Heaven 17 v Rockstar: are games being fair to music artists?

The band's Martyn Ware has hit out at the fee offered for Temptation in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. But as music becomes ever more central to gaming, the sums get complicated

The 1983 song Temptation by Heaven 17 is an undisputed classic of the synth pop era, a glacial paean to sexual tension denied the number No 1 spot only by the sheer might of True by Spandau Ballet. So how much should it be worth to a video game publisher in 2024? That's the question many asked when Heaven 17's Martyn Ware recently tweeted about a licensing offer from Rockstar to use the track in Grand Theft Auto VI. IT WAS $7500 [5,600] - for a buyout of any future royalties from the game - forever," he typed. To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto 6 [sic] grossed, wait for it... $8.6 BILLION. Ah, but think of the exposure... Go fuck yourself."

The thread went viral and Ware was inundated with reactions, ranging from support to bewildered chastisement. Ware later clarified that the figure he gave was his share of a $22,500 payment to the whole band; industry experts waded in pointing out that the record label would also need to be paid, bringing the total offer up to a possible $45,000. Would that be fair for a song that may just feature on the GTA radio stations? GTA V featured 240 tracks on release and now has more than 400. As one industry insider told me about the Heaven 17 offer, you multiply that by a few hundred and you've got the biggest ever music budget for a video game."