Idea : Developer able to sell steam profile soundtracks at $10.

[Irene ❤]

The current soundtracks in store are purchased for private use. I believe very few have purchase it since there is youtube and other audio sites.

As steam players will visit each other's profile, why not upgrade that soundtrack, and allow it to be played on profile. Of course it will come with a fee. Introducing Profile Soundtracks. Minimal $10 each.

After buying the profile soundtrack, players can add it as profile soundtrack showcase.

-----------------------------------------
| Game : Poke Fighter Z          |
| ► Song 1 ► Song 2 ► Song 3  |
-------------------------------------------

Up to 3 songs (total cost $30).

Profile visitors have to manually click and play the songs. It will not play automatically, no audio spam.


Benefits :
- A great feature for profile designers.
- Promote games : If a player likes the music, chances are he will also check out the game.
- Business : If the profile visitor likes the song, they can purchase the soundtracks for their profile too, increasing soundtrack sales.

Data :
- Each soundtrack is mp3 that's only few mb, compared to those animated backgrounds, frames, themes stuff it's small sized.

[Mad Scientist]

Quite often the Developers only have the right to use the music within the game and haven't created it themselves, thus licensed for that specific use from an actual soundtrack creator, which is where you could suggest a licensing fee too.

However, since this is about the "music on my profile" bit, for starters it would have to disable autoplay completely or by default. Though it's a general nuisance, you go to the profile for the information on it, their sole existence is most certainly not "game advertisements" unless the persons profile is catered to advertising a game.

Still not a favorable idea.

[Irene ❤]

ok fair enough.

[cinedine]

Nguyên văn bởi Reaper:

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

Then that's even a better idea - make it free and not $10. o_o

Then you're right back at a licensing issue. No company will willingly give Valve a license to their music to use on Steam for free.

You might want to look into CS:GO's music kits ...

Seriously, why is this whole licensing thing still thrown around?
If a studio provides its music for Steam to use on user profiles, then that's on the studio to decide. Just like every single other asset like backgrounds, videos, ... or OST for "personal" use. The rights holder can decide how to license their works. If Valve creates the terms of use for this and they decide it's fine for them, then that's it. If not, they don't need to. Just like literally eveything else concerning content on Steam.

The only issue comes with licensed music for the soundtrack, like infamously in GTA. Which, again, simply means it will not be available for this purpose.

[Start_Running]

Nguyên văn bởi cinedine:

Nguyên văn bởi Reaper:

Then you're right back at a licensing issue. No company will willingly give Valve a license to their music to use on Steam for free.

You might want to look into CS:GO's music kits ...

Because the usage of those kits doesn't count as broadcasting m8.
Seciondly the kits have a specific licensing contract that allows that.
Not every dev/pub is goinna sopring the extra dosh for that sort of licensing after the fact,
So the licensing is still a thing.

[Irene ❤]

Then simply sell video game soundtracks. For steam profile with very few visitors.
That way, we don't have to worry about broadcast issue.

People will not play the same 1 game soundtrack forever the entire day. There won't be billions of people world wide who are interested in 1 video game soundtrack.

It won't be a song, it's video game background music - with popularity at just 10k listeners on youtube after many years.

If that soundtrack can be sold to steam players, that's easily over a million potential customers who loves the game, who loves the soundtrack. at $10 each that's hundreds of million dollar market. Not only that, profile visitors who enjoy that video game soundtrack can explore the games and buy the games.

[Pierce Dalton]

Nguyên văn bởi Mad Scientist:

Quite often the Developers only have the right to use the music within the game and haven't created it themselves, thus licensed for that specific use from an actual soundtrack creator, which is where you could suggest a licensing fee too.

However, since this is about the "music on my profile" bit, for starters it would have to disable autoplay completely or by default. Though it's a general nuisance, you go to the profile for the information on it, their sole existence is most certainly not "game advertisements" unless the persons profile is catered to advertising a game.

Still not a favorable idea.

What information? You mean the games someone has purchased/played?

[Start_Running]

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

Then simply sell video game soundtracks. For steam profile with very few visitors.
That way, we don't have to worry about broadcast issue.

You seem to be uinclear how that issue works. It's not a matter of how many people will, but how many people can.

A Profile can piotentially have millions of hits.

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

People will not play the same 1 game soundtrack forever the entire day. There won't be billions of people world wide who are interested in 1 video game soundtrack.

No but each one that does is likely one less that will actually buy the soundtrack. because they can justpop by some other user's page and listen to it whenever

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

It won't be a song, it's video game background music - with popularity at just 10k listeners on youtube after many years.

Musical compositions and Songs are the same thing in this regard.

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

If that soundtrack can be sold to steam players, that's easily over a million potential customers who loves the game, who loves the soundtrack. at $10 each that's hundreds of million dollar market. Not only that, profile visitors who enjoy that video game soundtrack can explore the games and buy the games.

And for every one person that buys how many people will listen. One $10 can negate potentially $00's of dollars in sales.

[Gwarsbane]

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

Then simply sell video game soundtracks. For steam profile with very few visitors.
That way, we don't have to worry about broadcast issue.

People will not play the same 1 game soundtrack forever the entire day. There won't be billions of people world wide who are interested in 1 video game soundtrack.

It won't be a song, it's video game background music - with popularity at just 10k listeners on youtube after many years.

