Native Instruments Joins G.A.N.G. and Gives Big Member Discounts

[dwdonehoo]

I have been in contact with Native Instruments (NI) for the last year and a half, and in particular I wanted to introduce them to G.A.N.G. (Game Audio Network Guild) and encourage them to become a sponsor of our organization. I invited Bela of NI to the last E3 and introduced her to everybody, and Bela expressed great interest in joining G.A.N.G. Now a last it has happened, I am happy to say. Here is a note from G.A.N.G.:

\"Native Instruments, the world\'s premier software synthesizer manufacturer, has just joined the GANG as a Sliver Sponsor! And to help celebrate the occasion, their providing GANG members with an amazing discount...

Starting today, Friday, August 15th, GANG members will be able to get 50% OFF all Native Instruments software and merchandise (hardware excluded)!!!

In order to take advantage of this sweet deal...\"

...well, join G.A.N.G. and find out! images/icons/wink.gif They really have some great stuff: the Kontakt and Kompact sample players, Absynth, and other software. Really really good stuff. If you were looking for a reason to join G.A.N.G., well here it is. Now you can join and get some great NI stuff and actually save money! Can\'t beat that! images/icons/smile.gif
Their Website:
http://www.audiogang.org/ (\"http://www.audiogang.org/\")

[damoy]

This sounds too good to be true. Does it matter what type of member you are (student, apprentice, associate, professional)? Or will all members receive the discount?

[dwdonehoo]

All can get the discount. Go for it!

[madfiddler]

Be warned though, as usual with GANG, the offers are US specific. As yet, no news from distributers, but a infatic NO is the usual answer images/icons/frown.gif You guys over there get it so good. Thanks to for coming up with a great solution for EWSO though images/icons/smile.gif

[dwdonehoo]

MAD-- Get on the GANG BBS and post your problem. You will get a fix or someone will help you out. If not, email one of the board members.

[P de Caumette]

Would anyone be kind enough to explain to me the advantages of joining GANG?

I have scored for cartoons but never for games yet... images/icons/smile.gif

translation: (what\'s in it for me?)

Thanks!

[dwdonehoo]

Well if 50% off Native Instruments is not enough to join G.A.N.G... images/icons/wink.gif ...then perhaps reading some on the site might also help:
http://www.audiogang.org/ (\"http://www.audiogang.org/\")
There are many issues of the protection and advancement of game audio professionals which G.A.N.G. champions. Soon the site will allow showcasing members and their music, and there is also pro information that can only be found there. There is more, but go to the site and do some reading.

[lex]

Doyle,

I think I allready asked this ages ago, but can\'t find it..

So, please can you explain the following?

\"License and Idea Submission

You agree to grant to G.A.N.G. a fully paid-up, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, unrestricted, perpetual license, with the right to sublicense, to reproduce, distribute, transmit, create derivative works of, publicly display and publicly perform any Content you submit to the Site by all means and in any media now known or hereafter developed, throughout the universe. You agree that you shall have no recourse against G.A.N.G. for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary right in any Content you submit to us.\"

thanks

Alex

[MDesigner]

lex,

That also scared me when I first joined, but Jack Wall assured me it did not mean that any links to music you post on the G.A.N.G. forums becomes their property.

I\'ll have to post over there about that clause though, I don\'t like the way it sounds, and I think some people who read the fine print are scared off by it.

[KingIdiot]

I dont care, I still dont like the way its written.

I cant stand that I\'m assured this by someone\'s word, and then its written so specifically in the contract. I selectively have blocked it out of my mind, which is why I\'m a member.

[madfiddler]

Hopefully wheels are in motion to get NI in Germany to honour the discount, which then will allow all EU members to easily get the discount.

[P de Caumette]

Doyle,

thanks for your answer but i was actually hoping to hear what advantages/benefits members from this forum personally experienced by joining GANG?
(aside from the NI 50% off images/icons/wink.gif )

[MDesigner]

It\'s very important to note that the 50% off all NI stuff ends November 15th. This is not a permanent thing.

[KingIdiot]

I\'d like to state again, that its just \"for me\"

I mean I\'m in a unique position to be getting work, so I have access to the tools/info on my own if I go out and try and get it. I also have access to discussing tools and specific software with some of the heads of different audio depts through publishers I do work with. So I have access to info \"if I want it\" because i\'m a working ... ahem... \"professional\" images/icons/rolleyes.gif (I\'m also a geek, so I learn about all types of tools on my own when I have the time)

So there\'s things I probably know that newer people dont. However I feel like theres a serious lack of discussion of the tools, their limits, the reason why people develop certain ways, etc.

