Releasing game soundtracks

[Python Blue]

Apologies if this is the wrong forum for this.

Anyway, as a game musician wannabe, I've been especially curious as to the process of commercially releasing game soundtracks, and when it's felt necessary. As a game soundtrack appreciator, I remember being disappointed by virtually all soundtracks not containing every single composition used in the game, the biggest disappointment in that context being the Riven soundtrack. Is it for the sake of squeezing things onto one CD, or are there other reasons?

I'm also curious as to everyone's thoughts for commercially releasing music meant for a game mod. I hope to do such with an upcoming Amnesia custom story, but I don't want to do anything iffy in order to finally get music sales.

What are your thoughts, those of you who write music?

[MetalRenard]

My view:
Make it commercially available and if they want it they'll buy it. I don't think it's too complicated. :P

[KasperKalamity]

i personally cannot listen to game music outiside of playing a game. it's meant to enhance the scene of the whatever you're playing, and it doesn't work well as background music for me. unless it was some type of OC Remix, where it's MADE to be listened to on a 10 hr car trip, then it works quite well.

[MetalRenard]

Hehe that's the thing, it depends how it was composed. Most good composers, it doesn't matter where you hear the music, you can listen to it anyway. Also there are a ton of people who love to listen to music from games/films etc.

[Taylor]

Game soundtracks are practically all I listen to. Part of this is because I "am a gamer", the other part is the largely popular pop music having grating lyrics.

I think limits on game soundtracks come down to the musician's choices. I seem to recall the Kingdom Hearts series has some sort of 5 disc compilation. Meanwhile Silent Hill 2 had several soundtracks as it went through the "official soundtrack", a "complete soundtrack", unreleased tracks, and then everything else.

I'm pretty sure you're okay with releasing a soundtrack for even a game mod, just as one could release a soundtrack for a theoretical game or a remix album. However I am not sure about the details around arrangements or reused riffs in commercial stuff. Like for example, if your soundtrack uses parts of the source's soundtrack, soundfonts excluded.

[Python Blue]

Oh? So game mod music can be commercially released? I remember starting a similar thread on moddb.com, where at least one of the responses implied otherwise.

As for listening to game music, a lot of it, such as the aforementioned Riven soundtrack, I personally consider the new ambient music. It actually did exist already thanks to art rocker and producer Brian Eno. It's the cinematic music, especially movie soundtracks, where it becomes hard to determine whether it can easily be listened to without the visuals.

And thanks, Taylor, for addressing my question about soundtrack limits. Course, personally, I feel the musician's choices should only apply to soundtracks over an hour in length; their fans matter, too.

Weird part is, there are some soundtracks that COULD fit onto an entire CD. The first Myst soundtrack, for instance, left out two pieces from the game, and even with the three bonus tracks in their place, the CD is little more than 40 minutes!

[Taylor]

Well, I have no idea. I don't know if the mod itself can be commercially released (though there must be some...), but I don't see why a soundtrack can't be? As a soundtrack, it works as a separate product. What were moddb's reasonings?

[Python Blue]

I don't think they gave any reasonings that didn't better apply to the mod the music is for, actually. Personally, I doubt there ever will be a game mod that will be released commercially, with the possible exception of Amnesia custom stories, Amnesia editing tools being the only evidence of Frictional Games' HPL2 engine, and apparently, the poster chose to extend this to any original music as well.