November 19, 2007

In the mid-nineties, CD-based data storage became an affordable and convenient alternative to the relatively lower capacity diskettes and cartridges. Once the gaming community adopted the CD format (unofficially with the SEGA CD and Sony Playstation), the increased capacity allowed video game developers to incorporate multiple tracks of licensed music, replacing the lo-fi midi-based fare gamers had grown up with. It did not take long before the game soundtrack suddenly went from simple background noise to becoming an integral part of the gaming experience.

EA was one of the first companies to embrace the new media, featuring licensed soundtracks in their popular sports and racing titles. Much like the coveted position of cover athlete, each year’s edition of an EA Sports game (NBA Live, Madden NFL, and FIFA, etc.) would feature an anthem of sorts; either a song chosen to express the vibe of the game at hand, or an exclusive recording from an artist and fan incorporating aspects of the game in the song (most common with the NBA Live games). Whereas the EA Sports games traditionally saved their music for menu screens, the racing titles like Need for Speed would get the benefit of full soundtracks built of licensed music cycling in the background during gameplay.

EA realized that they had been integral in forging a mutually beneficial relationship between the gaming and music industries, and in 2001 formed its EA Trax division to help facilitate the communication between the two. The result has been a win-win situation for EA, the record labels, and the bands.

EA recently offered GCM the excusive opportunity to take a look at the inner workings of EA Trax. We were put in touch with Steve Schnur, EA’s Worldwide Executive of Music – the man EA Trax – to talk a little about his career, and ask him a few questions about the process.

GCM: Steve, I took a look at your resume, and you come with an impressive pedigree. You have played a major part in the soundtracks of such films as Sandra Bullock’s Miss Congeniality and Gun Shy, as well as the dark comedy Teaching Mrs. Tingle and television shows like Dawson’s Creek. You have produced albums for the likes of Sarah McLachlan, BR549, Crash Test Dummies, and Sinead O’Connor, including classic albums like The Cure’s “The Head on the Door”, Metallica’s “…And Justice For All”, as well as the critically acclaimed debuts from Tracy Chapman and 10,000 Maniacs. And we haven’t even talked about the games – which include notable titles like the award winning Medal of Honor series, SSX 3, Def Jam Vendetta, and the a slew of top-shelf FIFA soundtracks.

I am going to digress here for a minute, because I want to point something out to our readers:

Today we hear bands like 10,000 Maniacs, Tracy Chapman, and The Cure on our mom’s light-rock stations – but back in the early eighties, those bands were considered to be strange, different, and even a bit creepy (seriously, Robert Smith freaked people out!) for the regular listening audience.

Music at the time was jumping between either the commercial synth pop bands like Duran Duran and Kajagoogoo, or hair-metal bands like Poison and Quiet Riot. The cutting-edge bands that Steve worked with received almost no radio or MTV play, and those of us in small towns generally had to special order weeks in advance. The only time these bands saw radio or television play was on small college radios stations and late-night specialty shows like Nightflight and 120 Minutes. Even Metallica was seen as an outsider at the time, and their videos were only featured late at night on Headbanger’s Ball.

Here we are 20 years later, and what we called “alternative” music back then has become today’s mainstream. Most of today’s heavy rock borrows heavily from early Metallica, and It is a pretty safe bet to say there are more Emo acts out these citing the likes of The Cure and 10,000 Maniacs as influences than there are citing bands like Kajagoogoo, Quiet Riot, and Poison. It is quite obvious that Steve Schnur, through his work with this array of highly influential bands, has played an integral part of shaping the way music sounds today – and has done so rather discreetly, behind the scenes.

For that we all owe a great deal of appreciation.

Steve, you have played a part in establishing the careers of a number of critically acclaimed music acts; Bjork, Natalie Merchant, Metallica, Tracy Chapman. That must give you a great deal of satisfaction. What have been a few of the most memorable experiences you have had over the years?

