GXM Podcast (Games X Music) – Details, episodes & analysis

Licensed music has always played an important role in video games, and the ways in which licensed music can be integrated into games are constantly evolving. Vickie Nauman founder and CEO of consultancy and advisory firm CrossBorderWorks, joins us to discuss the biggest trends impacting music in video games and the growing relationship between major record labels and video game studios. 

News - 00:03:02

Interview - Vickie Nauman - 00:38:33

Done in 60 Seconds (recommendations) – 01:15:04

In the news… 

• Via BBC, Grand Theft Audio? The tricky business of music and gaming

• Via IGN, Upcoming Alan Wake Update Will Remove David Bowie's Space Oddity From the Soundtrack, Replace It With a New Original Song 

• Via MusicBusinessWorldwide, Roblox launches music charts and partnership with DistroKid at Roblox Developer Conference 

• Via ABC, How Final Fantasy maestro Nobuo Uematsu legitimised video game music

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠   

Twitter — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was released on the PlayStation 25 years ago today, no one could have known the impact it would have on not just skate culture, but music culture too.

What started as low expectations for an extreme skateboarding game went on to become one of the best-selling video game franchises at the time, with estimated sales of more than 30 million.

In an era where there was no YouTube and no Spotify, the soundtracks in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games introduced a generation of young and impressionable kids to ska, punk-rock, rap, hip-hop, heavy metal and hardcore, while catapulting the careers of bands that featured in those soundtracks such as Goldfinger and Suicide Machine.

To celebrate the epic milestone of the series, we're joined by Scott Pease, who spent 15 years at Neversoft as Studio Development Director, overseeing the development of nine THPS games.

We talk about Pease's epic career journey, the foundations of the THPS series, the relationship between music and skate culture, and how the series' soundtracks shaped the music tastes of an entire generation.

How much should film and TV adaptations of video game franchises honour the source material? And how closely related should the music be between original and adaptation? The success of Amazon’s Fallout TV series, which was viewed by more than 65 million people within two weeks of launching, is the latest game adaptation to win over both fans and newcomers alike. But would it still feel like Fallout without those familiar radio songs and nods to Inon Zur’s award-winning score? 

News - 00:08:44

Topic: The soundtracks of Fallout and video game adaptations - 00:31:43

G.O.A.T. round-up (Final Fantasy VII Main Theme) - 01:05:27

In the news… 

• Via NME, ‘Fallout’ TV series causes music streams to double 

• Via VGC, K-Pop Star BIBI releases an official Stellar Blade song (300k) ahead of the game’s release on Apr 25.

• Via Thesixthaxis, Dead Island 2’s new expansion So LA is built around a music festival

• Via PocketTactics, The Sounds of Monopoly Go celebrates first anniversary with Bon Jovi 

• Via Fortnite, FORTNITE FESTIVAL SEASON 3 FEATURES BILLIE EILISH! 

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠   

Twitter — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

We speak to the prolific, expert mastering engineer Joe Caithness who has worked on over 200 video game soundtrack releases across vinyl, digital, CD, cassette and even MiniDisc! Although there are numerous technical challenges and processes involved in mastering, at the end of the day it’s the fan listening experience — tinted by nostalgia — that matters most.

News - 00:08:00

Topic interview - 00:31:28

60 Seconds recommendations - 00:52:00

In the news… 

• Via PocketGamer, Brawl Stars collabs with YouTube’s most-viewed video Baby Shark

• Via Inverse, Crypt of the NecroDancer’s Surprise Update Turns Hatsune Miku Into A Monster Slayer

• Via Yahoo, VALORANT: Riot Games collaborates with Japanese girl group XG for VCT Pacific theme song 'UNDEFEATED' 

• Via X, Trouble for Tommy Tallarico?! 

