inmostlight
12-28-2008, 07:42 AM
Every week it seems like there's another story about how rock musicians are making more money and getting more exposure from video games than from radio or television. The New York Times has a story (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/arts/music/28schw.html) today about how classical composers, musicians, and symphonies are also now finding the field respectable and profitable.
Besides the money they earn from the record sessions and potential increased sales of their work, it's also something the composers may enjoy more than scoring traditional sources:
Mr. Schyman, whose score for BioShock also includes Penderecki-like sound clusters and aleatoric elements, said the game’s developer, Irrational Games, urged him to create something unique because it didn’t want a “Carmina Buranaesque” score. He said that while television and film producers often want ambient music, software companies “are craving strong statements.”
“Which,” he added, “is fantastic for the composer.”
One negative that the article mentions is that while game soundtracks are common place in Japan, only a few games have their scores released in the western market.
Besides the money they earn from the record sessions and potential increased sales of their work, it's also something the composers may enjoy more than scoring traditional sources:
Mr. Schyman, whose score for BioShock also includes Penderecki-like sound clusters and aleatoric elements, said the game’s developer, Irrational Games, urged him to create something unique because it didn’t want a “Carmina Buranaesque” score. He said that while television and film producers often want ambient music, software companies “are craving strong statements.”
“Which,” he added, “is fantastic for the composer.”
One negative that the article mentions is that while game soundtracks are common place in Japan, only a few games have their scores released in the western market.