting in the Survey Contact: Brian Schmidt Executive Director, GameSoundCon info@GameSoundCon.com Facebook: Facebook.com/GameSoundCon Twitter: @GameSound

The Game Audio Industry Survey tracks compensation, working conditions, contact terms and production information for the video game music and sound industry. Originally designed to provide a more detailed look into the industry than Gamasutra’s annual salary survey, the Game Audio Industry Survey has grown into the most comprehensive analysis of game audio business and production issues. The goals of the survey are to collect information which: Reflects both the freelancer and employee aspects of our industry Covers the range of games produced, from AAA to Indy. Is relevant to the industry The 2016 survey ran from May 15 to June 30, 2016 and was promoted via social media and other game or music industry web sites. We received 587 responses. In addition to compensation numbers, we wanted to see what some of the business terms and creative issues were current in game music and sound design. This year, we provided greater breakdown for professional status, with 4% reporting they were “hobbyist or aspirational.” These results have been excluded from the calculation of median and mean compensation, except where as noted. New for 2016 are questions covering Income Breakdown by Gender Total Compensation for Freelancers Correlation with experience/years in the industry Use of Union musicians and voice actors A Difficult to Define Industry: Because the game industry (and therefor game audio) is such a wide and diverse business, we broke things down into three main categories: Large Budget Games. These are your typical console or well-funded PC titles. These games are available at retail, and also may be downloadable. Think "HALO" Professionally produced casual games. These are smaller scale; smaller budget games than the “AAA” large budget games, but nonetheless are professionally developed, produced and marketed. Think "Plants vs Zombies" Indie games. These are smaller scale games, which are often self-financed or financed through non-traditional means such as kickstarter. Of course it is impossible to draw a sharp line between the three categories outlined above. Nevertheless, we believe it serves as a useful distinction so that we’re not comparing the compensation from a blockbuster like Call of Duty with that of a part-time, 2-person dev company making an iPhone game in their basement. Format of Survey Reporting 1/ Compensation 2/ Work and Environment 3/ Contract Terms 4/ Use of Live Musicians & Middleware 5/ Education 1/ Compensation: Game Audio is a highly diverse field, and as a result has a lot of variation in compensation. Although it is convenient to talk about “average” game audio compensation (and we will report that as the “mean”)[1], the median and compensation distribution may be more meaningful, which we present in graphic histogram form. Note that all compensation numbers are guaranteed compensation, do not include any kind of bonuses, royalties, stock awards, etc, which are reported on separately. In order to maximize participation in other areas of the survey, the question on compensation, which some are hesitant to report in a survey, was optional. 106 of the 587 respondents (18%) declined to answer the question on compensation. To calculate compensation, we broke respondents into three categories: Salaried Employees companies Freelancers Salaried employees who do freelance work on the side We further broke freelancer Work for Hire projects into: Large-budget Game Work for Hire Casual/Indie Work for Hire Respondents who listed compensation numbers of 0 were filtered out of all compensation charts, as were entries we determined to be obviously anomalous. For compensation questions, those who reported they were “hobbyists or aspirational” were also filtered out. For salaried employees, we report the annual salary, not including bonuses or other compensation (health plan, retirement, stock purchase/options, etc.) For freelance/contractors, in addition to total annual income from games, we asked respondents to give us what their compensation is on a per-project basis, not including any potential or realized bonuses/royalties, etc. All compensation information is in U.S. Dollars. Note that not all numbers add to 100% due to rounding and because some apparently anomalous respondent data was filtered out. [1] “Mean” is the average: the sum of all numbers divided by the number of entries. “Median” is the ‘middle number’. There are as many salaries higher than the median as there are lower. The mean can be skewed by a small number of very high or very low values. Annual Income: Salaried Employees (non-freelancer): Average (Mean) Yearly Salary: $71,838 Median Yearly Salary: $64,434 Average (Mean) Years in Industry: 8.6 Median Years in Industry: 10 Salaries again in 2016 have two main peaks, one at around 60,000, and one around 150,000. Higher salaries tended to be correlated with descriptions such as “management” or “Audio Director.” Annual Income vs Experience for Salaried Employees As expected, those working in the industry longer generally receive a higher total income, with the highest salaries (> $150,000) going to those with at least 8-12 years experience in the industry. Salaried Employees with Freelance Income on the side Almost 25% of Salaried employees reported earning additional freelance income on the side Average “On the side” income: $9,430 Median “On the side” income: $4,309 Note that “On the side” income is NOT included in the graphs above Annual Income: Freelancers: Average Yearly Salary: $42,117 (58,291 > 50%) Median Yearly Salary: $9000 (20,000 > 50%) Average Years in Industry: 7.25 Median Years in Industry: 5 Freelancers reported a lower average and median annual income than salaried employees. However, the very