• Via PocketTactics Become the new Slipknot member with iconic masks in Dead By Daylight

• Via eminempro, Eminem Makes Unexpected Chart Entry With “Fortnite Radio” Vinyl

• Via MixMag, WIPEOUT: THE STORY OF THE WORLD'S FIRST RAVE-INSPIRED VIDEO GAME 

Listen to… 

• Tactical Action by Kenji Hiramatsu in Xenoblade Chronicles 3  

• Demon's Souls Remix - Abandoned by God by Alex Roe 

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠   

Twitter — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

GXM #23: What is a video game needledrop? With Kenny Vaughan

Mat & Tom ponder: does Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have music implementation issues? Then Kenny Vaughan of the ‘Between Music & Gaming’ newsletter joins us to establish a loose definition of ‘needledrop’ and how they can work within video games. We chat through some notable examples of the different types (non-diegetic vs. diegetic, covers, bespoke songs, etc.) in games including BioShock: Infinite and the Red Dead Redemption series.

Kenny's newsletter: betweenmusicandgaming.substack.com

News - 00:10:27

Topic interview - 00:37:03

60 Seconds recommendations - 01:33:38

In the news… 

• Via VGC: Final Fantasy music legend Nobuo Uematsu thinks modern ‘movie-like’ game music is uninteresting

• Via Direct: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack and the limited ~ Special edit version ~ will be available April 10th

• Hi-Fi RUSH is now available on PS5

• Via NME: Billboard charts will now count music played in ‘Roblox’ - Billboard later denies

Listen to… 

• “Nana-Nan Damacy (Hardfloor Remix)”

• “Plains” from Farthest Frontier by Steve Pardo

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — gxmpodcast@gmail.com   

Twitter — @gxmpodcast | @tquillfeldt | @matombler

Instagram — @gxmpodcast

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

Tom talks to campaigner Mark Robins (also a PR Manager at Bethesda) who, over 10 years ago, successfully launched video game music almost to the pinnacle of radio station Classic FM’s Hall of Fame (top 500 classical pieces.) Is video game music legitimised these days? What else might we campaign for in the pursuit of popularising VGM?  

News - 00:03:05

Topic introduction - 00:20:45

Topic interview - 00:22:12

60 Seconds recommendations - 01:00:20

In the news… 

• Via NME: Composer Bear McCreary announces new album featuring Slash, Corey Taylor and more

• Via Kerrang: Avenged Sevenfold release immersive virtual reality concert through Amaze VR Concerts 

• Via VGC: Final Fantasy music legend Nobuo Uematsu doesn’t think he’ll ever compose a whole game again

• Via Spark Chronicles: Lit Killah releases song inspired by League of Legends

• Buy tickets to the upcoming Beyond the Console concert. 

Listen to… 

• Ouji Saint from Ultros composed by Oscar Rydelius 

• Sound of the Wind (Final Fantasy Chronicles) performed by Floor Jansen & Metropole Orchestra 

NOWPLAYING is now on Patreon and his monthly selections are now mixtapes published as a podcast on major DSPs! You can check all the good links on https://nowplaying.cool  

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — gxmpodcast@gmail.com   

Twitter — @gxmpodcast | @tquillfeldt | @matombler

Instagram — @gxmpodcast

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein
Classic FM Hall of Fame Final Fantasy VII Aerith's Theme via Time2LevelUp on YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSG3ZKlrx34

Video game vinyl collector and community maven Frederik Lauridsen AKA Blip Blop joins us to share the results of his annual poll.

Which VGM vinyl releases did fans love for their sleeve artwork? What were the favourite AAA, indie and retro releases of 2023? And did the Super Lesbian Animal RPG vinyl rank highly? 

00:05:20 - News

00:25:41 - Topic introduction

00:26:58 - Topic interview - Video game vinyl collectors 2023 poll ft. BlipBlop

01:28:36 - 60 Seconds recommendations

In the news… 

• Via NME: The New Tekken 8 Anthem Features D Double E and Fumez 

• Via Eurogamer: Support for Rock Band 4 is Ending 

• Via NME: Star Wars ‘Jedi Survivor’ Wins Grammy for Best Game Soundtrack 

• Via BlipBlop: Favourite Video Game Soundtrack Releases of 2023 - Reader’s Poll 

• Buy tickets to the upcoming Beyond the Console concert. 

Listen to… 

• The GIANTS concept album featuring Mega Man 2's Takashi Tateishi with Mega Man 3's Harumi Fujita and Sonic Mania's Tee Lopes + many more from Brave Wave Records 

• Civilization VI Symphony Live from Korea 

• Nintendo Live’s The Legend of Zelda concert and Splatoon concert. 

