The Growing Popularity of Video Game Music

by Alejandra Arevalo, Chartmetric, April 11, 2023

The power of the gaming industry is undeniable, and we can only expect it to keep growing. Gen Z, a generation born into an interconnected digital world, sees gaming as a core part of their lives beyond just a source of entertainment.

A survey by Deloitte found that more than 90% of Gen Zers in the US, UK, Germany, Brazil, and Japan play video games for an average of 11.5 hours per week. Respondents shared how gaming helps them relax and express themselves, but they also revealed that video games now influence their music consumption more than ever.

(...) Not only has video game music become commercialized, but video game sounds have also become part of the music canon and inspired new art. Nowadays, many video game companies are taking the role of record labels to release original music for their games and achieve commercial success along the way. League of Legends is the highest-ranked video game artist on Chartmetric with a Spotify popularity of 81–the same as established artists like Bob Marley & The Wailers and Deftones. The game features multiple official virtual bands that release music under Riot Games and have garnered millions of followers off the game ecosystem.

(...) “Personally coming from a label background where you're always chasing this elusive hit… the lens in which we make the music at Riot is to serve the moment and if it becomes a hit, that's great [but its purpose] is to tell a story or draw a deeper connection with a character or make the event more exciting,” Evan Lipschutz, Global Label Manager consultant at Riot Games, told Chartmetric.

Read more on this fascinating topic on Chartmetric's site, where it was initially published.