Composer Martyn Ware has reportedly been offered $7,500 by Rockstar to include a song in the upcoming GTA 6. The song in question is called Temptation (linked below) and the composer claims Rockstar offered the buyout with the agreement it would void royalties from game sales and future projects.
Ware is part of a synth-pop band called Heaven 17. He claims that his publisher was contacted by Take-Two and offered $7,500 to include the Temptation song in the game. At the moment it isn’t clear if this song would be played on the radio or perhaps streamed somewhere else during the game. However, the contract was quite clear – Heaven 17 would agree to a buyout of all royalties and perpetuity.
The composer took to X to share the news saying that if the band were to take the $7,500, they would not make a single cent from Take-Two no matter how many copies of the game it sold. Ware claims he was excited about the “immense wealth” but at the bottom of the email, it stated $7500 and the buyout clause.
Of course, including the song in GTA 6 would be great for exposure but Heaven 17 has likely declined the offer. Ware expressed that Grand Theft Auto 6 (he meant GTA 5) grossed $8.6 billion and politely told Take-Two to “Go F$&@ yourself”.
Users on X have, of course, given their “professional” opinion on the matter. Many of them say Ware has made the wrong decision and that the exposure is great for the band. Some of them say the band should simply negotiate with Take-Two given the huge success GTA 6 will be.
It is up to the band to decide. But the low offer is also quite a cheek from Take-Two. Given how much money GTA 5 made, artists included in the game likely received no royalties from the game sales. Not to mention the game was released three times. We can likely see GTA 6 repeat the same process here. It will sell a bucket load and get re-released across two or three generations of consoles.
GTA 6 is currently in development. The game is expected to launch sometime in 2025.
Source: X
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