I\'m hoping articles that were promised earlier on start to show up soon. THIS would be enough for me if they came regularly.

Diaries from multiple respected members would be great too. (one doing orchestral, one doing SFX, one doing Interactive, one doing chip....etc)

[dwdonehoo]

I think KingIdiots\'s take is a fair one. The thing to keep in mind is that G.A.N.G. is still in its formulation stage, and I think there ARE issues to hammer out, and benefits to be had in the future. G.A.N.G. needs its members support to help shape the future of game audio and G.A.N.G., and that right there is an important reason to belong. G.A.N.G. is still in a position to be guided by its members, so it is rather early to be asking \"what is G.A.N.G. gonna do for ME!\" There are benefits, and there will be more in the future (like a listing with mp3 examples of all members so that industry people will be able to view them), but there are many other issues of respect and opportunity that G.A.N.G. is addressing, and members can be a part of that.

The \"License and Idea Submission\" thing I think is more for the protection of GANG than anything (it was explained to me why, but I forgot the details), but if it bothers you, don\'t post your music on the GANG bbs. Still, if you have not contractually sold or given away specific music, it is yours no matter what. I suggest if one does not like this clause, then join GANG and complain about it: perhaps you will force a change, which may be needed before phase 3. It is one way to make a difference, and making a difference is one of the main reasons for G.A.N.G. to exist.

[Netvudu]

I would like to know what the ratio of european members is...Please don´t take it as an offense I really woulnd´t see the point in joining a group which has several meetings at exactly the other part of the globe and offers a lot of discounts for US residents.

Besides, I think I should wait ´till I have worked in my first game professionally so I can give as much as I receive. I don´t think GANG would benefit of having 95 per cent of rookies and just a few important guys around.

Besides, where´s \"Kool\"? images/icons/grin.gif
*slaps own forehead at such a terribly bad joke*

[KingIdiot]

For me, the honest to god truth is nothing drastically much from being a member. I\'ve been waiting for the \"next phase\" for GANG. I think once more of the balls get rolling there\'ll be more going on. there\'s a local chapter kicking off in the next couple weeks. Those should get things going as well. Also, I\'m not exactly \"new\" to the industry, but I have a whole boatload to learn, as its only been about 4 years of doing music for games. There are people in GANG that make me look like a fetus in terms of knowledge and experience.

Right now, I feel like I\'ve paid a membership to be part of a membership to a forum similar to this one. The benefits from cheaper products, I haven\'t taken advantage of yet (my own fault, and I\'m in a unique position to not need them sometimes). I also got to go to an awards show (and was even nominated images/icons/smile.gif Yay me!), which let me meet a bunch of other members, which was quite nice. I think there can be a great community aspect in GANG (its ok now, but there seems to be a lack of interaction on some level by some, the forum is just like any other where there are regulars that post, and quite a few of those regulars post here as well)

Gang as a *GROUP* itself has done some great things for the music community for games. So I support it, however AGAIN there seems to be such a focus on turning games into a sibling of the motion picture industry. It seems to me that I\'m reading 7 out of 10 things dealing with orchestral music or their recordings instead of general techniques to make ALL music better, options in developing your sound sets, how compositions are being written to work in games. What toolsets people are using, development flow...etc. While I enjoy orchestral music and would love to do my own orch soundtrack, I feel theres a lack of acknowledgement of other styles of music, other formats of music, and in general what GOES INTO making the music. This isn\'t gang\'s fault per se, but just the genral \"music fan\" attitude of the community (also not a bad thing), its just that I think GANG is in a unique position to promote, instigate, and generally open up discussions about all things music/sound in games, including history, techniques, tools, etc. I also mean this in more than the forum/community aspect. Right now the forum is filled with people wanting to know how to get a gig, or learning the buisness aspect or demoing music (all fine again, its a community, and I enjoy it), but there seems to be a lack of interaction from people that have been around the block. This has been suggested to be changed from what I hear, but we\'ll see.

i understand that people working ARE BUSY, thats completely understandable, and that there are some heads taking time to either post on important issues, or making effort to make appearances in public GANG gatherings. However I still think the internet is the gateway to GANG for many, and it just seems like internet interaction on a more personal level (GANG members, not GANG the group) is stagnant at times IMO.

There\'s much more to learn on NS regarding the overall music making process. GANG does get into specifics, and its nice given the NDA\'s some of us have to sign as developers. Its just that maybe I expected more for the community in terms of shared knowledge. GANG no doubt will take music further for games, and I think having a \"group\" do this is needed. So I support GANG, but maybe instead of paying for being a member, I should just donate some $$$.


