The Video Game Composer Podcast

What Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone Means for Your Game Composition Career Sep 9, 2025 00:14:11 Growth never happens in the comfort zone. In this episode, I share stories from my own career as a game composer—times when I stepped into unfamiliar, uncomfortable situations and how those moments led to real breakthroughs. If you’re looking to grow your game composition career, this episode will challenge you to embrace risk, push past fear, and recognize that the opportunities you’re seeking of

Don’t Sign That Yet: What Game Composers Need to Know About Deals with Noa Beazley Aug 19, 2025 00:54:23 What should you charge to score a game? Should you sign an exclusive contract—or not? How do you protect your creative rights without burning bridges?In this episode, I sit down with Noa Beazley, a Boston-based composer and multi-instrumentalist whose game scores span genres—from the Latin-metal fusion of Protodroid DeLTA to the orchestral fantasy of A Token War. Noa teaches game scoring at Berkle

Is Your Music Satisfying To Listen To? w/ Jason Walsh Jul 29, 2025 00:53:09 How does your music sound? Maybe the notes are good, but the recording sounds like General MIDI from 1991. Maybe the production is good, but your music sounds like everyone else. Maybe you have no idea how your music stacks up.Today's guest, Jason Walsh, has worked for over a decade on some of the largest projects in the game industry. Jason's high level of expertise comes in part from wearing man

Stop Chasing Gigs: How Chris Rickwood Built a Career Where Work Finds Him Jul 15, 2025 00:50:54 At the start of your game audio career, you’ll need to grind. A lot. Finding consistent work means meeting people, stepping out of your comfort zone, and spending an inordinate amount of time on business activities—not just writing music.But over time, your career can pivot. Opportunities begin to flow to you, and your days become more focused on the creative work you love.Chris Rickwood has made

Essential Questions To Ask Developers When Planning a Games Soundtrack w/ Gina Zdanowicz May 27, 2025 01:01:58 Gina Zdanowicz, Founder and Audio Director of Serial Lab Sound, has cultivated a dynamic career spanning over two decades in the game industry, leaving an indelible mark on titles such as Eternights, Paladins, Just Cause 3, Bioshock 2, and numerous indie, e-Learning and midcore games. Gina has been instrumental in shaping the future generation of game audio professionals. Her impressive tenure inc

Creating Streams of Income As A Game Composer w/ Megan McDuffee May 13, 2025 00:41:21 Megan is primarily a video game composer. She did the music for River City Girls 1 & 2, the Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead games from Retro Realms, and I believe she composed most of the music for the Atari Recharged games.Not only does Megan do a ton of custom work for games, but she also earns income by licensing her music for TV and releasing her own music as an artist. I brought Megan on t

Developing the MIndset of a Pioneering Game Composer w/ Olivier Deriviere May 6, 2025 01:07:39 Today you’ll be listening in on a conversation with lifelong gamer, composer, and music designer Olivier Deriviere. He has created the music for games such as A Plague Tale: Innocence, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Dying Light 2, Streets of Rage 4, and, most recently, South of Midnight.Equally impressive to his composing skills are Olivier’s talents in music design. He is a leading voice in pushing the

Becoming Known As A Composer with Tobi Weiss Dec 16, 2024 01:08:27 Tobi Weiss is a video game composer who has amassed a following of over 120K on Instagram. He emphasizes the importance of being genuine with your audience and staying true to yourself while working hard to become known and find more work. This is a value-packed conversation for anyone looking to become more visible as a composer in a genuine and authentic way. Follow Tobi on Instagram:https://www

Two MUSTS If You Are Going To Make It As A Video Game Composer with Brendon Williams Dec 11, 2024 00:45:06 There is a lot to do and learn as a freelance game composer and it can be hard to figure out what activities are most important to focus on, what skillsets are most important to develop, and how a composer needs to think to make this career happen. This episode will help you get inside the head of professional composer Brendon WIlliams. He has composed for major franchises such as League of Legend

The Top Skills Composers Must Have with Robbie Dolan Jul 23, 2024 01:05:30 Game composer, sound designer, and audio engineer Robbie Dolan talks about the top handful of skills that are essential for composers in order to carve out a career in today's marketplace. Robbie wasted no time establishing a strong career in the game industry and the knowledge and experience he shares are invaluable.

