Martyn Ware, a founding member of Heaven 17, has revealed that Rockstar Games has reportedly offered the band $7500 to use the band’s song ‘Temptation’ in Grand Theft Auto 6.
According to Ware, the company proposed a buyout of $7,500 to use the track in the game. Ware shared the news on his social media, explaining that he was initially excited when his music publishers reached out on behalf of Rockstar.
“I was recently contacted by my publishers on behalf of Rockstar Games regarding the possibility of using Temptation on the new Grand Theft Auto 6. Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email re the offer…”
Well, this is where he quickly turned to disbelief when he found out that the offer was a flat $7,500 in exchange not only for the rights to the song, but also any future royalties under the same deal.
To respond to this, Ware pointed out how Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, grossed an astounding $8.6 billion to date, which is why he thought the offer is devalued. For that, he said: “IT WAS $7500 – for a buyout of any future royalties from the game – forever… To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto 6 (he meant GTA 5) grossed, wait for it… $8.6 BILLION… Ah, but think of the exposure… Go fuck yourself.”
IT WAS $7500 – for a buyout of any future royalties from the game – forever…
To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto 6 grossed, wait for it…
$8.6 BILLION
Ah, but think of the exposure…
Go fuck yourself
— Martyn Ware 🦉 (@martynware) September 7, 2024
The music industry has long debated the issue of “exposure” versus fair compensation. While appearing in a game of this caliber can certainly give a song a boost in visibility, artists argue that exposure alone is not enough, especially when they are contributing to a project with such large financial returns.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is already a blockbuster title… even though it hasn’t released just yet. So, how would this turn out to be for future deals? We’ll have to wait and see…
