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David Young
dyoung@greeleytribune.com
May 2, 2008

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Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto series is known for its music.

Not only can players listen to the music in the game while driving vehicles and flipping through a variety of radio stations, but CDs containing the game's A-list collection of songs have been released to much fanfare.

Tuesday GTA IV was released and it appears the game again comes through with a stellar list of songs on the in-game radio stations.

Former DJ and label manager Ivan Pavlovich was the man in charge of coming up with the 214 songs that made the final cut in the game.

Included in the 16 stations he concocted for GTA IV are rock, jazz, techno, funk, punk and hip-hop.

A sample of artists featured in the game include: Kayne West, Nas, Mobb Deep, Justice, John Coltrane, Aphex Twin, Murphy’s Law, R.E.M., Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, Elton John, Queen, The Who, LCD Sound System and Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Reuters reported GTA IV has the largest soundtrack for a video game ever. Rockstar reportedly paid upwards of $5,000 for each track and another $5,000 to secure the master recordings. It is thought that the game's soundtrack budget totals more than $2 million.

" 'GTA,' more than any game, helps people discover new music and become aware of old music and break bands and all that," said Pavlovich in an interview with MTV News last week.

This game takes place in Liberty City, loosely based on New York City, and Pavlovich said he attempted to capture the sound of New York’s streets in the game.

The music not only facilitates game play but can translate to big record sales, especially with a new feature in the game where players can tag songs for purchase.

The new feature allows players to tag a song they are listening to in the game, then download the MP3 later from Amazon.com for 99 cents.

For those who just want to pick up the 16-track “The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV” CD, featuring Busta Rhymes, The Rapture, Fela Kuti and Nas, Amazon is offering it for $8.99, or it comes with the $90 special edition GTA IV set.

For a complete tracklist of the game click here.