Games music is an underexploited asset - Streamline

Publishers are failing to make the most of game soundtracks, missing the opportunity to sell popular themes and original recordings to fans, according to Streamline Studios.

The developer launched its new music venture in February last year, offering publishing via CD and download sales, as well as distribution, licensing and composition services.

"If you think about how much music is made in the games industry, the investment that goes into it compared to general game budgets is about 2-4 per cent, it's pretty small," said Streamline Studio's Daniel Kozlov, in an interview published today.

"But at the same time big publishers who have so many IPs have libraries of stuff that's just sitting there not doing anything. Some people love that music - I remember the Heroes of Might & Magic series had beautiful music, some of which was licensed, some was original, but I was wishing I could download the tracks, but I couldn't find them anywhere online," he added.

"That's exactly where a company like this comes in and offers to put that library online, which is virtually cost-free, and even if you only have five hundred people buy it you'll probably break even. It just makes so much sense."

Streamline has managed artists for games such as WipEout Pure and Forza Motorsport 2, with Kozlov suggesting a service such as Streamline Sound is also a good way for music artists to enter the lucrative vidoegames market.

The full interview with Kozlov, where he discusses the company's approach to co-developing videogames, can be read here.