Video game licence expiration. Why tracks have been removed

[seck]

NOTE: This is not a discussion about the resolution, save or mouse control issues. Do not post about that or go off topic.

Music licenses are sold to Rockstar from around $5,000 - $30,000 per track. Each of these tracks are sold with legal contracts only allowing Rockstar to use them for 7 - 10 years. Because it's now been over 10 years, it is illegal for Rockstar to continue distributing copies of the same game with unlicensed music tracks.

Before you post please watch the following video explaining the reason for the removal of the tracks.

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/video+game+licensing

Jeffrey Brabec の投稿を引用：

Jeffrey Brabec, Vice President of Business Affairs for the Chrysalis Music Group, talks about video game licensing. It is an area that is extremely beneficial to music. Brabec explains that while video games do not generate royalties, they do produce a flat fee. However, this normally involves a song buyout. He points out that if the artist does not agree to a buyout, their song won't be put in the video game. Brabec claims that he's seen buyouts from zero to 30,000 dollars. Also in this segment, Brabec discusses the duration of video game licenses. Video games licenses are generally for seven to ten years. Brabec talks about why this might be a mistake in the long run. The video game might stay around or be turned into a movie. The importance of negotiating the best deal possible is covered as well. Brabec also talks about what makes a good publisher. A publisher is responsible for looking after the rights of the writers. Therefore, they must know where to draw the line to protect a song.

Please also be aware that you do not, and never owned the tracks that were removed from the game. You never had the rights to the music or the software Rockstar created. You owned a copy of the game and not the software(GTA SA). If you don't understand what this means, please do not comment until you understand completely.

http://www.rockstargames.com/eula

The Software is licensed, not sold, to you, and you hereby acknowledge that no title or ownership in the Software is being transferred or assigned and this Agreement should not be construed as a sale of any rights in the Software. Licensor retains all right, title, and interest to the Software, including, but not limited to, all copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, trade names, proprietary rights, patents, titles, computer codes, audiovisual effects, themes, characters, character names, stories, dialog, settings, artwork, sounds effects, musical works, and moral rights.

[☠ Odin ☠]

Chris の投稿を引用：

Well, they removed because they couldn't "renew" the music license for Xbox360 release... That makes me wonder... like... to unify 2 systems, you are removing content from major playerbase... Seems really wrong, I mean... Most likely, to be honest, if possible, I am not going to even try GTA 5, just for that kind of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ they are pulling... I haven't heard of other companies to remove content that had a license before some update and now since the license ended and update came, also time to remove the content player already at least in some way "paid"...

After this ♥♥♥♥, why can't they include some kind of spotify addon into it so I can set my own music... and remove all of the licensed stuff from GTA5 to avoid future problems like this. Also, just remove all the ****ing music from the game then...

All of it just seems so unfair to customer who bought the game, knowing that it has also the great soundtrack included with the game to enjoy the music while playing.

But oh well, unfortunately there are a lot of people who think that rockstar is doing everything all ok and buy their games for full price still. If the whole playerbase would show at least somehow that they are not happy with the decisions game maker has made like avoiding prebuying new releases and just delaying with the buying like month or 2 after release of new games. Just to show that players aren't someone who you can toy with and do whatever you want. They are the persons buying your product, if you make bad decisions, then they will lose trust in you as a company.

Unfortunately there are still a lot of fanboys who are buying the new releases like crazy, without any relevant review of the release and fueling this kind of business to fool customers (players).

Keďo 2 の投稿を引用：

But you don't have the newest patch with that CD. The deal is somehow they had to remove the songs with the patch. WHY ? WE DUNNO ....

I have contacted the R*, they haven't still responded... I have made my review on steam at least negative as should all with the game. I won't be buying R* products until this gets at least somehow solved and they show that they're worth of it again. It's all about the new GTA 5 that and this in these days. This all has gotten me upset as I like the San Andreas the most. Nostalgic reasons and well with the mods for pc this game is just plain awesome. Music was good and some of those tracks removed were my favorites in game.

[Chris]

TheBlackDeath の投稿を引用：

I have contacted the R*, they haven't still responded... I have made my review on steam at least negative as should all with the game. I won't be buying R* products until this gets at least somehow solved and they show that they're worth of it again. It's all about the new GTA 5 that and this in these days. This all has gotten me upset as I like the San Andreas the most. Nostalgic reasons and well with the mods for pc this game is just plain awesome. Music was good and some of those tracks removed were my favorites in game.

Actually, I just happened to see some kind of news about GTA5... The comments are quite nice... So it sounds like they are addding more soundtracks to make us pay more for the game, just to remove half of the songs in 4 years ...

http://www.pcgamer.com/gta-5-pcs-expanded-soundtrack-revealed/

Added link to the news post...

[Ulv888]

ahh the beauty of the pc version of gta put in whatever music you want including the original soundtrack of gta san andreas.

[Keďo 2]

Chris の投稿を引用：

...

eeeeh .... no .. that's not all intel ... They did it right with VC so something changed since they did it differenty now.