7 Must Know Building Blocks of Interactive/Adaptive Music with Michael Sweet Jul 2, 2024 00:58:17 Michael Sweet is a video game composer, sound designer, audio director, and all around audio pro. He has also been teaching game audio at two of the top music programs in the world. He has worked on over 100 award-winning games and has basically done it all in the world of game audio. In our conversation, we talk in-depth about what interactive or adaptive music is, the fundamental building blocks

How To Write Music That Gets You Gigs Mar 12, 2024 00:05:58 Today's episode is taken from module 3 of the START course. Module 3 is all about how to write demos that can help you find video game scoring work. This episode discusses the how and why of creating targeted demo music, and how targeted music is different than making music as an artist in general. If you are interested in taking the START course head to thevideogamecomposerhq.com/start and

How To Improve The Quality Of Your Game Music with Ryan Ike Feb 27, 2024 00:58:16 Today’s Guest, Ryan Ike, is a very accomplished indie game composer and an all-around awesome dude. You can hear his music in indie game hits like Wizard With a Gun, Shadows Over Loathing, Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, Gunpoint, and more. We had a great conversation about Ryan's diligent method for becoming a strong game composer. I learned a lot from this conversation and had a lot of fun

How To Be a Freelance Composer with Jeff Broadbent Feb 20, 2024 00:57:10 Jeff Broadbent is an award-winning game composer who has worked on many of the industry's largest franchises, including Diablo, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, and many more. Not only is Jeff a talented composer but he is an effective networker and strategic business person. He has so much great information to share. I hope you are ready to take notes and implement some ideas.We talk

How To Break Into Game Composing In 2024 Feb 13, 2024 00:21:03 This episode discusses three areas of focus that can help you make great progress in your video game composing career. Having a system and goals for music creation, building up a team of people around you, and tracking your progress are all powerful tools to help you achieve and succeed in this competitive and exciting journey. For even more detailed and hands-on help to kickstart your composing c

Emotional Composing with AAA Composer Jeff Kurtenacker Feb 5, 2024 01:20:58 Today’s guest is Jeff Kurtenacker, an amazing composer and sound designer for AAA games. He is currently the audio director for Deck Nine Games, and has also worked as a senior composer for Blizzard and worked on a ton of projects as a freelancer before that. Jeff wrote over 14 hours of absolutely killer music for a game called WildStar that got canceled before it ever saw the light of day. Check

Hogwartz Legacy Composer J Scott Rakozy Jan 30, 2024 00:55:39 Grammy-nominated composer J Scott Rakozy talks to us about his background in music, his process for creating convincing midi mach-ups, how he got to do the music for Hogwarts Legacy and much more! Check out more about Scott at his website and Instagram: https://www.jscottrakozy.com https://www.instagram.com/rockinrakozy/ Emerging and Mid-career composers for film and games: check out this Masterc

5 Year Career Anniversary Sep 1, 2023 00:18:25 Enjoy this special edition episode celebrating my 5-year anniversary as a video game composer. I give career highlights and share the big lessons I learned each year. If this episode is helpful or inspiring please share it with another game audio person you know. If you don't know any, meet someone. You can start with me, shoot me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Fresh Composition Career Ideas with Vinicius Barbosa Aug 21, 2023 00:52:28 Vinicius is an LA-based composer for film, tv and video games. He was nominated for an Emmy with his music editor work on Go Go Cory Carson. Vinicius reveals what he did to build connections and start working with well-established composers on major projects. There are a lot of invaluable and fresh ideas shared in this episode. Listen carefully and be ready to take notes and then take action! Be

From Elementary Educator to Video Game Composer with Nate Madsen Apr 10, 2023 00:47:04 Nate Madsen is a long time veteran composer in the video game industry, with extensive experience as a freelance and in-house game composer. Nate shares really great insights and personal experiences on networking, prospecting for projects, personal improvement and so much more. Follow Nate at his website https://madsenstudios.com

The Creators Journey: Interview with Composer David Fairfield Mar 20, 2023 00:55:20 In today's episode, composer David Fairfield talks about what he calls the creator's journey. Going from hobbyist, to time liberated, to mastery. David is a Music Composer, Sound Designer, and Audio Director who has worked in the gaming industry for 15 years. He has worked with some of the world's top companies and brands including Disney, Microsoft, Warner Brothers, and the Olympics. Most notably

Musical Storytelling with Elias CEO and It Takes Two composer Kristofer Eng Mar 6, 2023 01:03:22 Today's guest is Kristofer Eng who is an award-winning composer for his work on the game It Takes Two. He is also the CEO of Elias software, which is audio middleware initially designed exclusively for video game music (sound design capabilities were added later). Kristopher talks about his musical upbringing, his entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, and how game composing led him to create hi

Music of Guild Wars 2 with Maclain Diemer Dec 19, 2022 01:06:14 Maclain Diemer of Guild Wars 2, Salt and Sacrifice, and other great games joins us to share his valuable perspectives and experience on being a full-time composer for games. 

