Musicians, even those just entering the gaming industry field, are finding an increase in the average salary. If you are a musician, director, composer, or audio engineer, with six years of experience, you will have a programmers salary. A programmer makes $88,000 a year with six or more years experience.
Audio Types
Sound Designers/Engineers
The starting salary is $50,000. Over three years of experience, you will make $66,000 annually. Once a Sound Designer, or Engineer has reached six years of experience, they will make $74,000 a year.
Musicians/Composers
The starting salary is $55,000 per year. When you have been working three to six years, your salary will increase to $62,000. Over six years experience will give you $90,000 a year. The highest salary known so far, for a musician in the video game industry is $215,000 per year.
Breaking Into The Industry
So, I can see you all drooling-especially those of you who are doing live performances for a few dollars. How do you start making real money as a musician? O.K., you’re gonna hate this, it’s easy to get in. That’s right, all you have to have is the education and perseverance. The thing is the more experience you obtain the more dollars you will make. Can you imagine telling people that you make a living playing games? That’s not work, it’s fun! I can hear you asking me, how do you “really” start an audio career in the video game industry? Well, it’s however you choose. Each person who breaks in does it their own way.
1. Know how to use your computer. That is a really big one. You not only have to know how to compose and record the music, and send the files, you have to folly the company’s requirements that you are working for-sound code requirements.
2.Keep Plugging Away. If you’re a musician, you should already be “always” writing music. It’s important to prepare for the opportunity. Needless to say, you should have a website that can promote you 365 days a year.
3. Immerse Yourself In The Industry. That means hanging out at conferences, mingling and talking to people. One conference is the Game Developers Conference, you can find out all about it by visiting www.gdconf.com/ Talking to people-and sometimes, you never know who you are talking to, will get to further along in your game career.
Once you have landed a job, the time for having the music game ready can take as much time as immediately or up to a year. You will get something like a Beta version of the game to give you an idea of what it is like. Working as a composer/musician is working for hire. Never, ever work for free. There are quite a few companies who will love to own your work and give you nothing in return. Professionals, don’t work for free unless they are doing something charitable. When it’s your living that’s concerned, always get paid. You can get paid hourly, by the minute, flat rate, salary or royalty. Royalties are better, because you get a percent of every sale that’s made.
When you work for hire, the company owns the copyright, but you always keep the writers performance rights. If you are not a part of a performing rights organization, ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you need to become affiliated immediately. Doing this can get you royalty payments from anyone who licenses your music, meaning ,motion pictures and television.
Here are some websites that can put you in the right direction for an audio career in the video game industry.
www.adigitaldreamer.com/video-game-design-information.htm
www.gamejobs.com
www.gamecareerguide.com/forums/index.php
