Being asked for your song to be licensed for one of the biggest franchises ever would normally be a cause to celebrate, but for Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware, the offer was nothing short of appalling.

Grand Theft Auto VI is very highly anticipated, and certainly set to break records when it’s released next year, yet developer Rockstar Games seems intent to pay little and lowball artists for its music licensing.

The videogame franchise is the most financially valuable in the games industry and enjoys an almost Mickey Mouse level of ubiquity out in the world. The last entry in the series, 2013's Grand Theft Auto V, has grossed a worldwide revenue of more than $8.5 billion. There is money to burn when it comes to the hustles on Grove Street.

Rockstar Games offered a paltry $7500 to license Heaven 17’s 1983 hit ‘Temptation’ for the game. The song’s writer, Martyn Ware, took to X to complain about the figure offered:

“I was recently contacted by my publishers on behalf of Rockstar Games re the possibility of using Temptation on the new Grand Theft Auto 6. Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email re the offer…

“IT WAS $7500 - for a buyout of any future royalties from the game - forever… To put this in context, Grand Theft Auto 6 grossed, wait for it… $8.6 BILLION. Ah, but think of the exposure… Go f**k yourself.”

He was probably not prepared for the backlash from rejecting the licensing request. One user’s well-liked reply read: “I don’t know who you are, but you’ve probably made the worst decision of your life, $7500 seems little to you? Maybe, but your music could have been part of the most anticipated video game in history. You’ll regret it.”

The consensus among Grand Theft Auto fans is that Ware’s response is ungrateful, that such enormous exposure is more than enough grounds to accept the small monetary offer on the table.

But being paid in exposure is not realistic for musicians trying to survive and build a career, nor is it feasible for a late-stage musician like Ware, who has more than 40 years of experience in the music business and knows better. He has probably seen every trick at this point.

Accepting such a low offer would only contribute to the assumption that art is fundamentally worthless, that expecting fair compensation for creative work is somehow tantamount to greed and high-mindedness. Some users pointed out that the song would see increased activity on streaming services such as Spotify, thus earning royalties for the songwriter – but with a million streams being worth around a grand, the suggestion only confirms the lack of value a hit song truly has in the modern day, legacy or not. Exposure is often an accepted form of payment, despite it devaluing the notion of paid creative work overall. Sometimes artists are just that desperate to be heard.

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‘Temptation’ already has a storied licensing history, appearing in major Hollywood films and countless large-scale advertising campaigns. Ware knows how much the song is worth. His counteroffer of a flat $75,000 seems much more in line with its popularity and how ingrained the song is in the pop psyche.

And it should be noted that the game’s development costs are the highest of all time, surpassing $2 billion, so to start penny-pinching at the music licensing comes across as far more ungrateful and cheaper than Ware taking a stance against his mega-hit being featured in another mega-hit.

For Ware to accept such an offer would be setting a precedent. If Rockstar Games can propose such a small amount and have it accepted, then the next offer after will attempt to get the track for even cheaper. This devaluing snowball effect is happening all over the place, and artists are accepting it through gritted teeth – because they have no other choice. We should praise those like Ware who have not only the freedom but the gumption to simply say ‘no’.