If that soundtrack can be sold to steam players, that's easily over a million potential customers who loves the game, who loves the soundtrack. at $10 each that's hundreds of million dollar market. Not only that, profile visitors who enjoy that video game soundtrack can explore the games and buy the games.

You still don't seem to get it... ANY music in a game, with singing or just background music is LICENSED for use IN the game. Its a DIFFERENT license to sell it and a DIFFERENT license to broadcast it.

The developer might have licensed it for use IN the game, but they just can't up and sell it on steam without getting a license from who ever made it to do that.

Some do sell it either because it was part of their own team that made it OR they worked out a deal with the maker to sell it on Steam where Valve gets a cut, the Developer gets a cut and the maker of the music gets a cut of what the developer gets but also the developer has to pay some cash upfront too.

The developer might just think its not worth spending the money to license it because of the chunk of cash they have to hand over.

And you can say all you want that "they will sell a lot" but you have no idea if they actually will. You have no idea what kind of deal they were offered. Only they know.

For all we know, they know how many people went in and turned off in game music right away over after a few hours of it playing because they got annoyed with it.


Again it doesn't matter what kind of music is it, background or otherwise, its still has to be licensed to be in the game.

[Pierce Dalton]

Great job, Irene. I really love this thread because it demonstrates that some people will oppose an idea even if it benefits Valve, devs/pubs/composers and Steam users. Also, without harming no one.

[Start_Running]

Nguyên văn bởi Pierce Dalton:

Great job, Irene. I really love this thread because it demonstrates that some people will oppose an idea even if it benefits Valve, devs/pubs/composers and Steam users. Also, without harming no one.

Yeah its a great idea... if you ignore copyright and licensing... you know, that pesky legal stuff.
Just like holding two feathers and flapping your arms is a great idea for flying... if you ignore things like biomechanics and o gravity.

As for without harming anyone. Well if a company flagrantly ignores the limitations iof the license they have that would indeed be pretty harmful to the company. Again. Reality. If your idea has to ignore it. Your idea isn't good.

[[N]ebsun]

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

As steam players will visit each other's profile, why not upgrade that soundtrack, and allow it to be played on profile. Of course it will come with a fee. Introducing Profile Soundtracks. Minimal $10 each.

My initial thought: I will never visit a profile again if there's a possibility of some music playing.

Nguyên văn bởi Irene ❤:

Profile visitors have to manually click and play the songs. It will not play automatically, no audio spam.

Ok, not as bad if it needs to be deliberately clicked before playing - also should not even buffer or pre-load anything until it's clicked.

I think people can just add a few youtube links if they wanted to have music there

[cinedine]

Nguyên văn bởi Mad Scientist:

Quite often the Developers only have the right to use the music within the game and haven't created it themselves, thus licensed for that specific use from an actual soundtrack creator, which is where you could suggest a licensing fee too.

"Quite often"?
"Quite often" soundtracks (and really any assetts) are created as Work for Hire. Which means the company owns any and all rights to the works. Unless of course you do license 3rd party music specifically. Which again: just don't provide them for this use case?

---

Seriously, if you don't have any idea how licensing works ... why keep bringing it up?

[Start_Running]

Nguyên văn bởi cinedine:

Nguyên văn bởi Mad Scientist:

Quite often the Developers only have the right to use the music within the game and haven't created it themselves, thus licensed for that specific use from an actual soundtrack creator, which is where you could suggest a licensing fee too.

"Quite often"?
"Quite often" soundtracks (and really any assetts) are created as Work for Hire.

You'd be surprised. Graphical assets. Yes. Musical assets, less so. Many such artists make a point of retaining their creator's rights.

Nguyên văn bởi cinedine:

Seriously, if you don't have any idea how licensing works ... why keep bringing it up?

He knows more than you seem to given that you thought work for hire excluded the creator's retention of rights automaticallyl. What typically happens is that the developer has the option of retaining all rights to the compositions and such but they in turn have to pay significantly more for the work.

Would it surprise you to know many developers take the cheaper route?

But even after all that. the previous point I mentioned would basically create a scenario of self-canibalization. Each profile track they sell wopuld negate dozens , if not scores of sound track purchases.

Which is kinda...well a rather silly business move.

[Lily McFluffy Butt]

Ever consider there might be a reason no one has done this since MySpace, even without it being on by default?

On by default, it's annoying as hell.

Off by default, not enough people will want to turn it on to warrant the cost of developing the feature.

[Irene ❤]

Nguyên văn bởi Lily McFluffy Butt:

Ever consider there might be a reason no one has done this since MySpace, even without it being on by default?

On by default, it's annoying as hell.

Off by default, not enough people will want to turn it on to warrant the cost of developing the feature.

Myspace lost because they did not introduce the "like" button. The pages all feel boring after sometime, there is no motivation to add new content. It is only fate that they lose to facebook, reddit and other platforms.

Worse, the audio is played automatically in myspace. It should have work like a door bell (my suggestion) where the visitor can give it a click and quick listen.

One player's fav song is another's nascence. Yet however so many video game soundtracks have group people together. So why limit the selling of soundtrack to just 1 private person, why not allow it to be use as a profile's doorbell?

Big arguments surfaced such as doorbells cannot have copyright song, etc.. come on. Will billions of people sit at your doorbell to listen to it? Why do you even worry? Developers can make it rich selling video game doorbells. and that is the whole idea - steam profile soundtracks. $10 each. : >