Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Topics: Rockstar Games, GTA, GTA 5, GTA 6, GTA Online, Grand Theft Auto
Topics: Rockstar Games, GTA, GTA 5, GTA 6, GTA Online, Grand Theft Auto
Co-founder of the band Heaven 17, Martyn Ware, has told Rockstar Games to “go f**k yourself” after reportedly being offered $7,500 for use of their track ‘Temptation’ as part of the GTA VI soundtrack.
Ware took to Twitter to say, “Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email re the offer…”
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The band member was excited at the potential of receiving a big payout from Rockstar Games. After all, GTA VI is projected to be the biggest game of all time.
However, as they explained on Twitter, the financial offer was much lower than expected and ended with Ware telling Rockstar Games where to go.
In the tweet, Ware says they were offered a sum of $7,500 as a buyout for “any future royalties from the game - forever”.
This means no royalties for the years-long life of the game. When Ware considered that GTA V made “wait for it… $8.6 BILLION,” they seemingly considered the offer an insult.
The tweet ended with, “Ah, but think of the exposure… Go f**k yourself.”
One reply said that Ware had “probably made the worst decision of your life, $7500 seems little to you? Maybe, but your music could have been part of the most anticipated video game in history. You’ll regret it.”
When being told Ware had “f**ked up” by another user, he responded by saying, “I’ve worked in artist rights advocacy for 20 years / I know the game. This is iniquitous."
Whether you think Ware was right or wrong doesn’t change the fact that $7,500 is a small amount to pay for a song when Rockstar Games is worth over $22 billion.
Any creator should be paid fairly for their work, especially if they’re signing away any rights to future royalty payments.