This week’s episode marks a new format for the show where topical news and guest interviews will be split into different episodes. This means we can get episodes out faster while ensuring news pieces remain topical - so if you truly never want to miss what’s happening in the world of video games and music, make sure you subscribe!

In this episode, we chat about our recent appearances on video game music panels, the ambitious soundtrack for the rumoured Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 remake, and a new custom music feature in Fortnite adding extra value to Jam Tracks. There’s a mountain of composer news and upcoming video game concerts to check out too!

In the news…

• Via IGN, Dice Awards 2025 the full list

• Via Rock Paper Shotgun, Persona's composer is making a Metal Gear Solid-inspired RPG with a side order of "Great Reset" conspiracy

• Via ABC, The music of Civilization VII

• NieR Piano Concert, The Witcher 10th Anniversary Concert, PlayStation The Concert, Distant Worlds tickets.

• Check out the recent Shovel Knight concert here.

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are Tom Quillfeldt (Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Bluesky — @gxmpodcast.bsky.social | @matombler.bsky.social | @tquillfeldt.bsky.social

X —⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ |⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ |⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram —⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

Tom interviews musician and producer Josh Trinnaman, the driving force behind Cactuar Collective – an experimental math rock take on Nobuo Uematsu’s classic PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy scores taking influence from artists such as Snarky Puppy, Periphery, The Mars Volta and Knower.

They talk about Uematu’s composition style, drum chops, incorporating his original sounds into their covers, and how the Collective approach less-covered Final Fantasy tracks.

News - 00:03:02

Interview - Josh Tinnerman - 00:33:20

Done in 60 Seconds (recommendations) – 01:09:50

In the news…

Via MobileGamer, Next Beat Wants to Make The Next Guitar Hero

Via Kerrang, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will score the next Naughty Dog game, revealed as Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Via Fortnite, Hatsune Miku x Fortnite Festival (check out the other games Hatsune Miku has appeared in in Hardcore Gamer)

Via VGC, A speedrunner played Crazy Taxi with a live band to avoid copyright issues

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are Tom Quillfeldt (Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Bluesky — @gxmpodcast.bsky.social | @matombler.bsky.social | @tquillfeldt.bsky.social

X — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

It’s time for the 2024 Alternative Video Game Music Awards! Anthony John Agnello joins us for an alternative twist on the traditional end-of-year Awards categories to celebrate an eclectic selection of weird, wonderful, and unfortunately-too-long video game soundtracks from 2024.

A big thank you to Pierre and his NowPlaying video game music newsletter which continues to be the ultimate source for tracking video game music releases. Make sure you check it out!

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Bluesky — @gxmpodcast.bsky.social | @matombler.bsky.social | @tquillfeldt.bsky.social

X — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

BBC Radio 3, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra & others recently created a pilot virtual experience for its Sound of Gaming video game concert, but how will the technology evolve, and is this an exciting milestone in solving accessibility challenges around live music events?

We chatted to composer and conductor Eímear Noone, best known for her video game music orchestral tours and work on World of Warcraft. We discuss the benefits of virtual concerts, how VGM concerts are bringing in new audiences to concert halls, and the challenges around programming such events.

News - 00:06:40

Introduction to interview + impressions of virtual concert - 00:30:21

Interview - Eímear Noone - 00:39:02

In the news…

• Via Polygon, Fortnite’s latest event breaks its record, with more than 14 million players

• Via NME, ‘Hunt: Showdown 1896’ Teases Explosive Collaboration with Post Malone, Before Announcing In-Game Event

• Via RollingStone, How ‘Arcane’ Went Global for Its Big Season Two Soundtrack

• Check out the playlist for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2’s radio station on YouTube

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Bluesky — | @matombler.bsky.social | @tquillfeldt.bsky.social

X — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

For Star Wars: Outlaws, Cody Matthew Johnson took a musicological approach to the various hives of scum and villainy when he was asked to create an entire album of diegetic music for the Cantina bars in Star Wars: Outlaws. The resulting album, “Songs from the Underworld” is full of bangers, bringing together an otherworldly mix of music from EDM and futuristic pop to guttural grooves and world fusion.

