Danny Elfman, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the International Contemporary Ensemble. They’re just a few of the classically trained musicians [[link]] jumping on the video game [[link]] bandwagon lately to make absurd amounts of cash.
Just how absurd?
Game composer and Game Audio Network Guild founder Tommy Tallarico tell the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the typical fee for a composer is $1,000 per minute of music, sometimes upwards of $2,000. When most games call for one to two hours of music you’re talking about composers pulling in $60,000 to $240,000 for a single game.
I’m not sure how that compares to total budget, but I think the mood-setting music of games like BioShock and Prince of Persia and Killzone 2, is well worth the price. It [[link]] helps shape the experience.