highest salaries were obtained by freelancers. Average annual income from a game audio freelancer was $42,117; $58,291 when excluding people who made more than half their income from non-audio activities (“day job”). Annual Income vs Experience for Freelancers As with salaried employees, freelancers working in the industry longer generally receive a higher total income. However the range of income varies much more than for salaried employees. The highest annual incomes were reported by freelancers. Salaried Employees by Gender The average and median salaries reported overall different by gender significantly. For salaried game audio professionals, average salaries for women were 73% that of mens' salaries; the median was 69% that of mens'. It should be noted, however that the average and median number of years in the industry also differed. As noted earlier, there is a clear correlation between compensation and number of years in the industry. It should also be noted that women represented approximately 10% of those reporting; the smaller sampling of women's salaries may cause less accurate results. However, those issues notwithstanding, these results prompted us to look into the data more deeply, which will be presented in a followup posting. Salaries (Employees of Companies) for Game Audio by Gender Compensation: Freelance “Per Project” fee Per project fees varied tremendously, from a low of zero, to a high of over 250,000. Large budget games of course dominate at the higher end, with Indie games clustered toward the low end. However, there are significant number of Indie games (self-funded, kickstarter, etc.) with per project fees rivaling those of Professionally Produced small scale/casual games. Freelance Per Project Fee (USD) by game type Compensation: “Per Minute” rates for Composers: 62% of respondents who provided income information also provided their “most typical” per-minute rate for music. Many of the respondents said they did not charge or calculate on a ‘per minute’ basis, or declined to provide their rate. As seen below, “per minute” music composition rates by freelancers varied with the scope of the game developed: 2/ Work and Environment Game Audio professionals are evenly split between freelancers and employees 41% replied that they were pure freelancers. However, 16% of those who worked as employees (either at a game company or an audio production house) reported earning additional freelance income on the side. 3/4 of game composers also do sound design The chart below shows what percentage of people who compose also provide other services for games. Integration & Programming by Composers 47% of composers also did either integration work or some programming or both. 15% of composers also provided scripting or programming work 30% of composers also filled the role of “Audio Director” At least some “Integration” is done by 1 in 2 composers 47% of composers also reported using game audio Middleware; 40% reported doing Game Engine integration (Unity, UE4, etc.) Game Audio professionals are predominantly male 10.4% of all respondents were female (up from 3.5% in 2014) 34% of game audio professionals are currently working on a Virtual Reality Title Platforms include, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Playstation VR, Gear VR, Hololens and others 2a/ Work: Getting Gigs Like many other music/sound jobs, networking and referrals is one the largest ways game composers and sound designers found either their job with their employer or their last freelance gig. 17% obtained their job or most recent freelance gig through a job posting. 47% were recruited or referred. Referrals and previous contacts remain significant ways to find new work. Important for freelancers, networking (via conferences, local events, and on social media) were frequently listed as the way they got their last contract or position. 3/ Contract Terms “Per unit royalties” are uncommon for the big titles 7% of composers of large-budget games reported receiving payment based on unit sales. For professionally produced casual, it increases to 10%, for Indie games it increases to 28% Soundtrack clauses are becoming more common, though still relatively low 18% of large-budget composers reported being eligible to receive some share of game soundtrack sales (from 5% in 2015). For indie games, this number is 27%. Professionally produced casual games report only 8% of composers eligible for revenue from soundtrack sales. Sales Milestone Bonuses Sales milestone bonuses are fixed payments paid when game sales exceed a certain amount; the may be tiered. 5% of large budget games have bonuses for sales milestones 11% of professionally produced small games have sales milestone bonuses 14% of indie composers receive sales milestones bonuses “Work for Hire” for Freelancers** AAA Games Require “Work for Hire” 97% of music for large-budget, freelance games is created under Work for Hire. Only 3% worked as a freelancer and licensed their music to large-budget games. Professional Casual “Work for Hire” 85% of freelance composers reported music for professionally produced non-AAA games was composed under Work for Hire. Indie “Work for Hire” Freelance composers for “Indie” games reported 45% of music was done under a Work for Hire agreement, while 55% reported licensing their music to the Indie developer. **(Note that salaried employees who compose music or otherwise create content are, by definition, working under "Work for Hire", so their numbers are NOT included above) Large budget games more likely to register music with a PRO than smaller games For large budget games, 35% of music was registered with a PRO. For Professionally Produced casual games, 23% of music was registered with a PRO. For Indie games, 28% of music was registered with a PRO. Note that any game music may registered with the PRO, if the publisher (typically the game developer or publisher) so desires. 