Stephen Tolito (of Multiplayer fame) over at MTV has an interesting interview/feature with Ivan Pavlovich, music supervisor for Grand Theft Auto IV, on putting together the game’s soundtrack.
If you’re Pavlovich, one of two soundtrack supervisors for the game and a guy with about 4,000 records back in his mom’s basement (not to mention a few more hidden behind the couch at home), you wind up with a list of 850 songs you’d like to consider including in “GTA IV.” You put in requests with more than 2,000 people. And you try not to give away that you’re asking for these songs for “GTA.”
GTA games have always had phenomenal soundtracks, IV definitely continues that streak. There are a staggering 214 songs included within the game across numerous genres. They’ve essentially programmed 18 radio stations for the game. Since you’re spending a large majority of the 50+ hour long game driving around the city, you’re bound to hear and discover a lot of music.
With the decline of real terrestrial radio due to video games and other entertainment sources, it’s a bit ironic that we’ve come full circle by listening to radio stations inside of a video game to discover new music.
Read the GTA IV soundtrack feature [mtv.com]