Bob Moses managed to achieve remarkable success with Grand Theft Auto VI without the need to steal a vehicle, execute a robbery, or even touch a gaming controller.
The Canadian electronic duo only required a standout track and an email from Rockstar Games.
According to them, their 2021 collaboration with British artist Elderbrook, Inner Light, has accumulated over 50 million additional streams since its inclusion in an extended game trailer released in late August.
Fans have been anticipating GTA VI for more than a decade, with its official release set for Thursday. However, Inner Light has already gained significant traction, circulating through social media and reaching audiences well beyond the electronic music genre.
Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, the duo from Vancouver who formed in 2012 and received a Grammy nomination, shared that their manager contacted them earlier this year with a request from Rockstar to include their song, though the specifics of its use were vague.
“We were like, cool, GTA is a major game. Then we kind of forgot about it,” Howie reminisces.
Several months later, their phones buzzed with notifications from acquaintances they hadn’t spoken to in years.
It turned out that Inner Light had secured a prominent position during the trailer’s peak moment, with its ethereal, synth-based melodies complementing a poignant monologue about cherishing one’s “glory days.”
“It became the segment that everyone clipped and re-shared, which really made the song go viral,” Vallance explains.
Spotify reported that the song experienced a 500 percent increase in streams following the trailer’s release, with daily playlist additions soaring by more than 3,000 percent.
This unexpected rise in popularity comes as artists face increasing demands to generate viral moments in an ever-saturated streaming environment.
Jimmy Vallance, left, and Tom Howie of the Vancouver-based electronic music duo Bob Moses. (Hunter Monero/The Canadian Press)
Vallance comments that this experience reaffirmed a lesson the duo has learned while navigating an industry transformed by TikTok and social media: there is no guaranteed method for creating a hit.
“You can’t create this in a lab,” he states.
“Someone somewhere enjoyed a song we wrote and decided to feature it in the trailer, which then resonated with millions of people.”
The duo mentions that they received a relatively modest licensing fee.
“I can’t recall the exact amount, but it wasn’t significant enough to remember,” Howie adds.
“The real value lies in the potential reach, not the paycheck.”
Toronto music supervisor Heather Gardner states that this is fairly common.
Gardner, who serves as president of the Guild of Music Supervisors Canada, explains that a placement in a gaming giant like GTA can be immensely beneficial, even if the licensing fee isn’t particularly high.
“It’s such a cultural icon,” she remarks about the franchise.
“No one can pay their bills with exposure, but in an industry that is currently so musically saturated, everyone is searching for ways to stand out and garner attention, and a sync, regardless of the payment, provides that opportunity.”
Music integral to GTA
Music has always played a crucial role in the GTA experience, with the franchise’s fictional radio stations exposing generations of gamers to a diverse array of genres while they navigate city streets, run over pedestrians, and evade law enforcement.
For GTA VI, the Grammy-winning French electronic group Justice created the score, and Rockstar plans to release an album featuring original tracks on Thursday, including contributions from SZA, Tame Impala, and Keith Richards.
The musical festivities will extend into the weekend with a GTA-themed concert in Miami starring Travis Scott and Cardi B.
Gardner emphasizes that video games provide a uniquely powerful avenue for music discovery, as players engage actively with the content rather than being mere spectators.
“You’re an active participant in the media in a way that no other medium allows,” she explains.
A still from the new Grand Theft Auto VI video game. (Rockstar Games/The Canadian Press)
Vallance, a longtime admirer of the GTA series, reminisces about playing the original top-down game in the ’90s on a friend’s computer before being enthralled by the transition to 3D gameplay in Grand Theft Auto III.
However, it was the 1980s-inspired soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City that made the most profound musical impact, introducing him to bands like A Flock of Seagulls and igniting an appreciation for the synth-pop sounds of that decade.
Vallance expresses that it is a “great honor” for his music to now be part of the franchise’s cultural landscape. This placement has also provided the duo with a sense of validation after years of navigating the uncertainties of their musical journey.
“Every so often, something occurs, and you think, ‘Oh, we’re a legitimate band.’”
GTA VI is projected to generate between $3.25 billion and $5.2 billion in its opening week sales according to market research firm Newszoo.
Howie believes the game acts as a tastemaker in an era when audiences are increasingly dispersed across various entertainment platforms.
“There aren’t many activities that a large number of people participate in together anymore. In the past, we all tuned into the same shows, listened to the same radio stations, and read the same content,” he notes.
“GTA remains one of the few experiences that many people still engage with collectively; it’s a unifying phenomenon on a scale that is rare in today’s world.”