GANG Phase 3, please be good.

anyhow, I think GANG is a good thing, and should be supported, but if you\'re expecting a specific answer to \"what will GANG do for me personally?\", forget it, there\'s too many variations from person to person. There is more specific game/buisness info there than here tho, so if you\'re new, its a great place to start.

[P de Caumette]

King,

thank you so much for your comprehensive answer.
I knew i could count on you images/icons/wink.gif

[lex]

Maybe I\'m paranoid or I just don\'t get it, but I still don\'t like that contract clause, and I don\'t see why is it there?

I feel that G.A.N.G. is great for geting that feeling of belonging to comunity.

One more question, I allways tought that amongs other things this will be organization that will make better and easier conection betwen composers and developers/publishers.
You know, a place that becomes so well established that it will be the place where developer can come and say \"we need a composer for a project please give us the right one..\"
You know, like, you get GANG aproved composer.

Or am I in dreamland and the field is still too competitive for this?

Alex

[KingIdiot]

wish I could answr netvudu. There are definietly some euros in GANG, tho, would be great to have some more I\'m guessing.

[Tommy Tallarico]

I guess this would be a good time for me to chime in as well! images/icons/grin.gif

Let me try to answer everyone\'s questions so far.

In regards to the legelese in the Terms & Conditions section...

It stated that if anyone were to upload content to our site (which no one can) then it would become property of G.A.N.G. To be honest, at the 11th Hour we cutted and pasted the Terms & Conditions the night before the site went live. Even though no one is even able to upload content to the site I can TOTALLY see where some people could take that statement (and our oversight) the wrong way. I was not aware of this problem until reading these posts. The problem has been taken care of!! The language no longer exists in the Terms & Conditions section when you join up! We will be going through the entire site and removing from every place it appears. TRUST ME... the last thing GANG wants to do is own anyone\'s music... That is the EXACT opposite reason why the organization exists.

Moving on...

Yes... All types of members (Students, Apprentices, Associates, Professionals) can take part in all of the G.A.N.G. discounts. It is true that currently not all discounts are available for everyone in the world. This is not our fault at all... When manufactures, distributors, tools providers, software companies, etc. distribute their products around the world they have to cut different percentage deals with every market. We of course cannot control this at all. BUT!!!! Let us know the area you are in and the product you want. We can make arrangements for you to recieve the product discount and get it shipped to you.

Next...

As far as \"what are the advantages of joining G.A.N.G.\" that is a very tough question to answer because I don\'t have all day to type all of the things we are doing. Here are a few important ones to give everyone some kind of idea of how we are changing the world for video game audio.

We just did a few deals with Universities to create multiple $20,000 a year scholarship funds!
We changed the AFM/RMA musians union contract as it relates to video games and their production (yes... now us game guys can afford to use all of the top union Hollywood players too!).
We are working toward getting our own category in the Grammy awards for 2005!!
We are in talks with every major game publisher to set up music publishing companies for composers. ASCAP themselves are helping us accomplish this.
We do press releases for our composers/sound designers as well as putting on an interactive audio awards show every year at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose which includes over 30 categories AND live video game performances!
We are creating a database which will launch during Phase III of our website (Dec. 1st) that will basically become the IMDB.com for game audio! Every game designer, producer, fan, etc. will be able to cross reference and find out who did what on which product.
Our current Message Boards have thousands of posts in every concievable area from business to creative to technical including sub categories for PS2, X-Box, GameCube etc.
We have area chapters forming all over the world including Boston, NY, Chicago, SF, LA, Vancouver.
Job postings!
Interships!
Community!
Contest and give-a-ways of thousands of dollars in equipment and software.

There are a million other things that I can\'t even talk about right now!

Please feel free to go to the G.A.N.G. News section to get a bunch of other info and updates...

http://www.audiogang.org/index.php?sec=nav3 (\"http://www.audiogang.org/index.php?sec=nav3\")


Please read our mission statement. We were created to \"Promote excellence in interactive audio\" and we cover all aspects of that. FINALLY there is an organization that exists to get audio put into the forefront of production NOT the end where we have always been.

You will get out of G.A.N.G. what you put into it.
PERIOD! Take a look at our Advisory Board and Board of Directors... we are NOT fooling around here. These are all people who are making a difference. If you expect to pay your $75 bucks and have game producers knocking down your door begging you to go and work for them... then G.A.N.G. is NOT the organization for you. We supply the knowledge and material to get you going but more importantly the community to network AND the overall \"Watch-Dogging\" of the gaming industry as it pertains to Game Audio. You see... there is strengths in numbers! Now that we have almost 500 members we now have a collective voice to make things happen and change things! Feel free to join in and help shape the future of an entire industry!


