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VIDEO GAME COMMISSION

For music to be used in video games, trailers, cinematics or apps.

Past Works
Pastoral Fantasy (Calm)Jonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30
The Four GuardiansJonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30
Wandering (Adaptive Music)Jonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30
Second Life (Adaptive Music)Jonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30
Battle of Elinors SanctuaryJonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30
Scale and SteelJonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30
Discounts

I currently offer two methods of discounting my video game commissioning fees:

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1) Up to 20% of the fee can be discounted if you would like to share some of the sales revenue

2% discount is equal to 1% of net revenue share offered

(e.g. 20% discount on the commissioning fees = 10% net revenue share)

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2) Up to 20% of the fee can be discounted if you let me keep 100% of the commercial rights to the music

With this discount, you are allowed to use all of the commissioned tracks in your commercial game and promotional materials as normal, but you can't use the tracks in extra products related to the game (e.g. in a soundtrack album, sheet music book etc.), nor collect any music royalties related to the tracks (e.g. cover licenses, public performances, the very rare use in TV/Film, etc.)

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I retain those rights and can create, publish, market and sell these other products and retain 100% of their revenue.

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If this discount is not used, the revenue earned through these extra products is shared between composer and developer, rather than retained 100% by the composer. The split depends on the product, but may follow the standard ratio of 70 : 30 (composer : developer), or we can negotiate who can manage what products.

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With these discounts, a maximum discount of 40% can be taken off of the commissioning fee.

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In exceptional circumstances, additional discounts may be offered

E.g. If you have an incredibly promising and original video game concept of exceptional quality

What You Will Get

With each Video Game Commission, you will receive:

1) A HQ audio recording of the commission as a .WAV digital file (or other audio format)

  • Loopable recordings will seamlessly loop once

A Warrior's Resolution (Guardian's Guide)Jonathan Shaw
00:00 / 00:30

2) An exclusive right to use the audio recording in the video game project and any promotional material

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3) Regular previews of the work in progress and the option to give feedback and suggest changes 

Optional Additions

These are optional additions that are not required alongside a commission, but may be of interest

Full Score

(.PDF)

£50

Per minute

E.g.

If you would also like professional full sheet music of the commission as a .PDF digital file

Soundtrack Album

Rev Share

Per album

E.g.

If you plan on creating a commercial soundtrack album for sale using one or more of my tracks (paid in revenue share; negotiable - see FAQ below)

FAQ

A general FAQ for all commissions can be found HERE. For video game specific questions:

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Do I have to share my game's revenue with you?

  • Nope! The commissioning rates above are flat fees with no additional costs.

  • However, for those wanting to pay the commissioning fee via revenue share, I do offer a discount of up to a maximum of 20% at a ratio of 2:1 (discount : revenue share)

    • E.g. I will add a 20% discount for 10% of net revenue share

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Do I have to credit you as a composer in my game's credits list?

  • Yes! If one of my tracks makes it into the game, you must give attribution in the credits list. A good example is:

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Music by:

Jonathan Shaw

(www.jshaw.co.uk)

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  • Or if it is only a single track among multiple composers:

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["Name of Track"] composed by:

Jonathan Shaw

(www.jshaw.co.uk)

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I plan on creating a commercial soundtrack album for the game with your music...

  • If you wish to create a commercial soundtrack album with one or more of my tracks included in it, let me know on the form below and we can discuss the percentage split of revenue share generated by the album. This is typically 70:30 (composer : developer), but will vary depending on whether other composers are involved.

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  • If managing revenue share is a problem, this can be negotiated to other deals:

    • For example, you can sell the OST as a digital DLC product alongside the stores you publish the game and retain 100% of the revenue earned. In return, I retain all other rights to the OST, including streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.), sheet music, performing rights organization royalties, live performances, physical OST publishing, etc. and retain 100% of their revenue.

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Can you write a legal commissioning agreement, setting out my rights?

  • I certainly can! If you require a legal document for your records that sets out both of our rights and permissions to the commissioned music, I can write one for us and we can negotiate any alterations as needed. Or if you have a lawyer and would like to provide one, that is also acceptable (and preferred, if possible, since I am no lawyer!)

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Can I obtain all of the rights to the commissioned music?

  • Typically, I retain all of the rights to the commissioned music so that I can promote your game and the music as much as possible (and you are allowed to use the music in your game, its DLC and all promotional materials as usual)

    • If, though, you would like all of the rights to the music, this will significantly increase the commissioning fees.​

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I have a question that wasn't answered, how can I contact you?

  • Feel free to contact me over HERE for any further questions!

Ask about a Commission

To get a rough quote for how much your commission will cost, fill out the form below or contact me.

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I will respond to your request with a quote via email within 24 hours.

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