GAMES: THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONGS

Q&A with Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music for Electronic Arts Games, one of the world's largest interactive software publishers.

Describe the state of the video game industry today?

The video game industry earned $9 billion in 2003 and is growing aggressively. Today, video games are bigger than radio. Games are bigger than music television. And video games are even bigger than domestic Hollywood boxoffice ticket sales. Thirty-two years after the first electronic blips of Pong, video games — and the music we can deliver within them — are becoming one of the most essential cultural forces of our time.

Who is playing these games?

Currently, 60% of all North Americans and 40% of all Europeans play video games. The average gamer is 28 years old. Americans will spend more time playing video games this year — about 75 hours on average — than watching rented videos and DVDs. The percentage of last year's college students who had ever played video games was 100%. One-third of gamers are women, and young audiences consistently rank video games and the Internet above TV on the importance scale. According to Jupiter Research, 95% of teenage boys play video games. Yet another study reports that boys 5-12 years old are now spending more time playing video games than they are playing with traditional toys.

How has gaming impacted the way people discover new music?

The popularity of gaming has expanded the way the world hears music. A recent poll of core gamers ages 13 to 32 revealed that 40% learned about a new artist after hearing a song in a video game. One third went out and purchased that artist's CD. An average of 2.5 people play each sports game sold and the game is played an average of 50 hours per player. On the game software, songs rotate and are identified on screen at least twice each hour. Our Madden 2005 game is projected to sell between six and seven million units. That means that any given song in that game will be heard and identified well over 700 million times.

What does your job entail?

My role is to pursue, create and continuously develop the international vision for music in our games. I began my career as a musician in bands, became part of the original programming team at MTV and have more than 20 years experience in radio promotion, A&R, music marketing and as a music supervisor for movies. My staff comes from similar A&R and marketing backgrounds. We've formalized in-game music under the name ‘"EA Trax" and set the industry standard for fair licensing, label cross-promotion and artist involvement. Most importantly, we've changed our relationships with the recording and publishing industries from a 'buy-sell relationship' to co-marketing partnerships. From the music we license to the music we co-create, the possibilities for new revenue opportunities are limitless.

How do you choose the music for your games?

All EA game music is specifically designed to maximize the emotional lift needed to create even greater gameplay experience. The music must be so fresh and creative that not only does the gamer discover their favorite new band and song through the game, but hearing the music will always remind them of the great time they had playing the game. The songs we select are geared to make you want to run faster, jump higher and throw longer.

That's where partnership comes in: breaking new artists is all about good music, good marketing and good timing. EA seeks unique mixes of music for each and every title. The sound of Madden compared with the sound of NBA LIVE or Battlefield: Vietnam is different. Even titles like Medal of Honor, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Sims are scored like major Hollywood blockbusters. Choosing the music for each and every game is an intensely focused process. We work with record labels, publishers and artists often more than a year in advance to ensure that, for every EA game, the music will matter.

How much music do you use from undiscovered artists?

Currently, more than 95% of the music in our games comes from new bands. For EA, any sports game with a year in the title must point the music forward. Everyone shares a common goal in that we must always be on the cutting edge of new music and new trends. We want to break new artists and bring career artists to a whole new level. We can create an interactive environment where new artists, hit singles, international soundtrack phenomena and more will emerge exclusively from video games. And because nearly all the music in EA games currently comes from new acts, we are constantly creating new revenue opportunities for developing writers and artists, their labels and their publishers alike.

Have any of your games helped launch any artist's career?

In less than two years, labels have seen their artists' songs become an integral part of an artist's set-up, development and continued growth. The evidence is beyond tangible; Epic Records credits Madden 2003 as being instrumental in the breaking of Good Charlotte. Avril Lavigne was first introduced to European audiences through FIFA 2003. JET got their American iPod commercial based on exposure in Madden 2004.

Over the past two years alone, superstars like OutKast, Avril Lavigne, Radiohead, Christina Aguilera, Kings Of Leon, Jermaine Dupri, Nelly, Jimmy Eat World, and literally hundreds more have become an enthusiastic part of EA games.

What does the future hold for gaming and music?

The number of CD buyers who have bought digital music has more than tripled so far in 2004. Now, consider on-line gaming: of the 186.4 million console games sold in the U.S. last year, more than 23 million were web-enabled for online playing. The next generation of systems will absolutely re-set the bar for both entertainment and technology in our lifetimes. Combine the possibilities of remarkable new hardware, new software, widespread broadband access and legally downloadable music. Now, imagine a world where 80% of the global population can be instantaneously exposed to new music via games, with the power to purchase literally at their fingertips. EA is currently creating the programs and partnerships that will make it a reality.

Licensing Songs for Video Games