Tommy Tallarico

President, Tommy Tallarico Studios, Inc.
President/Founder, G.A.N.G. (Game Audio Network Guild) [www.audiogang.org]
Host, writer, co-producer, The Electric Playground & Judgment Day television shows
Executive Producer/CEO, Video Games Live

[KingIdiot]

Hey Rod,

there\'s a currect discussion goign on about this very thread over on the GANG forums.

Its not so much negativity, just moreso a selfish look at \"member\" benefits.

The question raised here was \"what will *I* benefit from joining gang\"

I cant stress how much I believe that GANG will further music for games in general and that having an organization like GANG *AND SUPPORTING* them is good for all musicians/SFX designers in the games industry.

I do however feel that specific \"member\" (as in one person) benefits are lacking. The community thats promoted seems to be lacking as well.

Most new/potential GANGers are all going to ask about *ME*. I feel that an honest candid answer is needed from a specific sole member POV. Not getting into the happy fuzzy feelings I get from helping GANG the orginizatiion reach its goals by giving it some $$$ (which I do get and am willing do give more to)

Theres no negativity from me regarding GANG and its goals. I want this point stressed to all NS\'rs. I believe an organization like this should exist, and it will only benefit Music/Sound for games. I support GANG and many of its goals. I appreciate teh work thats going into achieving its goals as an organization.

Its the membership benefits from a single member specific POV that I find lacking. Sometimes severely. I honestly didn\'t figure this out until I began to reply to this post. Honestly to me, its not a huge deal, since I believe in GANG\'s efforts and support them. Obviously time is needed for GANG to grow, still I needed to answer to this question honestly and much more from a single member POV not from a GANG supporter\'s POV.

[edmann]

Originally posted by P de Caumette:
Doyle,

thanks for your answer but i was actually hoping to hear what advantages/benefits members from this forum personally experienced by joining GANG?
(aside from the NI 50% off images/icons/wink.gif ) <font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Greetings Thread-readers,

I have been a G.A.N.G. member for several months now. I would summarize the benefits (at least in my own view) as follows:

As an actual Guild of composers, sound designers and engineers, G.A.N.G. is a community for sharing knowledge, job leads, perspective on industry shifts, perspective on the gaming industry as a whole, standards by which musical and audio content is evaluated, standards by which we choose to charge for our time or output, and more.

The G.A.N.G. community also serves as a real motivator. There is nothing so powerful as being blown away by someones else\'s work that serves to motivate one to go back to their own work and hone it to new and higher standards of excellence. I know that the quality and focus of my own output has sharpened considerably since joining G.A.N.G. This too - in my view all comes down to the willingness to share ideas. A big part of this aspect is the raw enthusiasm that seems to permeate the G.A.N.G. message boards, membership and leadership. Enthusiasm is contagious and A Good Thing!

Finally - at least for this post - G.A.N.G. is apparently serving both figuratively and literally to knock down walls that previously have been an impediment in our business. Figuratively - in the sense of providing access to a daily forum for shared ideas between many knowledgable and talented artists who may otherwise be inaccessable. Literally - in the significant accomplishments that G.A.N.G. has initiated and won in it\'s short existance. Discounts on software from a growing list of sponsors is one concrete example - but I also want to sight the example of a new payscale/recording agreement with AFM Local #47 in L.A. for orchestral scoring of game and interactive soundtracks. This is quite an accomplishment, as the studio scene in L.A. has been hurting bigtime for many years. Thru the efforts of the G.A.N.G. leadership, work that once went elsewhere is now coming back to Hollywood. I do not live in Hollywood right now - but I did until 2001 and as a veteran L.A. studio musician I can say that I truly never dreamed that I would see such a thing, as the trend has been opposite for years. Not to miss the point, this particular example is cool - but just one manifestation of an overall G.A.N.G. agenda to develop opportunities and open doors for those in the music biz who are or may become involved in interactive media. There are other things on the horizon that are very exciting - and you will have to read the G.A.N.G. message boards to stay up to date.

I think the most important thing to understand is the positive intentions of those who have worked hard to make G.A.N.G a reality - that would be Tommy and Jack and many others. Never underestimate the power of good intention. New and cool opportunities developing all the time.

highly recommended!!!

