Videogame Music Composition Agencies Merge (Exclusive)

by Chris Morris, courtesy Variety –

As music composition becomes a more critical part of the videogame industry, consolidation is on the way for the agents who rep those artists.

Four Bars Intertainment is merging with the newly formed COOL Music Interactive, a game-focused division of the COOL Music Group, whose clients have scored several films, including “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “The Counselor.”

Bob Rice, founder and CEO of Four Bars – and a trailblazer in the game music world – will retire once the merger is complete.

“Darrell (Alexander, CEO of COOL Music) and COOL Music are the perfect choice to carry forth the FBI commitment of ‘Great music delivered on time and within budget,’” said Rice.

Four Bars reps such composers as Inon Zur (“Dragon Age” and the upcoming “Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved”) and Sascha Dikiciyan (“Mass Effect”). They’ll join COOL’s stable, which includes Lorne Balfe (“Beyond: Two Souls”) and Neil Davidge (“Halo 4″).

Just as score heightens the drama of film, video games have been relying on top-level composers more and more in recent years to emphasize increasingly deep single-player stories. Rice, who once was senior vice president of marketing and promotions at GRT Corp., recognized this and departed the traditional music industry to focus on games in the early 1990s.

COOL says it hopes to leverage the merger and its film expertise to gain a larger foothold in gaming.

“Our clients and my team are determined to be at the center of this digital media revolution,” says Alexander.

Thank you, TiA