Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length

 
Advanced search

1411283 Posts in 69325 Topics- by 58380 Members - Latest Member: bob1029

March 29, 2024, 01:21:05 AM

Need hosting? Check out Digital Ocean
(more details in this thread)
TIGSource ForumsJobsPortfoliosGnar Sound - "Pay What You Want" video game audio production + live music
Pages: [1]
Print
Author Topic: Gnar Sound - "Pay What You Want" video game audio production + live music  (Read 1341 times)
GnarSound
Level 0
*


View Profile
« on: October 03, 2011, 02:16:24 PM »

In order to help support and grow the local independent game development community in Victoria, as well as the general online Indie community we have been working on some creative solutions to provide the highest possible value/cost ratio in contract audio asset creation for both Gnar Sound and the contractee.

Gnar Sound is looking for talented developers nearing the end of a commercial release of an independent product, with the intent to provide quality audio assets until the game is shipped. Gnar Sound is looking for projects which can take advantage of our current asset sound bank, and will be complimented by our skillset and style of music.

http://soundcloud.com/gnarsound/

How We Work:

Gnar Sound is a simultaneously a Indie Video Game Audio production group, as well as an Indie band. We're twice as indie as you are! Both our production and live set-up are Reason + Record powered. I would describe our live sound as Experimental Electronic, with a huge emphasis on creative use of synthesized instruments, vocoders, autotuning, and midi controllers. If you're interested, you can listen to a song here:

 It features me, standing awkwardly in a garage without my compedre Lee Gauthier, and a magical ejaculating dong.  

We're just as indie as you are, and as such we really don't know anything about contract law. We're not really in the business of enforcing strict contract law to take advantage of our contractees. We're looking to make new friends, make some awesome music, and if we're lucky, pay some bills. But these are the general contract guidelines we have set out. As a developer, we're very interested in getting your input on these terms. Please let us know what aspects you like, and what aspects you find unappealing, unfair, etc.

1)Games with Gnar Sound assets require a Gnar Sound splashscreen before the game loads.

2)Games with Gnar Sound assets should meet our standards of “high quality audio”. Before a game ships we'd like the opportunity to play or at least listen to ensure the game represents the level of quality audio we are striving for, and we can provide as much assets and advice to ensure that this is the case. In general, we are looking to provide the entire audio spectrum of a project, rather than filling in missing assets. In this aspect we can ensure a positive audio experience to help establish our brand. :3

3)Gnar Sound retains the right to capitalize on assets delivered under contract work. Gnar Sound retains the right to tastefully reuse, recycle, and sample assets from one contract project to other contract projects, or Gnar Sound projects. This clause is what sets us apart from a typical contractor. What exactly does this clause mean? Well it could be as simple as “Hmm. That instrument from Song-A would really work well in Song-B”, or perhaps “You know what, if we took the main lead from Song-C, sped it up, and made it a harpsichord it would probably sound good in Song-D, with some minor tweaks”. In general, when Gnar Sound has total freedom to reach into our growing soundbank and pull out creative solutions we will be able to provide quality audio, much quicker. Now, I'm sure you can imagine how this clause could be used to take advantage of developers. If Developer-A pays Gnar Sound $100 to produce an “Egyptian Theme Song”, and Gnar Sound produces it, but then spends 2 months iterating on it and reselling it to Developer-B, then obviously we're being total dicks. But, with every project we work on, our promise to you is to be as tact and tasteful as possible. It's not our intention to piss off any of the people we work with. In general, you need not worry about your songs being re-sold and used in other games, but don't be too surprised if you hear one of our live songs being a little more than generous with sampling Tongue

4)Both parties retain the right to capitalize on audio assets in the form of “Soundtracks”. Specifically, If a contractee asks for 8 songs for their game “Crab Attack 3”, the developers have the right to produce and sell the “Crab Attack 3” soundtrack, whereas Gnar Sound has the right to release a compilation album containing any Gnar Sound produced songs. These albums would likely be of the form “Gnar Sound: Volume II” or similar. We believe that neither product will greatly affect the sales of the other. In either case, neither party is required to give any profits to the other party.

5)Gnar Sound retains the right to redistribute without modification, any and all “sound effects” produced for a contractee, unless specifically requested not to do so.

6)Gnar Sound retains the right to use assets produced from contract work with or without modification in Gnar Sound produced video games, with heavy focus on music/rhythm gameplay elements (e.g. Rock Band, Lumines, Meteos, Dance Dance Revolution). These assets can be static or interactively formed, and may contain added lyrics, melodies, and other modifications. We feel that this serves both parties, as such a game would serve to advertise the projects Gnar Sound has worked on.

7)Audio assets produced, but never implemented into a project during contract work are the sole property of Gnar Sound.

8)Once the game has been shipped, after an evaluation period, the contractee will pay Gnar Sound for the contract work. Because we have such a kooky business model, payment follows the “Pay What You Want” model. This will take some stress off of the developer's shoulders. For financial failures, the developer may choose to pay a much smaller contract payment to Gnar Sound. As Gnar Sound gains some intrinsic value on every project it works on by adding to our sound bank, Gnar Sound does not rely solely on the success of the projects it works on, and can quickly move on to a new project.

9)Contractees of Gnar Sound have the right to use in original or modified form, all audio produced from contract work with or without modification in whatever projects he/she deems appropriate with no additional cost beyond the initial contract agreement. I have heard some horror stories from some of my Victoria friends being totally dicked around by contractors when it comes to reusing songs for future projects. With Gnar Sound, once you pay for a project, you can do WHATEVER you want with those assets. If you like, you could sell them under the guise “Gnar-er Sound”. We really don't mind.

10)Gnar Sound produces audio in an iterative process. This means that our sound bank is constantly evolving and it is possible that we may have made some minor tweaks to a track produced during contract work (e.g. mixing levels, adding instruments, you name it). The contractee has the right to ALL available versions of the assets produced under their contract, including raw audio assets, but also Digital Audio Workstation project files.

I hope you can see the value in a shared asset model. To me, every asset we have, be it a loop, synth instrument, or full song, has INCREDIBLE creative value. I would love nothing more than for the Gnar Soundbank to grow large enough that we could provide simple loops totally free of charge to the Indie community. I personally love how this model allows both parties the opportunity to capitalize on the assets without stepping on eachothers toes. Of course, the negatives are still there. Contractee anxiety/mistrust from an alternative model will be something we can fix over time by sticking to our personal moral guideline, but more worrying is the ambiguity/legality of the contract itself. I know nothing of the legality of the contract, and really I don't care. I have no intentions of fucking anyone over, and If I end up the victim of a bad deal, Gnar Sound can simply choose to not do business with that person again, and make new friends! :3

If you wish to follow Gnar Sound, please subscribe to both Gnar Sound and my personal Twitter page:
http://twitter.com/gnarsound/
http://twitter.com/ColtonPhillips/

And please, give me your opinion/advice going forward. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Colton Phillips
Software Developer @ Loud Technologies
Vice-President of UVIC GameDev
Captain of Gnar Sound
Logged
Pages: [1]
Print
Jump to:  

Theme orange-lt created by panic