The CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival in New York will now include a gaming event, CMJ Play, to explore the commercial and cultural convergence of music and video games. CMJ Play, “a celebration and exploration of the intersection of music and gaming”, will take place Wednesday, October 20, at New York University’s Kimmel Center and will be presented in conjunction with NYU’s Music Video Game Research Project.
Samuel Howard-Spink, clinical assistant professor of the Music Business Program at NYU and the founder of the NYU Music Video Game Research Project and CMJ Play curator, thinks that one day gaming could provide more revenues to music artists than the recorded music business alone.
“Interactive games are becoming the most significant media form in the entertainment and culture industries, and practically every single game or mobile app uses music in some way. This represents extraordinary opportunities for music creators and various tech companies to connect with the most engaged music fans and gamers…This is the real future of music business, and CMJ Play is where this future will be discussed, debated, and forged.”
Not only are gamers paying for music downloads through games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but the inclusion of more indie-leaning music has increased dramatically in recent years as seen in the Madden and Tony Hawk series.
CMJ Play is open to Marathon badge holders, but special passes for the one-day event can also be purchased. For more information, visit CMJ.com/marathon.
