BusinessWeek

MAY 19, 2005 • Editions: N. America | Europe | Asia | Edition Preference





From Beeps to Billboard
Thanks to the hit soundtracks of video games like Halo 2, a new genre is spawning CDs, movies, even concerts


Tommy Tallarico has yet to achieve the fame and fortune enjoyed by cousin Steven Tyler of famed band Aerosmith. While Tyler (real name Steven Tallarico) is a household name, his relation, who composed the scores for such popular video games as Tony Hawk's Pro-Skater, is a star only among gamers. Advertisement

And that feels like not being a star at all. While Tyler has reaped millions from concerts, CDs, and song downloads, Tallarico has managed only a decent living selling music to game publishers. For now, instead of mingling with movie stars and dating supermodels, Tommy Tallarico plays Prince of Persia and Beyond Good & Evil during his spare time.

BIG BOYS AND TOYS. But the celebrity that has eluded Tallarico may be moving closer. Recently he has been approached about starring in a reality TV show. And his famous cousin has talked with him about possibly recording a soundtrack for a video game.

Indeed, video games may stand on the brink of pop-culture consciousness. "Video games are where the film industry was in the 1920s," says Tallarico. Back then, Warner Bros. released Don Juan and The Jazz Singer, the first films with sound. Not long after, the hottest musical acts were vying to get into movies, hoping for fame that would boost record and concert sales. Video games -- an industry whose $10 billion revenues rival box office receipts -- could experience the same phenomenon.

Male consumers already spend more money on video games than they do on music, according to Nielsen Entertainment. Thanks to the latest gaming console technology (see BW Online, 4/25/05, "An X-Factor for the New Xbox?"), video game music has attained higher quality than that of CDs.

SOUND PROSPECTS. No longer a series of beeps and bleeps, video-game music has evolved into an intricate art form, designed for a listening duration of up to 100 hours of play time, vs. the 90 minutes of a movie, explains Andy Brick, who composed scores for The Sims II role-playing game.

The soundtrack for Halo 2, a game in which a genetically enhanced supersoldier battles evil, has sold more than 90,000 copies since its release last November. Peaking at No. 162, it marked game music's first entry into the Billboard 200 chart. (A typical movie soundtrack, on the other hand, sells only 10,000 copies and never comes even close to the chart.)

Video-game music downloads are turning into big moneymakers, too. Tracks from several video games, including Final Fantasy and various Grand Theft Auto titles, have made it onto the top-100 iTunes chart. Their climb could hasten now that Internet service provider America Online (TWX ) has launched the world's first Web-based video-game music radio station. Introduced in May, the Video Game Scores station currently plays about 400 hit game songs and is rapidly rising in popularity.

UNPRECEDENTED TOUR. The new video-game music station is attracting as many listeners as older AOL radio stations New Wave, Punk U, All Pearl Jam, and All Green Day. Video-game music concerts are also drawing bigger crowds. Symphony performances featuring music from Final Fantasy, in which the hero travels through amazing new worlds, have been selling out during the past two years.

Tallarico and a business partner are putting together the first-ever Video Games Live Tour, with 24 concerts planned for this summer. The tour will be promoted by the almighty Clear Channel (CCU ), a conglomerate consisting of radio stations and billboards. "We've identified video games as a major competitor for the entertainment dollars for the past 10 years, but, until [this tour], we've never been able to figure out how to integrate our agenda with video games," says Brad Wavra, vice-president of touring for Clear Channel Music Group. Tour organizers have sold more than 2,000 tickets, costing $20 to $55, in the first week of sale.

The concerts exemplify multimedia, complete with staged reenactments from the world's most popular games, a light show, and performances by a 54-piece orchestra. "Even if you know nothing about video games at all, you are going to want to go to the show," says Tallarico. Caving to demands of European fans who, via e-mail, have lamented their inability to easily see the U.S. shows, the organizers are considering filming a DVD. The performances might also be recorded on CDs to sell to attendees following each concert.