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — gxmpodcast@gmail.com   

Twitter — @gxmpodcast | @tquillfeldt | @matombler

Instagram — @gxmpodcast

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

We’ve reached episode 20! Hooray! And we can’t think of a better way to celebrate another 10 episodes in the bag than by inviting back IGN’s creative strategy lead and VGM expert, Anthony Agnello, for GXM’s Alternative Video Game Music Awards. 

We brainstormed our own weird and wonky categories celebrating video game music (mostly) released in 2023, from the ‘Best Remake Soundtrack Award’ and ‘Spiciest VGM Take of 2023’ to ‘I Quit ‘Coz This Soundtrack’s Too Damn Long’ Award’ and ‘Guiltiest VGM Pleasure of 2023’. 

In the absence of a news section for this episode, expect laughs, tears, and mountains of video game music trivia. We hope you discover something new to listen to, and shout-out to all of the amazing musicians that made 2023 a banner year for game music. 

Check out: 

• Pierre’s Now Playing Newsletter and Radio show

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — gxmpodcast@gmail.com   

Twitter — @gxmpodcast | @tquillfeldt | @matombler

Instagram — @gxmpodcast

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

Music has the power to bring people together, and video game music is no different!

Melanie Fritsch, author and junior professor of game music and cultural studies at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, joins us to explain why hundreds of academics and game music fanatics travel from all over the world to discuss and dissect video game music every year, what these meet-ups tell us about the power of music fandoms surrounding video games, and the fascinating link between club culture and video games.

00:14:22 - News

00:24:20 - Topic introduction

00:25:48 - Topic interview - 

00:59:20 - 60 Seconds recommendations

In the news… 

• Via Pitchfork, The Best Indie Video Game Scores of 2023

• Via VGC, Pokemon DLC features an Ed Sheeran song remixed by Undertale dev Toby Fox 

• Via VG247, Bandai Namco announces Elden Ring concert in UK following sell-out France date 

• Via Naughty Dog, The Last of Us Part II Remastered's Guitar Free Play mode

Listen to… 

• Justin Bieber 800% slower

• White All Around Us by Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenoblade Chronicles 2) 

• Esto Gaza [Winter Remix - Unknown] by Nobuo Uematsu 

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — gxmpodcast@gmail.com   

Twitter — @gxmpodcast | @tquillfeldt | @matombler

Instagram — @gxmpodcast

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

We discuss Fortnite launching a racing game, LEGO Minecraft AND Rock Band equivalent all at the same time. After some in-person GTA6 music banter, Tom corners freelance Audio Director/Music Supervisor at Laced’s Christmas lunch for a noisy chat. 

00:08:36 - News

00:34:26 - GTA6 trailer chat

00:45:57 - Topic interview - Audio Director/Music Supervisor Justin Andree

In the news… 

• Via Eurogamer, Fortnite’s Big Bang event introduces eminem and new rhythm mode 

• Via Eurogamer, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a new song by Nobuo Uematsu 

• Via VGChartz, Alan Wake 2's Old Gods of Asgard Enters Top 10 on iTunes Worldwide Charts

• Via Complex, Wu-Tang Clan Video Game 'Project Shaolin' Reportedly Coming to Xbox

• Via GamesPress, ​​​​​​​Genshin Impact's Free Online Concert Returns on December 22

• Via MusicAlly, Olivia Rodrigo, Cher and Nicki Minaj launch Roblox experiences

Listen to… 

• “Can You Feel the Sunshine” from Sonic R by The 8-Bit Big Band feat. Joel Waggoner

• “Saria’s Song” from The Legends of Zelda: Ocarina of Time by The 8-Bit Big Band feat. Adam Neely

• “Love Is A Long Road” by Tom Petty (from Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1)

• “Biri Biri” by Yoasobi (recorded for Pokemon Scarlet/Violet’s 1st anniversary) 

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and journalist Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video games music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — gxmpodcast@gmail.com   

Twitter — @gxmpodcast | @tquillfeldt | @matombler

Instagram — @gxmpodcast

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster