GamesActionGrand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto 6Literal rock star tells Rockstar ‘go f*** yourself’ over measly GTA 6 offerWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionGrand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto 6Literal rock star tells Rockstar ‘go f*** yourself’ over measly GTA 6 offerWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Martyn Ware is one of the greats of electronic music. He may not be a household name, but you’ll certainly have heard of two of the bands he co-founded: the Human League and Heaven 17. Ware’s a composer, songwriter, music programmer, has a list of production credits as long as your arm, and of course has been involved in the creation of several global hits.
“It was $7500—for a buyout of any future royalties from the game,” said Ware, though later clarified that this was his cut as one of three co-writers. “$7500 each for 3 writers—Still utterly unacceptable.”
So the offer was $22,500 upfront, but with the caveat that Ware and his co-writers would forego any future royalties from the use of the song in the game. You might well be thinking that 20-odd grand doesn’t sound too bad, but Ware puts this in the context of Grand Theft Auto 5grossing $8.6 billion. “Ah, but think of the exposure…” writes Ware: “Go fuck yourself.”
Temptation (Remastered 2006) - YouTubeWatch On
Temptation (Remastered 2006) - YouTube
Temptation (Remastered 2006) - YouTube
“I haven’t ‘fucked up’”, says Ware, responding to someone who said he had. “I’ve worked in artist rights' advocacy for 20 years. I know the game. This is iniquitous.”
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Ware also addressed the “exposure” argument again, pointing out that an extra one million streams of the song “generates each writer a pitiful $1k each.” In response to someone saying Rockstar’s offer would be better than nothing, Ware simply says “get off your knees.”
Ware may well be in the right, and musicians should be thankful he’s opening up a conversation around royalties in Grand Theft Auto: $22.5K might be a typical song licensing fee for something used in a cutscene or boss fight, but the way those games use licensed music is effectively the same as radio stations. Heaven 17 get a royalty payment when their song is played on IRL radio stations: why shouldn’t it get one when that same song is played in a videogame? They wrote and performed it, after all.
Rockstar Games does not deal with criticism all that well, especially when it’s made public like this. The upshot of this is likely to be silence, and Grand Theft Auto 6 releasing without any Heaven 17 tracks in it. Who knows, this could even mean no Human League. Either way, it’s a sad day for fans of Vladivostock FM.
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