It's not the standard way of doing things, no. But then there are advantages to the music happening the way it did...
1: Llamasoft get the music for free, with the obvious benefits that entails
2: Lots more people get to be on the soundtrack than ever would have been if it were commercially managed
3: People get a chance they'd not necessarily have had were they competing with more established artists with better representation in this department. This is the important one, especially for n00bs like me. Whatever shitty flat rate I'd have been paid isn't worth as much as being on there in the first place, in terms of doors it opens.
4: Everyone contributing is doing so for the love of it, some of whom got into computer music precisely because of the last album. So it's important in non-career ways, too.
5: The OST does ok and we all get something for it.
Now, obviously there will be people criticising Jeff for not paying the artists and that's a natural reaction. Truth is I've had a tough time trying to get some of them to charge for the music in the first place, let alone accept their share of the proceeds. There are some obsequious comments about from certain people, effectively saying people are lucky to have the privilege of being on the game, and that's bullshit, but for the most part the majority of artists are both happy with whatever the OST makes and glad to be involved in what is for some of us quite a big release, without the baggage of it being 'a job'. Besides, for many hobby musicians the last thing they want is the financial complications that come with a bit too much profit.
We're not starving full-time musicians and the OST is there to buy for anyone who wants a FLAC of the thing because it's what they are into, not to keep my hypothetical kids in beans on toast. If I wanted to make my money back on the kit I bought to finish that song, I'd be insisting it went for a fiver, minimum and I'd be promoting it properly, not posting links on a few forums. As an aside, the stuff I've been doing with Beercave Games is not paid either... this track started out for one of his games, and Beerman effectively rejected it because the game I wrote it for didn't need music!
Not giving the OST away for free was, for my part, important in that a large album of very good music for the genre damn well should have some value attached to it, it undermines the whole concept of musicians getting paid if you don't ask for something. I'm happy for anyone who wants to torrent it to do so if they can't afford the £3 and my PM inbox is always open on here for those who need it
As a rabble-rousing trade union officer I'd be the first to tell Jeff to fuck off if it wasn't a pleasant and agreeable arrangement for me and everyone else involved. Some of the people who've become involved since the work was done have conspired to make it feel like I should be paid for it - and handsomely - but neither of the guys at Llamasoft are amongst them.
tl;dr It's fine and I acknowledge that it's an out of the ordinary situation but it suits all parties in various ways and my sense of TRUE LEFTY JUSTICE hasn't been offended. There may be fawning sycophants about but they aren't a factor, nor has anyone been taken advantage of, unless you think that it's impossible for it not to be the case if tracks go in a game unpaid for, in which case there's not much I can say.
/edit forgot to say, I still own my track as well, all right reserved. If it'd gone via more usual channels, I'd probably not.
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