Spotify Video Game Music Blows Up in 2020

Published: December 16, 2020 5:53 PM /

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Spotify video game music cover

2020 has been a great year for Spotify video game music — more people are listening on their consoles, and many fans are also choosing to listen to the various soundtracks already available on the platform.

Spotify is a music streaming service that has been around for well over a decade. There have already been a fair few soundtracks making an appearance on the platform; the last two years saw releases of more than 50 albums of Capcom's music, the Dark Souls soundtrack, multiple Castlevania soundtracks, and the soundtrack from the Half-Life games.

The number of video game offerings on the platform has steadily grown over the years, and now Spotify has come out and said that this has been a serious contributor to the platform's growth throughout 2020.

Spotify video game music slice

How Spotify Video Game Music Has Been a Game-Changer

"This year was unlike [any] before and as people started to social distance, users were looking for ways to stay connected with each other virtually, Spotify's head of global culture and trends Shanon Cook told CNN Business. "Gaming seemed to be something that provided that feeling of connectivity, while also passing time at home."

Artists like the fictional League of Legends Kpop band K/DA had a measure of success. It wasn't the biggest winner, though — that honor goes to the soundtracks for Minecraft, the original Doom, and Death Stranding.

Gamers aren't just listening to video game music— they're listening to music by professional artists as well, with rap and trap music seeing big gains from this segment of the market. Perhaps surprisingly, a large number of them are using Spotify on their gaming consoles. Music streamed via a game console between 6:00–9:00 AM rose 47% over the last year — perhaps due to people starting their day with some kickin' tunes.

"Gaming seemed to be something that provided that feeling of connectivity[...]" – Shannon Cook, Head of Global Culture and Trends at Spotify

Artists adjacent to gaming did well, too. Rapper Travis Scott hosted a virtual concert in Fortnite back in the Spring of 2020 and it's proved to be a very profitable endeavor for him. Streams for his music rose 207% around the world in the time surrounding the concert, likely contributing to a $20 million income from the event itself, merch sales, and other interests.

2020 has been excellent for gaming music in other areas as well. We've seen some truly wonderful music tracks make their appearance throughout the year; Final Fantasy VII RemakeGhost of Tsushima, and Paradise Killer all released excellent soundtracks to complement their games.

Spotify video game music is likely to continue to grow, especially as the platform is aiming to expand its partnerships with gaming companies. Riot Games, for example, has said that its creation of the virtual music group K/DA has increased interest in League of Legends and reached an audience outside of the gaming sphere. More and more gaming companies are likely to do more with their soundtracks in the coming years; for now, you can start listening to a bunch of great video game soundtracks (and other music, too) on Spotify right now.

Do you listen to Spotify video game music or do you prefer to listen to soundtracks in another medium? What's your favorite video game soundtrack of all time? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
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One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N