SS: The '90s were an extraordinary time for music and the music business. Radio had not yet become so stringently fragmented, MTV still played videos, and major labels had faith in the artist development process. It was a climate where artists like Bjork, Metallica, Tracy Chapman, Sarah McLachlan and so many others could make the music they wanted, find the audiences they needed, and become the Platinum-selling artists they deserved to be. Those days are gone forever, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I will always treasure.

GCM: So how much involvement does a Producer, and/or Executive Producer, have in the recording process? And what drove you to move on from the world of Record Producer to do the Soundtrack work?

SS: Whether it's for a movie or a videogame, putting together a soundtrack is all about defining a project's audio personality. When I supervised and produced music for films like Miss Congeniality and Cruel Intentions, the challenge was to enhance the emotional tone of a scene through a song. At EA, choosing game music is about maximizing the emotional lift needed to create even greater gameplay. I've always enjoyed working with game developers, movie directors, composers and musicians – both in the recording studio and around the table – to capture and communicate the relationship between music and image. It's a bond that remains the most basic yet essential form of interactive entertainment.

GCM: It is obvious that you have a great ear for good music, which works pretty well for your current gig as Worldwide Executive of Music at EA. How did you end up at EA?

SS: I began my career as a musician in bands, became part of the original programming team at MTV while still in college, and have more than 20 years experience in radio promotion, A&R, music marketing and movies soundtracks. I've held executive positions at several different major labels working in virtually every genre of music. But over the years, I began to sense a growing cultural shift that would lead me away from the traditional record business to where I am today. Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned in 25 years is that the 'Record Business' and the 'Music Industry' are two distinctly different entities. And the most precious fact I know is that these last 6 years at EA have been the most creatively rewarding of my entire career.

GCM: Tell us a little about the development of EA's EA Trax?

SS: EA Trax was our way of formalizing in-game music and establishing the new industry standards for fair licensing, label cross-promotion and artist involvement. As gamers increasingly demanded that their favorite music become portable, we insured that our music would have a life of its own outside the games themselves with our EA Music Store, which has quickly become one of the most popular pages on iTunes. All of which has led to 'Artwerk', our groundbreaking new joint venture with our friends at Nettwerk. Artwerk is a full-service music company, one through which we can now directly sign, develop and launch artists for publishing, master recordings, sync deals, distribution and beyond. Artwerk is 'Music 2.0', where music, games and global digital entertainment all come together like never before.

GCM: How does your work with EA Trax differ from working on games like Medal of Honor, which feature large-scale orchestral productions?

SS: Again, the key aspect of any soundtrack must always be for the music to fit with a game's theme, lifestyle and emotional heart. Games like Medal Of Honor or Command And Conquer, as well as our Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter and Sims titles, are all scored like major Hollywood blockbusters. Over the past six years, top-level composers such as Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Steve Jablonsky, Mark Mothersbaugh, Paul Oakenfold, Chris Lennertz, Sean Callery, Bill Conti, Trevor Jones and more have created original music for our games. We're enormously proud of these relationships, and proud to have them as part of the EA family.

GCM: In some citations on the web, your EA job title includes the words "…and Audio". Does that mean that you also work on the atmospheric sounds and effects within the games? If so, what does that entail?

SS: EA has a talented team of audio engineers who handle the majority of 'audio effects' mixes. And while the vast range of sounds you hear within our games are easily taken for granted, it is truly one of the most intricately creative elements of the software development process. Our EA audio teams are the best in the business, and it's easy to hear why.

GCM: What is the selection process for the bands featured on EA Trax? Do the record labels and/or bands submit their music for consideration, or does EA actively do the seeking? Or is it a combination of both?

SS: It's a combination of both that begins with us. My staff and I all come from similar A&R or music marketing backgrounds. We listen to a lot of music. We study all the international charts. We track mix tapes and club scenes all over the world. We consult with our EA offices in every corner of the globe. We work with artists, publishers and labels – both major and independent – often more than a year in advance to ensure that, in an EA Game, the music will matter.

GCM: The NBA Live and Madden titles often feature exclusive tracks that were written and recorded specifically for the game – the lyrics even referencing the games' titles many times. How does the process for securing these artists and recording the songs differ from the standard EA Trax process?

