Game Changers: How Video Games Are Transforming the Music Landscape

This series of Playable Futures articles examines how the invention, skills, individuals, and concepts related to video games are shaping and impacting the broader world.

The growing convergence of music and video games has become a near-obsessive topic of conversation across both industries in recent years. From famous artists taking prominent roles in triple-A titles to placement on FIFA playlists starting to compete with Spotify in attracting new fans, opportunities are plentiful.

At the same time, the music industry is largely guided by frameworks established long ago, such as the prevailing licensing model and the traditional album and single release structure. The potential for many more collaborations between music and video games is significant; however, until recently, the legacy conventions of the past arguably hindered progress.

This was a crucial aspect in the minds of Alex Tarrand and Oleg Butenko as they began to formulate their vision for Styngr, a gaming-focused blend of music industry collaboration and technological platform. The co-founders identified a chance to modernize the ecosystem linking music and video games.

“Music [has] this legal structure that’s been established for a long time and it doesn’t really match the pace or needs of game developers.”

“We were observing how the potential intersection of music and games wasn’t being fully explored, and we recognized that the outdated model of music licensing wasn’t efficient for most games,” explains Tarrand, COO of Styngr. “That is how it was, and how it continues to be to some extent. However, changes are underway, and they are necessary.

“Video game developers, in essence, are software creators. Software companies need the ability to move quickly, integrate with APIs, or utilize a code library like an SDK for marketing or analytics. They are accustomed to rapid integrations and iterative processes. Yet, when it comes to music, there exists a legal framework that’s been in place for ages – some of it dating back to the Motown era – which doesn’t align with the speed or requirements of game developers. We aimed to transform that.”

By 2020 – the very year that 12 million fans flocked to a Travis Scott concert hosted within Fortnite – Tarrand and CEO Butenko had established Styngr, which self-identifies as the technology and development branch of major and indie music labels.

Styngr now provides game developers and studios with an effective, streamlined means to integrate both major and independent music into video games, while offering artists and labels increasingly dynamic, even customized strategies to engage with fans. It operates as a partnership between major rights holders from the music world, featuring a variety of passthrough licensing facilitated through a bespoke technological platform, contrasting with traditional sync and licensing models.

“If you’re a game developer, we probably appear to you as ad tech, at least in principle,” Tarrand clarifies. “But instead of sending you ads, we deliver music. On the backend, our architecture resembles that of a DSP. You receive the same level of usage reporting, marketing insights, and also royalty payments and structures that can be itemized. Additionally, we now offer a blanket licensing structure. So, if you’re a platform – perhaps a gaming platform or a platform-like game – and you need to handle numerous licenses, you can simply leverage what we offer, making the process truly straightforward.

“With the passthrough licensing model, you can import anything from radio feeds and playlists to tones and snippets within your game environment, and offer them as microtransactions, subscriptions, or have brands sponsor them for various uses. We’ve developed many features that are thoroughly tailored for games, focusing on presenting music in a way that resonates with both games and their players.”

Tarrand expresses great enthusiasm and insight when envisioning a future where music enjoys newfound freedom through its integration in video games. He imagines a world where the auditory elements of video games are increasingly tailored, and where music enhances the well-established tendency of individuals investing effort into expressing their identity and personal brand in games as they create.

For decades, music has shaped popular culture. Generations of youth have crafted their identity, style, ethos, and expression around music-led subculture, from punks and mods to ravers and goths. This phenomenon is now similarly present in video games, although music has not played a prominent role until now. A transformation is on the horizon that could completely reinvent the conventions of the music medium.

“Until lately, we haven’t observed much sonic parallel to individuals utilizing skins to signify their online identity,” Tarrand confirms. “While there has consistently been a wealth of great music in video games – and video games have historically served as a platform for music discovery – we see games like the new Tony Hawk titles leading the way, and now NBA2K excelling at that. However, the personalization of connecting gamers with music will deliver so much more.

“What do you want to listen to while playing a game? What do you want other players to hear from you? We’re already witnessing audio emotes gaining popularity. They sell, and now they are part of this movement of individuals expressing their identity within games. If suddenly those emotes could be a brief snippet of Post Malone saying ‘goodbye, goodbye, goodbye’, or you play a snippet of Lizzo loudly declaring ‘It’s thick 30’, that initiates a major shift for music.”

“Perhaps the ultimate influence of games is transforming how music is perceived and engaged with by audiences, and the methods by which it’s delivered.”

The Styngr team has recently unveiled their latest product for Roblox, known as Boombox. Inspired by nostalgic memories from the 90s of people gathering on their porches with cassette players, sharing their latest musical discoveries, Boombox recreates that experience in Roblox. Players can carry a virtual ghetto blaster with them, unleashing a stream of music as they move around.

This represents a significant shift: where once music was imposed upon players, an