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Heaven 17 frontman Martyn Ware has revealed that Rockstar Games approached him with a paltry offer of $7500 to license his song “Temptation” for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.
The offer, which would have involved a permanent buyout of any future royalties from the game, was met with swift and scathing rejection from Ware.
Taking to Twitter, Ware expressed his disbelief at the proposed sum.
“Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email re the offer… IT WAS $7500 – for a buyout of any future royalties from the game – forever… To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto 6 grossed, wait for it… $8.6 BILLION,” Ware tweeted.
However, it’s important to consider the broader context of music licensing in the gaming industry. While Ware’s demand for a more substantial fee is understandable, it’s also worth noting that many artists are willing to accept lower rates for the exposure and potential sales boost that come with being featured in a popular game.
Typical licensing deals for music of this caliber can range from $1k to $100k, with most agreements lasting between 3 and 7 years. For permanent usage, musicians would typically expect a five-figure sum, even for less popular songs. Furthermore, music royalties are generally unheard of in the gaming industry.
Moreover, the scale of music licensing in the gaming industry is significant. Grand Theft Auto V, for example, featured an impressive 441 tracks of licensed music. If Rockstar Games had offered the same $7500 fee to every artist, the total cost for the game’s soundtrack would have exceeded $3 million. This suggests that the company’s offer to Ware, while low, was not entirely unreasonable given the overall market rate for such licensing deals.
Ware’s public rebuke of Rockstar Games has sparked widespread discussion online about the fairness of such offers and the value placed on music in the gaming industry.
