Cross Industry Perspectives on Surviving as a Composer

When BMG’s Jay Dervish attended the Guildford Games Festival in 2024, there was an unmistakable buzz. “We wanted to bring a greater music presence to the festival – music plays such a vital role in gaming” he tells me.

For Jay, this realisation was a call to action. “Given how integral music is to the gaming experience, we felt it was time for BMG to contribute something valuable." When festival organisers invited BMG to sponsor the 2025 event, Jay jumped at the chance, calling it “a perfect fit." He knew it would be a chance to connect with creators, and demonstrate just how impactful a soundtrack can be.

The team went in with a goal of showcasing BMG’s range of offerings – commercial, library, and bespoke music – directly to developers, publishers, composers, and anyone passionate about the role music plays in gaming.

BMG also invited composer Vince Webb to attend alongside Jay. Vince’s work is part of BMG’s catalogue, and he has worked on some impressive projects, like soundtracking the ‘Jurassic World Aftermath’ video game. Together, they participated in this year's Audio Track panel, ‘Surviving as a Composer: Cross Industry Perspectives’, which unpacked how to make a living as a game composer.

Jay says one of the key points raised during the panel was the way composers are often compensated for their work before there’s any real-world indication of how successful the game will be. “If the game turns out to be a massive hit, is it really fair for the composer to only receive a one-off fee with no royalties or ongoing compensation? Definitely not,” Jay asserts.

For Vince, the isolated nature of working as a composer can make it difficult to determine which kinds of business practices to adopt, or what kind of compensation to expect. “However,” he advises, “I would say to any composers reading this, not to worry too much and focus instead on having good relationships, with honest and transparent conversations.”

On the creative side, Vince says that one of the toughest challenges is creating adaptive music. Speaking about his experience composing for ‘Jurassic World Aftermath’, he explains that the gameplay revolves around being hunted by raptors.

“It was a long process trying to figure out which behaviours we wanted to drive the music and how,” he says. “For instance, do we want to reflect the player character’s emotional state? Or the raptor’s? Should we use the music to warn the player? Or fool them into thinking they are safe?”

It was only after answering a multitude of questions like those mentioned that Vince was able to begin composing tracks that would actually stay in the game.

When asked about what advice they’d give to up-and-coming composers, both offer grounded answers. Jay says, “For many game developers, having a portfolio of past projects is important, and contributing tracks to a library like BMG’s can help composers build that portfolio.”

He adds that for composers looking to leverage library placements as a stepping stone, his advice would be to focus on building a diverse catalogue that showcases range – these placements can be a powerful tool for getting noticed.

Meanwhile, Vince added, “The main thing I try to do is commit to doing my best on any project I have the opportunity to work on. It can sometimes feel like the grass is greener, but I remind myself that each project is as good as I make it.”

Another recurring theme at the festival was the crucial role of library music in development – an unsung hero of sorts. As Jay – a self-confessed gamer – explains, tight budgets mean production library music often steps in as a practical, high-quality alternative when custom scores aren’t feasible.

“There is a useful middle ground that library music can fill, especially in lower-budget game productions,” says Vince. He notes that in the past, libraries may have been unwilling to risk making the kinds of changes to their business models that serving those clients would require, but that now, things are changing. “It’s only relatively recently that it has become the norm for libraries to offer stems. Now that practice is relatively common, it massively opens up the creative possibilities for developers wanting to use library tracks in their games.”

As the festival wrapped up, one thing was clear: being a game composer may be tough, but it’s never been more exciting. “We’ve now launched our new co-op label, designed specifically for in-game music with a focus on indie and mobile games – it’s another step toward offering tailored music solutions,” he says. From the 8-bit bleeps of yesterday to today’s sweeping orchestral scores, game music has come a long way – and with supporters like BMG, composers can hope to hit a high note.