4/ Music Recording & Use of Live Musicians, Union & Audio Middleware Most game music is performed by the composer alone, although slightly more than half large budget games are predominantly recorded by live musicians. Among all respondents who delivered music, the overwhelming majority of the music was created by the composer alone. 63% of music was delivered either as completely virtual or as virtual with any real instruments played by the composer personally. Among professionally developed large titles (AAA), 38% music is fully live or hybrid score. 41% of the music was created by the composer alone, 21% being created by the composer “virtually” with 4 or fewer live musicians to sweeten the score. Live Musician Budgets 20% of games where music was delivered had a budget specifically to hire live musicians. The mean budget was $44,961 with a median budget of $7,500. Use of Unions in Game Audio The use of members of SAG/AFTRA for Voice Over work in games is significant, but not totally ubiquitous. 30% of games reported using SAG/AFTRA Voice Over talent in their projects The use of members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) is rare. 1.8% of all respondents who delivered music reported they used AFM musicians. Counting only games which used live (non-composer) musicians, 3.8% used AFM musicians. The average budget for live musicians for AFM recorded games was $154,166. Use of 3rd party Middleware FMOD and Wwise remain the most popular audio middleware, although other solutions such as Fabric, Elias and CRI are growing in popularity 5/ Education Almost ¾ of respondents reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher, just under ¼ reported having had some college or an associate’s degree; 19% reported one or more graduate degrees. (note: The chart below does not count those who reported <25% income from audio). Education effect on Income It is difficult to draw conclusions on formal education’s impact on income. We report in two ways: first a simple average/median analysis, and then graphically. It should be noted that when looking at the above numbers, the relatively small sample sizes for HighSchool/GED and “Associates Degree” make it easy for a small number of outlier points to have an outsized impact on the average and median results. To give a better picture of income as a function of education, we have charted income against education and years in the industry. The very highest incomes are generally achieved by those with Bachelor’s degrees or higher (red circles), but not exclusively so. In addition, all “High income” (>$150,000) individuals had at least some college. It should be noted that when looking at the above numbers, the relatively small sample sizes for HighSchool/GED and “Associates Degree” make it easy for a small number of outlier points to have an outsize impact on the average and median results. Of note is that those reporting “Bachelor’s Degree or higher” tend to have the highest total income, although there is a significant clumping of lower-income Bachelor’s degree holders as well; this may be due to the large percentage (72%) with Bachelors+. A bit on statistical validity The 2016 Game Audio Survey, like any survey, has inherent limits and biases. These include, but are not limited to: The survey was publicized via social media and email networks and known audio groups and via some major music industry web sites. This may bias results towards the ‘more connected’ composers and sound designers in the industry. As noted, compensation questions were optional. for both men and women, just over 81% of respondents provided compensation data. Since surveys with higher numbers of respondents are generally considered to be more accurate, the small number of female respondents (61) compared with overall respondents (587) may mean that numbers for female compensation is less accurate than for the survey overall. A small number of very anomalous looking responses were all or in part discarded. This may result in pre-conception bias. A very small number of responses were not self-consistent. These were analyzed manually to determine intent. This may result in pre-conception bias. In order to increase participation, survey questions directly related to compensation were optional. Some number of participants may have misrepresented their data or mis-interpreted survey questions. Thank you to the Game Audio Network Guild For assisting in the survey. Contact Brian Schmidt Executive Director, GameSoundCon info@GameSoundCon.com Facebook: Facebook.com/GameSoundCon Twitter: @GameSound #videogamemusic #sounddesign #musicproduction #recording #gamedevelopment #musicjobs

There is a common thread that sometimes runs around composer’s groups, whether on Facebook, forums, blogs or other real or virtual communities of composers. It goes something like this: “Work for Hire is EVIL. Never compose under Work for Hire. Doing so forfeits the rights to your music, and by doing so you’re losing out on all the income that music can produce for you over the years.” Before we discuss the wisdom of that philosophy as a media composer, let's talk about the TV game show, Deal or No Deal. In case you don't know the show, the rules are simple. There are 26 briefcases, each containing a different amount of money ranging from $0.01 to $1,000,000. No one knows how much is in each briefcase, but most contain less than $1000. A contestant picks one briefcase out of 26 and it is set aside. A mysterious person known as “The Banker” offers the contestant money for their briefcase at various times during the game, and the contestant decides whether or not to accept the offer and hand over the briefcase (“Deal”) or to reject the offer and keep their briefcase (“No Deal”). The best way to get the gist of the game is to watch a few