Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware Blasts Rockstar Games After Studio Makes “Extremely Low Offer” To License Band’s Music For ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’
Martyn Ware is a founding member of British synth-pop bands Heaven 17 and The Human League, a pair of notable 80s bands that each left a long-standing mark on the music scene.
Recently, Martyn was approached by Rockstar Games with a licensing offer to feature Heaven 17’s hit song “Temptation” in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI. However, the answer to the offer wasn’t as melodic as some of Ware’s most famous songs.
In fact, Martyn took to Twitter to express his displeasure when Rockstar’s offer of $7,500 for a buyout of any future royalties came his way. In the way like a true rockstar would, Ware bluntly responded, letting the expletives fly.
“IT WAS $7500 – for a buyout of any future royalties from the game – forever,” added the band’s co-founder. “To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto 6 grossed, wait for it… $8.6 BILLION. Ah, but think of the exposure… Go f–k yourself”.
He additionally noted, “For those claiming H17 should have accepted the extremely low offer for buyout for Temptation in GTA6 claiming ‘increased exposure’… An extra 1 million streams generates each writer a pitiful $1k each”
The 80s synth-pop legend argued that the overall revenue of GTA V is around $8.6 billion, and since the sequel has such a huge potential to break these numbers, he felt that the band deserved far more compensation for the use of their work.
Martyn countered the Rockstar proposal tenfold to their original offer. However, after a rocky start, there was nothing more to be expected as Rockstar Games rejected the offer and both sides walked away from the deal.
Music Is An Important Part Of The GTA Franchise – And GTA VI Will Be No Exception
This has left a bitter taste within both communities as Rockstar Games once again hits a negative note with this low-ball offer. For a company with the resources and success of Rockstar, they should have been more willing to pay a fair price for what they want, especially when it comes to music.
Because music has always been a critical part of the GTA games and if Rockstar wanted Heaven 17’s Temptation to feature in GTA VI, they could have made a more reasonable offer.
We all remember some legendary tracks featured in the GTA franchise such as Toto’s “Africa” heard in Grand Theft Vice City, then “Appetite for Destruction” by N.W.A. in GTA V, and “Midnight City” by M83 in GTA V, among many other songs from different genres.
A synth-pop 80s banger in GTA VI won’t be a surprise. We have heard Wham’s “Everything She Wants” in previous franchise installments.
Nevertheless, Martyn, for now, hasn’t given in to the temptation to sell the song.
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