Over recent years, the connections between music and video games have moved away from the screen on which both topics initially converged. What was first a task for game programmers, later became a full music team job, and has finally developed into the need for creative and production crews that work together to create events and memorable composition, both in-game and on stage. The e-sports scene has become a world-wide phenomenon with a growing need for musical support, to give a frame to the competitions that it encompasses. A clear example of the importance of music in games can be observed through Riot Games Music Group’s work in League of Legends. The team's initial role was focused on the music created to accompany the game, but it has grown to become the provider of one-of-a-kind shows, such as those included in the League of Legends World Finals, and led to the creation of their own all-digital band, K/DA, which functions to also promote the game as well. As e-sports continue to gather millions of fans around the globe, the need for music creation, production and regulation grows, creating a new niche for the music industry to explore. The role of music in video games does not just relate to the playable product alone, but has expanded around it as well, through marketing strategies that put it at the very centre of the social element of the scene. In this talk, I will discuss the different musical roles in e-sports, including the structure of music production teams for video game companies, and the most urgent issues being raised around music copyright in online streaming.
Eulalia Febrer Coll is a PhD in Popular Music (Cardiff University, 2019), MA in Music an Interdisciplinary Art (Universitat de Barcelona, 2014), and BA in Musicology (ESMUC, 2013). She combines her work as a lecturer at Conservatori Superior de Música de les Illes Balears and Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, with the position of COO at Electronic Dojo SL, a company focused on developing competitive and educational events on e-sports. Her work includes both academic contributions to the topics of music, emotion, ritual and video games, and the organisation of events such as GameSound or All Stars Arena. Eulalia is a collaborator at Image Processing and Multimedia Technology Center (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), Esport Talent Canarias, and coordinator of Grup de Musicologia de Menorca (Institut Menorquí d’Estudis).