3 Tips To Help Networking Become More Comfortable and Genuine Dec 5, 2022 00:06:53 Building strong relationships is crucial to any creative career, and it is especially true for game composers. A majority of the opportunities for game composers are freelance. With most of us working outside the "in-house" or company setting, having a robust network with solid relationships is essential. (It is also very essential to those wanting to work in a company setting as well). This is no

Growing Your Game Audio Career Through Omnipresent Visibility Nov 17, 2022 00:12:02 In this episode, I share where I am focusing and what I am currently doing to grow my business.  As video game composers our biggest problem, and the reason we don't have more work, is visibility.  If every game developer on the planet knew who you were and was familiar with your music you would have more paid work than you could ever handle.  Becoming less and less obscure, and mor

Procrastination, the right running shoes, and your game career. Nov 10, 2022 00:11:02 Many good activities can be excuses that slow our progress toward great things.  Forever tweaking tracks, learning more before you take the next step, doing it 'one day' after you update or buy this or that, on and on. Practicing, buying new gear, learning about the industry, and more can all be good things but sometimes we use them as crutches not to take the right actions. As you transition

Most People Don't Do This: But it's Great For Your Career Oct 31, 2022 00:04:34 A great way to make more meaningful connections with video game industry leaders, add value, and have a lot of fun is by volunteering at industry events.  This podcast tells a simple story of how volunteering can open doors and help boost your game composition career.

Killer Testimonials: How to get testimonials that build trust Oct 15, 2022 00:21:44 Well-crafted testimonials build trust. Trust is essential for having a solid video game composition business.  The more people trust you, the quicker you will get deals and the more money your clients will be willing to pay you.  In this episode, I break down six steps you can use to get killer testimonials of your own!

Networking: Friend or Foe? Aug 19, 2022 00:04:37 For many, networking is a word that induces stress and anxiety. A necessary evil that must be suffered through in order to find work. If only there was another way!   There isn't. But an adjustment in how networking is approached could make all the difference. This episode will look at another way to think about networking that could turn it from foe to friend.

CMFG - Music Enhances the Aesthetic May 10, 2022 00:05:37 One role of music in media is to enhance the aesthetic appeal and goals of the project it is attached to. Our job as video game composers is to understand what the aesthetic of the game is and work to support it, as opposed to undermining or supplanting it.   Reach out with episode ideas, comments, questions and so on at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

CMFG - Using Your Music to Give Context Apr 19, 2022 00:04:55 One fundamental role that music plays in video games as well as other media is through providing context. This is a very important role to understand and for composers to effectively use. This discussion comes out of chapter one of Chance Thomas' Composing Music For Games book, as a part of our CMFG study series. thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

CMFG Propelling Action Foward With Music Apr 16, 2022 00:04:55 One of the six most common roles of music in media is for music to propel the action forward. Understanding the essential role of music can inform a composer's craft and improve their ability to create effective and artful music for the media. Send an email with your ideas for future episodes to thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Game Developers Conference Post Mortem: a composers take away from GDC Apr 5, 2022 00:08:37 In this episode I share some of the things I learned at my first year going to the Game Developers Conference, GDC, in San Francisco.  I got to meet a lot of artists, designers, programmers and fellow game audio folks. I made a lot of friends and it was a really valuable experience and I hope to share a little of that value with you.  Please reach out to me with any suggestions for futur

CMFG - Music Heightens Emotions Mar 9, 2022 00:04:15 Music has a powerful ability to heighten our emotions.  Experienced directors and game producers take advantage of this by creating great relationships with composers and getting the right kind of music in their media.  Knowing about this important characteristic of music can help you when you speak with potential clients and can also help you pay more attention as you work on and develo

Network like a pro with Akash Thakkar: How to prepare for GDC and other Game Developer Conferences Mar 2, 2022 00:43:01 In this interview, music business and networking master Akash Thakkar shares powerful tools on how to cut through the noise and build genuine relationships and connections.  Use these strategies to prepare for big conferences like Game Developers Conference, GDC, or even local meetups or zoom conversations.  Learn How to ask the right questions, give better answers, have better mindsets

