Sound decisions: EA on iTunes, Warner nabs Halo

Whether it's carefully putting together a soundtrack of appropriate licensed songs or composing a unique score, the effort going into a game's music has moved well beyond simple blips and beeps. Game makers and musicians clearly see the opportunity to make some serious green off game music, as evidenced by two big moves made recently.

Today, Electronic Arts, the world's largest game publisher, announced that it is teaming up with Apple to sell its catalog of soundtracks on iTunes. Licensed music from franchises such as Madden NFL, Need for Speed, and SSX are now up on the music download service, and EA promises more in the future.

Among the songs available is the retail debut of Snoop Dogg's remix of the Doors' "Riders on the Storm," which was featured in Need for Speed Underground. A list of soundtracks available on iTunes can be found at the EA Trax Web site.

EA also makes games for iPods, which are also available through iTunes, and has expressed interest in developing titles for the upcoming iPhone.

Not to be outdone, Warner/Chappell Music has signed a deal with Microsoft for the publishing rights to the software giant's portfolio of game music, including Marty O'Donnell's scores from the Halo games.

"We have developed a large library of video game music and are excited to make it available for placement beyond games," said Ed Ventura, senior director of the franchise development group in Microsoft's interactive entertainment division.

The deal covers thousands of pieces of music, including arrangements from the games Age of Empires, Kameo: Elements of Power, and Fable. The agreement also covers forthcoming games published by Microsoft, including Halo 3.