minutes of it: It's bizzarely addicting... That’s all nice, you’re thinking. But what on earth does this have to do with composing music for video games or film and “Work for Hire?” When you are asked to compose for media under a Work for Hire (WFH) agreement, you are being offered money upfront for the current AND potential future income of the music you compose. Here's the rub.. You have no way of knowing what future income that music might generate—just as the player in Deal or No Deal has no idea how much money is in their briefcase. And, just as in the game, someone is offering you money, guaranteed, on the spot, for that music. You now have a choice: Take the Deal and 'give away' your music, or say "No Deal" to the gig. While it can be emotionally satisfying to 'keep your music', focusing on music ownership can place too much emphasis on some distant, future potential income at the expense of building your career. For better or worse, the vast majority of ‘music for media’ (games, film, TV, etc.) is composed as Work for Hire. According to the Game Audio Industry Survey 2015, 97% of large-budget game titles’ music was composed under WFH, as well as almost three quarters of smaller games. Most movie scores are as well. So if you are interested in a career composing music for media, handing over the rights to your music in a Work for Hire agreement is something you need to become comfortable with. I've written music for somewhere around 140 games and with only one exception, it's all been "Work for Hire." If you want to earn a living composing music for games or other media, you have to be careful about focusing too much on “the tail” (hypothetical future income), instead of “the dog” (your composing career). It may be much better for your career long term to focus on the gig, taking The Banker’s offer and start composing some great music, and not worrying "gosh, if the game is a huge hit, and I had kept ownership, I'd be making tons of money!..I'll get screwed!" Are there situations where you SHOULD keep ownership of the music you are asked to write? Certainly. If you are dealing with an independent developer/producer and they have little/no budget, you can negotiate keeping the rights. Though even then, there may be cases where the best thing is to simply do the gig, create some great music, make some contacts, and move your career forward. It is important to remember that not all Work for Hire contracts are created equal.When you are given a WFH agreement, read it carefully and NEGOTIATE. A good WFH contract will let you do at least some of the following: Guarantee you public credit as composer in the end product Register your music for any potential PRO payments Allow participation in soundtrack sales or other ancillary uses Give you the right to use the music on your web site/demo reel Allow you to use the product name/logo on your web site and demo materials Provide 'right of first negotiation' for sequels Provide for additional payment for sequels Hire musicians under a separate budget So don't just sign a WFH automatically--there are still items to be negotiated, even in a WFH contract; "Work for Hire" doesn't have to mean "bad deal." Contestants on "Deal or No Deal" end up so focused on what might be in their briefcase, the completely lose track of what they actually are being offered. Psychologists who have studied the show say it's because contestants imagine their briefcase to contain a million dollars, so they easily reject $50,000 for it. But what if they instead imagined their briefcase contained $1,000? Or a penny? Or $25,000? Suddenly that same $50,000 doesn’t seem like such a bad offer. Don't get so obsessed with the "What if's" and "I'll get screwed's" of Work for Hire that your career spins in circles. Get out there, don't be hesitant to sign a (good) Work for Hire contract, and get composing. So… When you are offered a great game or film gig, but they require you 'give away your music' under a Work for Hire agreement, what will it be… Deal?..... Or No Deal? Postscript: Why do companies require “Work for Hire?” “Work for Hire,” isn’t inherently evil, and doesn’t exist solely to allow giant corporations to screw over composers. When creating the copyright laws, congress—for better or worse—realized that some types of creative works, particularly those involving significant collaboration, would be unmanageable if every single contributor maintained a bit of ownership in the final product. (http://www.copyright.gov/history/studies/study13.pdf). 1960: “(If copyright were vested in the numerous team members, third persons wishing to use the entire work would find it cumbersome to deal with all of the employee-authors. Moreover, it is with respect to such works that the contribution of the employer in assembling the group, furnishing the facilities and directing the project is especially significant.” So for many types of collaborative works including “a motion picture or other audiovisual work,” the notion of Work for Hire allows a single entity to own the end product. It also helps to look at things from the game developers (or director’s) perspective. As we know well, music can be a powerful branding tool for a game, film or TV show. Music, like other aspects of the property, can be immediately evocative of the feelings, mood and title. Companies may spend millions developing that brand. Now suppose hypothetically, there were one element of the game (the music) which you as a company didn't have any control over—the composer owns the music because it was not composed under "Work for Hire." In that case, there’s nothing to stop the composer from licensing it for a movie trailer. Or a Cartoon Network show. Or a bathroom tissue commercial. Or a propaganda film. You get the idea. So it's reasonable that a game maker or film producer would want to ensure that didn't happen.