News - 00:15:30

Interview - Cody Matthew Johnson - 00:58:32

In the news…

• Via NME, ‘Cult Of The Lamb’ announces metal EP featuring members of While She Sleeps, Trivium and Polyphia

• Via Polygon, the original Halo trilogy OSTs are returning to vinyl in early 2025

• Via The Verge, Nintendo’s music app has great ideas and frustrating limitations

• Via PushSquare, Grammy Nominees for Best Video Game Soundtrack Revealed

• Save & Sound festival by Bedtime Digital Games

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Twitter — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

Licensed music has always played an important role in video games, and the ways in which licensed music can be integrated into games are constantly evolving. Vickie Nauman founder and CEO of consultancy and advisory firm CrossBorderWorks, joins us to discuss the biggest trends impacting music in video games and the growing relationship between major record labels and video game studios.

News - 00:03:02

Interview - Vickie Nauman - 00:38:33

Done in 60 Seconds (recommendations) – 01:15:04

In the news…

• Via BBC, Grand Theft Audio? The tricky business of music and gaming

• Via IGN, Upcoming Alan Wake Update Will Remove David Bowie's Space Oddity From the Soundtrack, Replace It With a New Original Song

• Via MusicBusinessWorldwide, Roblox launches music charts and partnership with DistroKid at Roblox Developer Conference

• Via ABC, How Final Fantasy maestro Nobuo Uematsu legitimised video game music

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Twitter — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein

When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was released on the PlayStation 25 years ago today, no one could have known the impact it would have on not just skate culture, but music culture too.

What started as low expectations for an extreme skateboarding game went on to become one of the best-selling video game franchises at the time, with estimated sales of more than 30 million.

In an era where there was no YouTube and no Spotify, the soundtracks in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games introduced a generation of young and impressionable kids to ska, punk-rock, rap, hip-hop, heavy metal and hardcore, while catapulting the careers of bands that featured in those soundtracks such as Goldfinger and Suicide Machine.

To celebrate the epic milestone of the series, we're joined by Scott Pease, who spent 15 years at Neversoft as Studio Development Director, overseeing the development of nine THPS games.

We talk about Pease's epic career journey, the foundations of the THPS series, the relationship between music and skate culture, and how the series' soundtracks shaped the music tastes of an entire generation.

We’re joined by the multi-instrumentalist and singer Lacey Johnson, who has found success on YouTube, TikTok and beyond with hundreds of video game music covers and energetic music videos. Lacey chats about how she chooses tracks to cover, the state of YouTube for VGM artists, and the soundtracks that inspire her.

News 00:04:00

Topic - Lacey Johnson intro - 00:24:20

Interview - Lacey Johnson - 00:25:55

Done in 60 Seconds (recommendations) – 01:15:44

In the news…

• Via MusicEXP Roblox Game ‘Dress to Impress’ Gets 12m Player Boost from Charlie XCX Collaboration

• Via SportsIllustrated, Hololive to expand video game presence

• Via Mashable, Duolingo partners with Sony Music to bring pop songs to its music course

• Via Saiganak, THE LAST ROCKSTARS x Tekken8's new song "MASTERY" video was released

• Via 80.lv, Adele Visited Creators of Garry's Mod & Rust

We're GXM (Games X Music), a fortnightly podcast exploring video game music and the intersection of video games and the music industry. Your hosts are freelancer Tom Quillfeldt (also Laced Records community manager + A&R) and Mat Ombler (also Laced Head of Music and Game Partnerships.)

Whether you work in the music or games industries or simply enjoy video game music and want to learn more about this area of interest, make sure to give us a listen…

…and HIT SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy!

We'd love to hear your feedback, thoughts on topics you'd like to hear us discuss, and ideas for guests.

Email — ⁠gxmpodcast@gmail.com⁠

Twitter — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠ | ⁠@tquillfeldt⁠ | ⁠@matombler⁠

Instagram — ⁠@gxmpodcast⁠

Produced by Tom Quillfeldt and Mat Ombler

Edited by Tom Quillfeldt

Music by Zak Foster

Show artwork by Joshua Klein