TAXI.com

Hey all,

I've been wondering for a while now if TAXI publishes listings for games. Game soundtracks are what initially got me interested in music when I was young, but strangely I haven't really pursued the field as a composer that hard.

Has anyone here worked in the industry or had placements in games? If so, what has been your experience in the industry?

I recently finished a portfolio of game music that I'm proud of, but I'm not really what to do next with it. Any ideas on how to present my work and/or find game collaborators?

Here is my portfolio, if anyone is curious (constructive feedback welcome): https://riffkitten.com/music-for-film-tv-games

Thanks in advance! I thought I read somewhere that the video game industry is even bigger than film (is that true?)

Andrew

Andrew,
I have never seen a TAXI listing from a game developer.
I am a member of two game development teams. Both are still in the infancy stage, so potential revenue is far in the future.

Hi David,

Thanks so much for your response - I appreciate it.

My hunch was that maybe Taxi hasn't had many game listings because of the special compositional requirements for adaptive gameplay.

Good luck with your game projects in development!

Andrew

Have you checked out platforms like Unity Asset Store and Unreal Marketplace which allow composers to sell music packs directly to developers ?

Yes, they've ran many listings for video games through the years - though, admittedly, I don't often check for them and I've been a member for 16 years now. So, I have no idea how long it's been since I've seen one. But they HAVE popped up in the past. These usually won't be "scoring" jobs where you're writing custom music for the game. Rather, they'll be listings where your song might be a selection a person could make while driving a car (think "Grand Theft Auto") and they can cycle through the car's radio station. Things like that.

I've landed a placement on a video game myself, through a publisher I write regular old instrumental TV cues for. It came with a license fee of $1,500 (I think) and no backend.

Many publishers / libraries will service video game developers as well if they have the manpower and wherewithal to chase it. So, a wise course of action for you if you really want to pursue this video game path would be to write TV cues, get them forwarded, and get them signed (I know, I know, that's a lot of lofty steps right there). When a library makes contact with you, let them know that you'd really like to make game music and see if they service that part of the industry, or maybe they even have advice for you on how to get "in" and who to contact. It's possible!

~~Matt

I haven't seen many video games listings in recent times. But Matt makes a good point that writing Film/TV cues and making contact with a lot of libraries could be helpful. Many of the same libraries that pitch Film/TV cues, may pitch for games. So, other Taxi listings can still be applicable. Also, this is an area where you should do some research on your own and find ways to market your work.

Good luck
Casey