The Game Composer’s Blog

Do you need an agent?

So you’re just starting out as a game audio specialist. You’ve met some people, sent out some demo CD’s, maybe even gotten a gig scoring a game (for credit or royalties). You feel like your foot is in the door, or maybe a toe at least. But then, weeks go by and you’re still waiting to hear back from all the other developers you’ve written. Your inbox sits sadly empty. Months go by. The game you poured your energy into has fallen apart. Turns out it was never really in serious production, despite the optimistic producer’s reassurances. Now you’re back to square one. Maybe there’s an easier way to get into the business?

What’s this then? There are game composer agents? Well, heck, that’s your ticket to stability! All you need is someone out there promoting you. Give them a cut, and the rest is history. Nothing but Grammy’s and leather jogging suits in your future.

Not so fast.

Let me just put this out there. You don’t need an agent. Actually, you shouldn’t even want an agent. Not to say you’ll never want an agent, but when just starting out, it’s wiser to have something much more valuable. A day job. Continue working on your craft. Continue to meet fellow game developers. Your game composition skills always need improving, but chances are your business skills need even more improvement. Once you’ve gotten a real foot in the door, some paying gigs or some decent press, the agents may come looking for you. And then, you know what? You might not need them. Why give them a share of the cut? Yes, they do valuable work in keeping contracts coming, but since you’ve been independently honing your business acumen, you should be able to take care of that yourself.

Does having an agent on your side make you more employable? Not necessarily. Yes, it says someone values you enough to want to get a piece of your action. But it also may imply you aren’t able to get the gigs on your own. Is work that hard to come by on your own? I really don’t know the answer to whether or not an agent really helps a composer’s career. I suspect there is a point between moderate success and extreme success where an agent may be able to help get your name out there. Many agents have connections that are very valuable. They have built relationships that would take you years to develop. They can give you a sort of shortcut to begin scoring bigger games.

However, bigger AAA games aren’t the only game in town. Casual games are huge business. Consoles and PC are offering a mind-numbing amount of new opportunities for composers. The paying work is out there. You just have to commit to becoming as good of a businessperson as you are a composer. An agent is certainly not required to make a living in the risky world of game dev if you commit to doing the ground work yourself. And, it’s kind of fun. It’s rewarding to land your own contracts.

If you’ve got the talent to back up your marketing, you will find your way in this business. That’s the big question. It’s not whether or not to get an agent. It’s whether or not you’ve got the talent. As long as you do the leg work, work (and, later, agents) will come. That’s why having a day job is more important than having an agent early in your career. You’ll learn valuable business skills and also find out the brutal, or beautiful, truth about how far your talent can take you.

All that being said… any agents out there who happen to be reading this, I’d love to hear from you!

September 5, 2008 Posted by thegamecomposer | Career Advice | agents | Leave a Comment