Inside the music of Gigasword with Jack Breen Feb 28, 2022 00:47:55 In this episode, we are talking with solo dev Jack Breen of Hybrid Studios who is the creator of Gigasword. Not only has Jack done all of the art, design, and coding but he is also the composer for Gigasword.  In this interview, Jack gets into his influences, workflow, and philosophy on music and games.  He also talks about what he does to cut through the noise in a crowded market. &nbsp

CMFG - Set the mood...with a little music! Feb 21, 2022 00:06:23 There are 6 important roles that music can fill in media.  The first of these six, setting the mood, is what we will be discussing today. Knowing the purpose of your music within a game will help immensely when digging into the planning and composition processes and help you to be a much better composer and asset to the game team.

CMFG - Music Term of the Day: Diegetic? Feb 16, 2022 00:03:51 Quick episode defining the term "Diegetic."  Knowing the lingo in an industry is important, especially when you are new and you don't know as much.

CMFG - Tips on developing the scoring language Feb 10, 2022 00:05:44 In this episode Tyson Cazier gives 5 exercises you can practice to improve your effectiveness at using the scoring language. These exercises can help you to understand harmony on an emotional level and use chords with more sophistication, write melodies that can better express complex emotions, and know how to write music that directly speaks to the emotions of others.  Send examples of your

CMFG - Music Scoring Grammar Feb 8, 2022 00:08:29 Imagine being able to captivate audiences' imaginations and emotions with your music just like a great novelist can do with their words. Mastery of the rules and grammar of the scoring language can help you achieve those ends.  

CMFG - You Are Already Fluent in the Music Scoring Language Feb 3, 2022 00:16:28 Music scoring is a language that you are already fluent in, this episode explains how.  This is a very exciting and freeing concept for those of us that are struggling to become full-time video game music composers and sometimes wonder if we have what it takes.  I love to hear if this message resonates with you or not, if you have questions, or requests for episodes.  Shoot me an em

Study Series Intro: Composing Music for Games (CMFG) Jan 24, 2022 00:04:02 Introducing a new study series! When I first got started composing for games, and knew basically nothing, I had the great opportunity to meet game composer icon Chance Thomas.  He told me about the text book he wrote to help young composers like me and recommended I study as if I were getting a Master's Degree in game composition.  I read through the book back then and it was very helpfu

Quick Composing Tip: overcoming writers block Jun 1, 2021 00:05:26 Writers block is super frustrating!!! In this episode I share one strategy I use to get my ideas flowing.

Three Production Tips To Immediately Improve Your Music May 25, 2021 00:06:05 I share 3 production tips to start doing (if you're not) to immediately improve your music production quality. Layering samples, automation curves, and recording live instruments are three no excuses techniques that can really improve your sound.

Staying Organized And On Top Of Your Business May 18, 2021 00:13:26 In this episode I share four tips on how to stay organized and on top of your business. It is far too easy to get unbalanced and give to much focus on one are of your business at the expense of other areas. This episode offers some ideas to help get your composition business back in balance while maximizing productivity.

April 2021 Business Report plus Special Announcement May 10, 2021 00:10:44 The monthly report! This is my first monthly report episode. In my monthly reports I report on how my business is performing and progressing in the four core areas of my business: Learning, Producing, Networking, and Visibility. Starting in June 2021 the monthly report will happen the first episode of each month and report on the previous months efforts. These reports are a great way to take a

Interview with Chance Thomas: Composer for DOTA 2 and Lord of the Rings Online May 3, 2021 00:30:58 In this episode I had a great conversation with Chance Thomas. Chance has been entrusted with prestigious titles and high-value entertainment properties again and again in his career - The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Warhammer, Marvel, King Kong, Dungeons & Dragons, DOTA 2, Star Wars, Monopoly, Heroes of Might & Magic, Left Behind, Jumanji and many more. Follow chance by visiting his website https

How much to charge as a composer and why you should charge for your services Apr 26, 2021 00:21:19 It is very important to value your work as a video game composer. This episode talks about how you can do that by discussing how much to charge and why you should charge your clients.