A recent article by MSN made me do a double take. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Music Directors and Composers experienced the second fastest job growth in the US over the past 10 years. In the past decade that category experienced a job growth of a stunning 154.1%, second only to “Service Unit Operators, Oil, Gas and Mining.” The MSN article went on to state that school budget cuts may hinder future growth, noting that many “music directors and composers” are employed by elementary schools and high schools, and implied the huge growth over the decade was fueled by this area. Except that it clearly wasn’t. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, from 2003 to 2013 the number of elementary and secondary school teachers increased only 1%. That is compared with the 154% increase in the number of composers and music directors. Even the most arts-friendly school board couldn’t hire that many music teachers. No, the job growth had to come from somewhere else. So where are all the new composer jobs coming from? A deeper analysis of the same BLS data shows a different and far more likely source than a (sadly non-existent) giant increase in the number of school music teachers. The MSN article, taken from a report from 24/7 wall street, made its findings by analyzing employment for different job categories in 2005 and comparing it with employment figures for 2014, a decade’s worth of growth. And indeed, the number of Music Directors and Composers jumped significantly during that time from approximately 8,600 in 2005 to 22,000 in 2014. That 154% increase over the decade put the category right up there with Oil Engineers, which is why it made it made the news. But a more thorough analysis of the data shows something significant. For that analysis, we went to the same source as MSN, the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (bls.gov), specifically the Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. There, we didn’t look at just the endpoint years of 2005 and 2014, but at each individual year in that 10 year period. What we found was stunning: For several years, the number of composing jobs remained relatively flat (though with an interesting increase in 2001/2002), with some steady job growth from the late 1990’s up to 2008. Starting in 2008, however something changed. In the 3 years from 2009 to 2011, the number of composing jobs jumped by over 15,000. It’s as if someone suddenly decided “hmm, the US needs thousands of more composers!” What happened? What caused that sudden jump in demand (and jobs) for “Composers and Music Directors?” You can thank Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, and perhaps even Bill Gates. That’s because of what they did in July 2008 and May 2007 respectively. And what did these tech titans do to add to composer employment? They opened of Apple’s AppStore and the Facebook Application Developer Program. Those events (and others in the game industry) changed the video game industry almost overnight. Mark those on the graph and you see something striking: Do you remember when there was no such thing as an “app?” It’s hard to believe they’ve only been around a few years. Now of course, apps are everywhere with millions of apps on the app store. And a huge percentage of apps are games. Games need music, and who else to create music for these games than composers. By some estimates every day over 500 new games are added to the app store. The overwhelming percentage of those games have music, which is more often than not supplied by a composer writing specifically for that particular game or licensed. Around that same time, Facebook gaming took off, with Zynga creating an entirely new genre of game, the social game through its mega hit, Farmville. Hundreds of millions of new gamers started trading with each other, making farms, building cities, battling each other or trying to crush more candy than their friends. People were hungry for games, which opened up the market for tens of thousands of new game developers to make and sell their games. Simply put, those game developers found themselves in need of composers to write music for their games. Ok, so there are lot of new jobs for composers. But perhaps all those new Composer jobs are really bad— after all, composing a couple songs for a little iPhone game hardly pays as much as composing music for a blockbuster video game like Destiny. But according to the same BLS data, the median salary for composers from 2007-2014, increased somewhat from $53,970 to $55,230. A typical iPhone game requires much less time from the composer to complete, so that composer is now free to work on many more games even if they make less for each game individually. In fact, a study by SoundCon showed the median salary for video game composers to be higher than the BLS data, with a median salary of $63,000, putting game music composers on the high end of the salary range for Composers and Music Directors. Of course, it is important to remember that correlation isn’t necessarily causation. There could be some other, unknown reason why in the late 2000’s there was such a large increase in the number of composer jobs. But the timing of the increase, coincident with the earthquake-like change in the video game industry makes a very strong case for causation. And it makes perfect sense. The app store (and later Google’s equivalent), and the rise of mass platforms for casual and social games bred tens of thousands of new game developers, resulting in a large increase demand in music for video games. Will this trend continue? There does seem to be a recent leveling off in demand as the game industry continues to evolve. And as with any job in the music business, composing for games can be fiercely competitive. That said, the BLS still forecasts that because of “openings due to growth and replacement needs” more than 24,000 new Music Director or Composer jobs will be created by 2022. And you can bet a big chunk of those will be composing music for video games. Brian Schmidt is Executive Director of GameSoundCon