Install Soundtrack (without installing the game)

[Neana Undómiel]

Is there any option to install the soundtrack without installing the game?

[FloridaGay]

Yeah, it's called going to the store and buying the soundtrack and playing it on your headphones.... They will NOT allow piracy which is what you are suggesting....

[Black Blade]

Originally posted by Snapshot:

Yeah, it's called going to the store and buying the soundtrack and playing it on your headphones.... They will NOT allow piracy which is what you are suggesting....

Have you read what he asked? he did not say download the soundtrack without owning it, he said install the sound track with out the game

@OP yes there is a round abut way, but will be nice to have it build in to the client all ready

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Sadly, Steam is stupid because it treats soundtracks as DLC. Since they are considered DLC, you can't just download them without the base game.

In fact, it gets more ridiculous. Soundtracks are often marked as multiplatform, and rightly so, because they can be played on Linux, Mac, and Windows. However, if the base game has an OS restriction, you can't install the base game on a computer with an excluded OS. That means if the game is Windows-only and you have a Linux system, you can't download the game, which then means you can't download the soundtrack either.

Please bug your favorite game composers to release their soundtracks on Bandcamp or something, where you can go buy it by itself and you can also download it by itself.

[Space Coward]

I'd also like to see this. Recently, I had to install Red Faction Armageddon and Guerilla (24GB IIRC) just to access a few MP3 files I bought later on.

[Neana Undómiel]

Originally posted by Quint the House Gecko:

Sadly, Steam is stupid because it treats soundtracks as DLC. Since they are considered DLC, you can't just download them without the base game.

In fact, it gets more ridiculous. Soundtracks are often marked as multiplatform, and rightly so, because they can be played on Linux, Mac, and Windows. However, if the base game has an OS restriction, you can't install the base game on a computer with an excluded OS. That means if the game is Windows-only and you have a Linux system, you can't download the game, which then means you can't download the soundtrack either.

Please bug your favorite game composers to release their soundtracks on Bandcamp or something, where you can go buy it by itself and you can also download it by itself.

You described exactly what I wanted to question! That's it! I just want to listen to the soundtrack and not install every game. I always buy the two together and one comes as DLC.
  It should be simpler. I just want to PLAY in the Songs.

[Snapjak]

If it's actually DLC and not baked into the main game, you can see if this still works.
https://steamdb.info/blog/steam-music-download-soundtracks/

[Neana Undómiel]

Originally posted by Snapjak:

If it's actually DLC and not baked into the main game, you can see if this still works.
https://steamdb.info/blog/steam-music-download-soundtracks/

Hmmm, this is very interesting! Thank you, Snapjak!

[гнилозубый уебан]

thank

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Quint the House Gecko:

Sadly, Steam is stupid because it treats soundtracks as DLC. Since they are considered DLC, you can't just download them without the base game.

Well that's actually smart. Unless the devs set it up otherwise. They may not actually have the license to distribute the soundtrack seperate from the game.

When you license music for use in a game you are only allowed to distribute it with the game, otherwise that's a violation. Standalone licensing is an entirely different thing and usually costs more.

Please bug your favorite game composers to release their soundtracks on Bandcamp or something, where you can go buy it by itself and you can also download it by itself.

And that might not work either. As said. the world of IP and royalties is a very complicated one.


Needless to say. Mention it to the devs and if the devs have the abilityu to do so they probably will. If they do not, then no amount of yelling at steam will solve the problem.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Originally posted by Quint the House Gecko:

Sadly, Steam is stupid because it treats soundtracks as DLC. Since they are considered DLC, you can't just download them without the base game.

Well that's actually smart. Unless the devs set it up otherwise. They may not actually have the license to distribute the soundtrack seperate from the game.

When you license music for use in a game you are only allowed to distribute it with the game, otherwise that's a violation. Standalone licensing is an entirely different thing and usually costs more.

Fair enough, though this doesn't apply to those cases where the soundtrack was independently produced for the game -- and not just licensed music (e.g. royalty-free or otherwise). In those cases, some composers -- such as virt, CombatPlayer, Elektrobear, and SoulEye -- have their own bandcamp pages where they sell their music.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Quint the House Gecko:

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Well that's actually smart. Unless the devs set it up otherwise. They may not actually have the license to distribute the soundtrack seperate from the game.

When you license music for use in a game you are only allowed to distribute it with the game, otherwise that's a violation. Standalone licensing is an entirely different thing and usually costs more.

Fair enough, though this doesn't apply to those cases where the soundtrack was independently produced for the game -- and not just licensed music (e.g. royalty-free or otherwise).

That depeneds on the contract the devs/pubs had with the composer.

In those cases, some composers -- such as virt, CombatPlayer, Elektrobear, and SoulEye -- have their own bandcamp pages where they sell their music.

Yes they do. Because their contracts allow them that flexibility. Though chances are they had to give up some amount of direct compensation for that.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Originally posted by Quint the House Gecko:

Fair enough, though this doesn't apply to those cases where the soundtrack was independently produced for the game -- and not just licensed music (e.g. royalty-free or otherwise).

That depeneds on the contract the devs/pubs had with the composer.

In those cases, some composers -- such as virt, CombatPlayer, Elektrobear, and SoulEye -- have their own bandcamp pages where they sell their music.

Yes they do. Because their contracts allow them that flexibility. Though chances are they had to give up some amount of direct compensation for that.

Given that all the people I mentioned have been writing for indie games, I doubt that last bit. But hey, what do either of us know of their contracts.

[Neana Undómiel]

That complicates a lot. But okay, I take the opportunity to tell you that the soundtrack of the game Transistor is incredible!

[Gnyav]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Well that's actually smart. Unless the devs set it up otherwise. They may not actually have the license to distribute the soundtrack seperate from the game.

When you license music for use in a game you are only allowed to distribute it with the game, otherwise that's a violation. Standalone licensing is an entirely different thing and usually costs more.

aren't you talking for a different thing? i mean "When you license music for use in a game you are only allowed to distribute it with the game," this is for the ingame music. meaning the soundtrack during gameplay.
if there is a completely separate thing to buy here for the soundtrack, it's no longer the in-game music. it's the music form a specific game.
what i mean is, in steam when i go to music, i have the music from Cities Skyline, and i have the music from Dungeon of the Endless (among some others, but i will use only those for the example).
1) But i have never bought the music of Cities Skyline. steam is actually showing me the game files. if i open it, it sends me to nested folders inside the game folder, and to the very same files that the game is using when playing.
2) While the music from Dungeon of the Endless, i have already bought as a separate thing - soundtrack. when i open it, it sends me to a separate folder with separate files, not the ones the game uses.

so yes, what you are talking about is surely applying for case 1). but i'm not sure if it applies for 2).
if they have already sold the music files as separate files, not directly connected to the game, then they should have the appropriate license you are talking about.
at least that's how i see it.

i think they are marked as DLC that can be downloaded only with the game, only because it's easier for the systems already in place. not because of licensing issues.
but i think this is stupid since i may want to buy the soundtrack of a game without wanting to buy the game itself.

P.S. i'm not even sure why it shows me the 1) music...

[emmanuel_arandiga]

You can separate the soundtrack from the games but it's a pain in the butt.
First install the game.
Go into the Steam/Steamapps/Common folder find your game folder.
e.g. Steam/Steamapps/Common/Transistor
Inside the game folder should be another folder called soundtrack.
The tracks and Album artwork are in there. (This folder will only be there if you've bought the soundtrack)
Move or copy the files to another folder where you keep all your other music and then you can play the songs on itunes or whatever.
Then uninstall the game.

It would be nice if Steam allowed an option to download just the soundtracks