Not Enough Money, Not Enough Time Apr 19, 2021 00:15:06 The two common shortages are money and time. Most of us are often looking for more of these two things. In this episode I talk about how to find more of both of those. This is one of the small and simple principles, that most people don't take the time to do, that can be a big game changer in your personal life and career path. I would love to hear your experience trying this challenge, shoot

3 Tips To Getting Your First Game Composition Gig Apr 13, 2021 00:11:13 Getting your first gig is so important! It's your initial 'foot in the door' experience to the game industry. Once you get your first video game composition gig you can officially call yourself a video game composer. Use these 3 suggestions to make it happen and get your start in the industry. If you have tried these and haven't gotten your first gig yet, feel free to reach out to me and I wou

Prospecting: If you don't have clients, you didn't do this 3 months ago Apr 5, 2021 00:17:45 If you don't have clients, you probably weren't doing enough prospecting 3 to 6 months ago. In this episode I will give a couple tip on how to use prospecting to get video game clients. I would love to hear what has worked or hasn't worked for you with prospecting. Send me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

The Four Pillars of a Video Game Composition Career Mar 29, 2021 00:17:34 In this episode I share the four pillars or cornerstones that I've found that you can use to build a successful video game composition career (or any career for that matter). The four pillars are 1) Learnung 2) Producing 3) Networking and 4) Visibility. I hope some of these ideas will be valuable to you and help you achieve your dreams faster! I would love to hear how you are implementing these

From Age of Empires to Halo Wars and beyond: Interview with composer Stephen Rippy Mar 22, 2021 00:41:35 Invterview with accomplished composer Stephen RIppy. Stephen is currently the audio director for Boss Fight Entertainment. He has composed for many projects including Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, Age of Empires III, Age of Mythology, Halo Wars, CastleVille, Dungeon Boss and many more. He shares his experience and knowledge that he has acquired from over 25 years as a full time video game c

Networking and Omnipresence: Interview with Rachel Robison Mar 15, 2021 00:44:43 In this episode we have special guest Rachel Robison. Rachel is a composer for games, film and visual media. She also has this magic about her where she seems to know everyone. I brought her onto the podcast to share with us her experiences and journey with building a strong network within the gamine and game audio community. Follow and connect with Rachel via her social media channels: https://

Scarcity vs Abundance Mindset Mar 8, 2021 00:23:10 In this episode I share my thoughts about scarcity versus abundance mentality. I don't talk too much about music in this episode but I think the principle is very worth listening to and exploring, especially when trying to carve out a place for yourself in our competitive game audio landscape.

Take Care of Your Money Tree: Allow yourself to sharpen the saw Nov 9, 2020 00:10:45 Sometimes I focus too much on growing my business and don't allow myself to practice and improve on skills that I need to work on. In this episode I share a story that was shared with me to help put things in perspective and bring more balance to life.

Atomic Composer: Improving productivity with the Atomic Habits contract Nov 2, 2020 00:24:12 In this episode I will talk about a principle I use from Atomic Habits by James Clear, called a habit contract, to get more done and be a better version of myself. This has been a powerful strategy in my life and I hope you will find great use for it in yours as well. I would love to hear from you about your experiences trying the habit contract. Email me at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

The Morning Routine: Starting with Success! Sep 7, 2020 00:12:28 In this episode we will talk about the why and what of a morning routine.  Why they are important as well as what to include to help get your day off to a powerful start.

music BUSINESS Aug 31, 2020 00:31:06 This episodes is starting the conversation about the business side of composing. Sales, prospecting, strategy, all the good stuff will be talked about! Take care of your business so your business will take care of you!

Getting Your First Gig!!! Aug 24, 2020 00:22:59 This is what it's all about! This episode discusses strategies for getting your first gig(s) doing music for an actual video game.  It also talks about what you need to look for and why you need to be choosey and particular in accepting your first project with a video game developer.  This step will help you launch your career and give you an outlet for your passion

Creating Your Demo Aug 17, 2020 00:26:46 Creating a solid demo is essential for launching your career as a video game composer.  This episode discusses actionable strategies you can use to et your demo made quickly and effectively.  I'd love to hear what you create or suggestion on what you would like to hear in future episodes.  Email me at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

First steps to starting your video game composer career Jul 6, 2020 00:23:30 Learn about four action steps you can take that will get you started strong in becoming a video game music composer. These are not the only steps you can take when getting started but all four ideas presented are powerful and can help you yield great results.

Have Vision and Start! Step zero to become a video game composer Jun 29, 2020 00:20:56 This episode is step zero to becoming a full time video game composer. Step zero talks about helpful mindsets to have before you take your first steps to become a full-time composer. Thus, step zero!

Introducing The Video Game Composer Podcast Jun 29, 2020 00:01:35 The Video Game Composer Podcast is a discussion on how to become a full-time video game composer. Strategies, tips and even some interviews all aimed at helping you in your journey to become a full-time video game composer.

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