SS: Exclusive tracks are one of my favorite parts of the gig. In fact, the process often begins with the artists themselves, who are always avid gamers as well as huge EA fans. They love being part of the development process and bring a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and creativity to the music and marketing. They also know that being associated with a top game makes their image – as well as their records, concert tickets and merchandise – an even bigger part of their fan's lives. If you're an artist and want to know who your audience is, what they do and what they're listening to, you can bet your career that they are playing a video game right now.

GCM: So, what new bands have been getting your attention lately?

SS: We're most excited about our Artwerk artists. Our premiere signing, Junkie XL, has already created an explosive original score for Need For Speed: Pro Street and is currently working on a terrific new album. The Norwegian band Datarock was called "the future of indie-dance" by NME and their single "Fa-Fa-Fa" is already generating huge buzz across America. The mind-roasting Australian rockers Airbourne are one of the huge breakout hits of our Madden '08 and Need For Speed: Carbon soundtracks, and their upcoming US debut album has the undeniable wallop of classic AC/DC. And NYC's space-age/new wave/synth-pop/indie-rock band Jupiter One –- featured on both Madden and FIFA '08 – is simply a star act that delivers great songs in the tradition of a classic singles band. The Artwerk roster is everything a label should be: Diversified, unafraid, insanely talented …and growing.

GCM: Is it possible for consumers to download EA Trax soundtracks to their PC's, and has EA considered releasing soundtracks in hard-form?

SS: Although we re-defined the videogame soundtrack CD with such top-selling discs as NBA Live and SSX, the reality is that the Compact Disc is now a dying format. Instead, everything EA you could possibly want – open format mp3s, ringtones, exclusive free podcasts and more – is currently available for digital download at our EA Trax page and on iTunes.

GCM: What about services like Xbox Live and the PS3's download service? As these services begin to feature movie and television downloads to game consoles, has EA considered adding music downloads to the mix?

SS: The download opportunities of Xbox Live and PS3 are absolutely being explored. All I can say is keep your hands on the controller, and your eyes and ears open.

GCM: I have to be honest in saying that when I played the first few EA Trax games, I found the in-game pop-up info window to be distracting, unnecessary, and annoying. Especially when it resulted in momentary slowdowns in framerate, or in some cases frozen gameplay. Now, I hardly notice when the window pops up, and generally appreciate the info it supplies. In fact, I have actually found myself missing it when playing the competitors' games. Was there a conscious effort made to reduce the appearance and negative effects of the pop-up window?

SS: It was always our objective to identify the artist and their songs within gameplay. It was never our intention to affect gameplay itself, and any technical issues were almost immediately corrected. The pop-up info windows continue to be a respect we owe these bands and our audiences – as well as a throwback to my days at MTV – and will remain an essential component of the EA Trax mandate.

GCM: Now that Brittney Spears is getting all rough, hard-edged and trashy, any chance we will see one of her tunes spring up in a game like the next Def Jam or NBA Street game?

SS: Popular music will always have the innate ability – and the right – to re-invent itself. A great record changes everything, and no artists should ever be counted out. If Britney Spears had a hard-edged track that would work well in one of our Street titles, we'd be happy to use it.

GCM: When will we get to the point where developers begin omitting tracks on the game disc altogether, and just stream music from a central broadband server, almost like incorporating the consoles' abilities to play user-created soundtracks? I don't know what licensing nightmare it might cause, but it would be cool to always have the freshest mix of EA Trax tunes playing in both new and old games – in-game EA Trax Internet radio station, if you will.

SS: Clearly, gamers want the control of full customization. We are currently developing new technology capable of fully integrating music into existing audio – sound effects, commentary, etc. – while offering a continuous flow of customized tracks for every gaming platform. Why has EA aggressively taken on this challenge? The answer is simple: It is our responsibility to always meet – and exceed – the ever-growing expectations of EA gamers around the world.

GCM: Thanks for taking the time to speak with Game Chronicles, Steve. We are big fans of EA Trax, and we sure look forward to hearing the newest bands and songs in our EA games.