TheBlackDeath の投稿を引用：

...

and they will ignore us since we are individuals not a group

[Umbrella Man]

Keďo 2 の投稿を引用：

and they will ignore us since we are individuals not a group

Someone should make a petition or something.

[Keďo 2]

Umbrella Man の投稿を引用：

Keďo 2 の投稿を引用：

and they will ignore us since we are individuals not a group

Someone should make a petition or something.

I like the someone in your sentence ... it's like .... "I wish someone had the balls to do it 'cause I am missing a pair"

[Umbrella Man]

Keďo 2 の投稿を引用：

...

Let's make it straight, I'm not concerned enough to do it myself.

[Fearless Airlines]

The agreements are short sighted. Don't the moronic record companies know that having a song in a GTA game is free advertising? I never get the reasoning behind taking a song out of a tv show rerun, expecialy in this day and age when people who like the song can go and buy the mp3.

Unfortuantely, changing songs DOES change the atmosphere/experience. I have my ps2 copy, so I still have what I paid for. This retroactively changing a game for the worse with a mandatory update stinks. Artists/record companies should not sign temporary contracts. Either it is in the game or it isn't, for the duration.

[Himeros]

Of course it's illegal, we bought all the content of the game including the songs and everything, it's a part of the contenct they shouldn't have removed them.

[Drew115]

What the above says. Content purchased at the time cannot be revoked by the publisher. Anyone who buys it after, then sure.

[Inoka]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqNjUDFBx_Y&t=559

Cynical Brit went on this too, basically saying EU can get refunds, regardless of if it was physical or digital, so that might end up hitting down the money they can use to fund programming GTA5 if EU were to all refund... However, i doubt many, or some, would, unless people make them.

But this is what makes me sad... We have no consumer rights for games, and they're allowed to steal our money when we pay for the product... We should have rights to the content of the product and playing such a thing, not just have all our rights taken, AND our money just the same. Thats like saying any money we own is not ours and theirs. Money, is ours, because it's a trade good that we feel and believe, is valuable to us, and because we are getting money 'stolen' from us because of this kind of thing, we should be given back the money we used to pay for that content to be used. We paid for the FULL GAME, not PARTIAL AMOUNTS of the game, and as such, people, regardless of state, country, whatever, should have a right for the money back. It feels wrong and thieving to do this. Sure, old game, not many people would care, but there were older Rockstar games, and they kept the music despite being unlicensed... Is Rockstar afraid of the music owners suing them over this? Because either way, it could either be getting sued by the music copyrights, or sued by the people who paid for the content of the game.

Sadly, i guess we don't have consumer rights at all. If Rockstar is allowed to do this, any company is allowed to do this. But what anyone could do is just not buy GTA5, which i doubt anyone would do. Usually people who wave that flag sometimes just buys it anyways. So yeah, lets hope they revert the patch or something, because it seemed not only odd to pick just this game, and not all of the others whom lost the license by now.

[Solfosc]

Inoka の投稿を引用：

But this is what makes me sad... We have no consumer rights for games, and they're allowed to steal our money when we pay for the product... We should have rights to the content of the product and playing such a thing, not just have all our rights taken, AND our money just the same.

(...)

Sadly, i guess we don't have consumer rights at all.

In the European Union even though you don't own the rights of the game you do have the right to do with that content whatever you want as long as you don't obtain any benefit (aside from parody derivatives) or slander the company. That means that as long as it is for personal use for yourself and others that legally purchased the product you can modify the files as long as you want, no matter what the EULA states, because in case of contradiction with a law it's the law what applies.

Sadly, if you are from USA this might be legal, but it's completely illegal in the European Union. I have already demanded Valve and I will get my full game back or a proportional refund. 1 € might not be a big deal, but I don't want then to give the chance to think that they can transform my FIFA I bought into a cricket simulator in the future just because I didn't own the license. Maybe I don't own the license, but I do own its content for my personal use.

Check the first post in this forum for rights of consumers from the EU.

[Uradamus]

Who the ♥♥♥♥ really cares if it is legal for Rockstar to do this or not?

The fact of the matter is that it was wrong of them to remove the songs from legacy copies and the consequence of their actions is they are getting bad rep and will likely loose out on a fair few future sales due to their lack of common sense when they decided to betray the trust of their customers.

I for one will never spend another penny on anything from Rockstar until my SA radio stations have been restored to the versions present when I purchased the game.

[Zariah]

It may be legal, but it's really crappy - a BIG strike against buying your software through steam.

I bought this game in large part because of the soundtrack. Now the soundtrack has been degraded. As someone else stated earlier in the thread, if you bought a music CD you wouldn't expect tracks to disappear from it years down the line because the license had expired - even though you don't 'own' the rights.

Perhaps next time you play an old DVD of a favourite movie, you'd have no problem if half the music was missing from it. Because, you know, copyright.

Garbage. Utter garbage.

[Zariah]

Yet ANOTHER bad thing that people who have acquired this game illegitimately don't have to worry about.

And developers wonder why they have piracy problems.