Last week, an enterprising group of musicians released Chronicles of Time, an enormous cover album comprising an extensive array of remixed songs from the original Chrono Trigger. The album, which in addition to featuring seventy-five songs and fifty pieces of unique artwork, is being sold to raise money for Doctors Without Borders, giving gamers and music fans an opportunity to contribute to a noble cause while enjoying a reimagining of a popular videogame soundtrack.
Charity projects like these are not uncommon – back in 2014 a similar project entitled Multiplayer: A Tribute to Video Games, which contained a multitude of remixed titles from a variety of games, was released in order to raise money for Child’s Play, the gamer-run charity which donates toys and games to children’s hospitals around the world.
The desire to remix favorite songs from videogames is shared by a wide variety of fans. The internet is full of fan projects which attempt to make something new out of the popular sounds from games.
The largest online community of game music enthusiasts, OCRemix, is well known throughout the gaming industry for producing some of the most enjoyable music inspired by games. While many musicians focus on covers, OCRemix encourages creators to expand upon their source material to give their own unique take on a familiar song.
The professionals behind gaming music are well aware of the power of this community, and it’s not uncommon to hear stories of musicians like Jimmy Hinson (AKA BigGiantCircles) whose fan remix for Jade Empire and Mass Effect proved so popular with BioWare that he was invited to produce music for Mass Effect 2.
Similarly, YouTuber Malukah (real name Judith de los Santos), known for her cover tributes to Skyrim songs, was commissioned to compose bard music for Elder Scrolls Online and was also featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. For musically inclined gamers, such accolades represent the Holy Grail of respect from their peers for the work they do.
Of course, not all fan projects are equally respected by the creators of works they copy. Among the remix community, no tale is more notorious than the story behind Twilight Symphony, a crowdfunded project by a group known as Zelda Reorchestrated, who set out to remix the soundtrack to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess using live instruments and an enormous vocal choir.
As the project drew near to completion, Nintendo announced their interest in working with its creators to produce the album as officially licensed merchandise, although the company’s demands for the project ultimately led to its official release being scrapped, and the shutting down of the project website.
While not all of the details of negotiations are publicly known, it’s believed by many that Nintendo was ultimately unwilling to give Zelda Reorchestrated the permission needed to officially license the album. This is not an isolated incident: copyright laws prove restrictive for videogame remixers, and in spite of music labels set up specifically to deal with the legalities of selling cover albums, very few fan music projects get permission to release commercially.
As with many fan works, creating videogame fan music isn’t about earning money – all music on OCRemix is free, and while there may be opportunities for financial gain along the way through other means, the primary reason for getting involved in remixes is a desire for personal expression through reworking inspiring media.
In spite of most musicians not expecting to receive payment for their work, listeners are often more than happy to pay for songs – hence the popularity of the Patreon platform among musicians. This is perhaps why fan music remixes, more so than most other forms of fan media, are often released in order to benefit charitable causes.
Musicians like those behind Chronicles of Time are happy working on their project without pay, but when presented with an opportunity to support a worthy cause, these musicians have chosen to use their efforts in as noble a way as possible. Similarly, while there’s plenty of free fan music available online, patrons of Chronicles of Time are happy to pay for the album in recognition of both the impressive labor that has gone into producing the album and also the opportunity to be part of a project that helps those in need.
No doubt many musicians who work on fan remixes for videogames would prefer a system wherein they can be more easily financially rewarded for their work, but in the meantime, raising money for charity is a satisfying achievement. For many creators, remixing gaming music is about engaging with a vibrant, excited community who are happy to dish out praise where it is warranted, and to provide constructive criticism when needed.
It’s significant that, unlike many fan communities, groups like OCRemix expect a base level of quality to all officially accepted submissions, and will only release a song through their channel once it’s been approved by a group of experts from the community.
That said, there’s a place for everyone – the community forum is full of works in progress, tips on getting the most out of audio programs, and suggestions for improvement. The entire community works together to help everybody develop their talents and even holds regular contests so that newbie musicians can work right alongside seasoned experts.
With such a strong community behind the videogame remix movement, it’s no wonder that their projects often look for ways to provide meaningful charitable aid to others in need: while there are certainly shining stars among the remix community, when it comes to charitable projects, both the listener and the composer are equally important to raise money.
What’s more, everybody involved, whether they’re listening or composing, the entire community shares one common bond: a love of gaming music, and a desire to hear something new that’s been made out of a classic song.