Ed Mann

[Todd M. Fay]

GANG IS the place for you if:

- you work in audio for games and you\'d like to get more respect, recognition and experience improved conditions in your professional life over time
- you work in the games biz and care about audio
- you\'d like to find out more about the game\'s business as it pertains to audio (great for students, newbies, and people looking to cross over)
- none of the above applies and you just want to get 50% off of NI stuff or take advantage of other benefits

But be forewarned: if you join for the last reason you\'re missing the point and you\'re setting yourself up to be disappointed. Allow me to illustrate my point:

The National Association for the Self-Employed have tons of discounts but are any of them worth my $450 a year? Hardly. What you might overlook however is the fact that this group lobby\'s Congress to change tax law to benefit the self-employed. Without NASE, other special interests groups that benefit through my self-employed misfortune might further shove my nose in the dirt. So you can bet, that I\'m going to support (and PAY) the NASE to protect my *** , because in the long run it\'s going to improve my business and save tons in taxes and social security.

I\'m not joining NASE because I can get a free teeth whitening kit... and you shouldn\'t be joining GANG because you can get 10%-50% off a sound library.

The focus on this organization is on creating improved conditions for game audio over time by increasing awareness, educating businesses and the public, running our awards show, creating mass recognition for the great work that audio folks in games do. These are our priorities. If you share these priorities then JOIN NOW!

images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/grin.gif

[KingIdiot]

Todd\'s post and points are exactly the reason I will stay a member of GANG.

Its not \"about me personally\" when I think of GANG, however if I do then its definitely not the place for me to be.

[dwdonehoo]

Hail, hail, the G.A.N.G.\'s all here! images/icons/grin.gif I would like to thank Tommy, Todd, KingIdiot, and all who have contributed to this discussion. Clearly, besides disseminating some useful information, already there has been some useful things pointed out and changes made. (I was in the process of gathering information and writing a lengthy doc, and now it is not needed.)
When we were discussing this proposed forum, we agreed there would not be any conflict of interest between NSBBS and G.A.N.G. Indeed, this forum in the worlds most influential BBS in the area of sample based music and sound (and related subjects) should serve as an important contact point between G.A.N.G., game audio composers, developers and other music and audio professionals. So far, this seems to be the case. So personally I welcome open and honest discussion, especially if it attracts those willing and able to make a difference in game audio.

[lex]

Originally posted by Tommy Tallarico:
I guess this would be a good time for me to chime in as well! images/icons/grin.gif

Let me try to answer everyone\'s questions so far.

In regards to the legelese in the Terms & Conditions section...

It stated that if anyone were to upload content to our site (which no one can) then it would become property of G.A.N.G. To be honest, at the 11th Hour we cutted and pasted the Terms & Conditions the night before the site went live. Even though no one is even able to upload content to the site I can TOTALLY see where some people could take that statement (and our oversight) the wrong way. I was not aware of this problem until reading these posts. The problem has been taken care of!! The language no longer exists in the Terms & Conditions section when you join up! We will be going through the entire site and removing from every place it appears. TRUST ME... the last thing GANG wants to do is own anyone\'s music... That is the EXACT opposite reason why the organization exists.

<font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">Great! Thank You!
Now it can\'t hurt to join....

Alex - ( the paranoid android )

[rod abernethy]

Dear Ashif,

As an advisory board member of G.A.N.G., I felt like I should put in my two cents here.

Even though you are complimentary to some of the efforts of the guild, I\'m reading a lot of negativity in your post toward G.A.N.G. Nobody says G.A.N.G. is perfect. And it needs criticism to grow into what it hopes to achieve: an organization where professional game audio people can gather and be themselves with others of their kind. If we can make business better for
everyone...that\'s good, too.

The effort put into this audio guild by it\'s board members are incredible, considering that no-one is paid for doing it. If you\'re a gang member (I\'m speaking to anyone reading this post) and you think something is lacking in the guild or needs to be addressed about the operation or philosophy of G.A.N.G., please contact the board first or post it on the G.A.N.G. messsage board first before posting it outside the guild. It\'s going to getter better attention if we hear it first.

G.A.N.G. is a little over one year old. In that short amount of time, it has been able to create a sense of audio communtity in the game audio workplace. For those of you who haven\'t been to the G.A.N.G. website, check out this list of member benefits:

http://www.audiogang.org/benefits.php (\"http://www.audiogang.org/benefits.php\")

Yeah, the member benefits are ambitious. But better overly ambitious than understated. The entire game industry is overly ambitious. Why not G.A.N.G.? Sometimes that\'s what it takes to get things done in this crazy business.

I understand your frustrations with G.A.N.G. and hope that in the coming years you can find yourself better satisfied with G.A.N.G and what it can offer you personally and professionally. There are always frustrations with any guild of this kind, but what matters is that it exists for the good of everyone, not just for the few. And that\'s what G.A.N.G. is striving for and I believe it will achieve with support from it\'s members and the video gaming community.

my two cents,

Rod Abernethy
Rednote Audio