EA Trax
Encyclopedia
EA Trax is the title of the in-game soundtrack
s on some of EA Games'
video games featuring up and coming artists, as well as mainstream artists. Music genre
s featured range from hip hop
to rock
, depending on the game's genre (FIFA games, for example, feature foremostly indie rock
and world music
, while Madden soundtracks are more geared towards alternative rock
and heavy metal
). It is usually attached to EA Games' sports
and racing
titles. Players can customize the playlist
by selecting/deselecting songs to play by simply going to the EA Trax menu usually located at the options menu, and change the song through the same menu or by a button (varies between each game).
A PlayStation Portable
version of some video game titles from EA Games also feature EA Pocket Trax, which takes advantage of the PSP's music and video playing capabilities by giving users the freedom to upload their own music to the soundtrack, as well as watch music videos from songs on the original soundtrack.
, Madden NFL 2003
, NHL 2003, FIFA 2003, NASCAR Thunder 2003, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
. The partnership is intended for co-promotional opportunities on game launches, record releases, cooperation on advertising, events and at retail.
Music labels in participation include Elektra Records
, Capitol
, Atlantic
, Interscope
, DreamWorks
, MCA
, Lava
, Island/Def Jam
.
titles to features on some of EA Games' best known titles, such as the Burnout
, The Sims
and the Need for Speed series
.
It has also expanded to some of EA Games' PlayStation Portable titles, enabling players to customize playlists and watch music videos.
As of Madden NFL 09
, players were able to create their own soundtracks for the game.
When playing FIFA 11
you can go into My FIFA 11 and then My Music & Chants and then EA Sports Trax and edit and select what songs you want to listen to and keep on as a playlist.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s on some of EA Games'
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
video games featuring up and coming artists, as well as mainstream artists. Music genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
s featured range from hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
to rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, depending on the game's genre (FIFA games, for example, feature foremostly indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, while Madden soundtracks are more geared towards alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
). It is usually attached to EA Games' sports
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
and racing
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
titles. Players can customize the playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
by selecting/deselecting songs to play by simply going to the EA Trax menu usually located at the options menu, and change the song through the same menu or by a button (varies between each game).
A PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
version of some video game titles from EA Games also feature EA Pocket Trax, which takes advantage of the PSP's music and video playing capabilities by giving users the freedom to upload their own music to the soundtrack, as well as watch music videos from songs on the original soundtrack.
Partnership
EA Trax began in 2001 when EA Games partnered with some major music labels to allow licensed music to play on EA's video games. The first video games to receive the feature were NBA Live 2003NBA Live 2003
NBA Live 2003 was the 2003 installment of the NBA Live video games series. The cover features Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets. The game was developed by EA Sports and released on October 7, 2002. The game included a soundtrack...
, Madden NFL 2003
Madden NFL 2003
Madden NFL 2003 is an American football video game. It features then-reigning 3 time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to feature EA Trax...
, NHL 2003, FIFA 2003, NASCAR Thunder 2003, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
-Development:Different versions of the game were produced for each game platform; the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions were developed in EA Seattle, a subsidiary of EA Canada, while the PS2 version was developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Also, it did not feature a career mode...
. The partnership is intended for co-promotional opportunities on game launches, record releases, cooperation on advertising, events and at retail.
Music labels in participation include Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, Interscope
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
, DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
, MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
, Lava
Lava Records
Lava Records is an American based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
, Island/Def Jam
The Island Def Jam Music Group
The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group, formerly The Island Def Jam Music Group, is an umbrella label formed in 1999 when Universal Music Group merged two of its daughter companies, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings, to create a label group. In 2011, Motown Records was split from the Universal...
.
Today
The EA Trax program has proven to be a success as it continues today. It has expanded from simply being a feature on EA SportsEA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
titles to features on some of EA Games' best known titles, such as the Burnout
Burnout (video game)
Burnout, , is a racing game developed by Criterion Games and published by Acclaim on the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Xbox. The PlayStation 2 version was released in North America on November 1, 2001 and Europe on November 16, 2001. The GameCube version was released in North America on...
, The Sims
The Sims
The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
and the Need for Speed series
Need for Speed
Need for Speed is a series of racing video games published by Electronic Arts and developed by several studios including Canadian-based company EA Black Box and British-based Criterion Games...
.
It has also expanded to some of EA Games' PlayStation Portable titles, enabling players to customize playlists and watch music videos.
As of Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09
Madden NFL 09 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 20th annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. This game is known for its realistic graphics and big hits...
, players were able to create their own soundtracks for the game.
When playing FIFA 11
FIFA 11
FIFA 11 is the 18th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label...
you can go into My FIFA 11 and then My Music & Chants and then EA Sports Trax and edit and select what songs you want to listen to and keep on as a playlist.
See also
- Computer and video game musicComputer and video game musicVideo game music is any of the musical pieces or soundtracks and background musics found in video games. It can range from a primitive synthesizer tune to an orchestral piece, usually such that the older the game, the simpler the music...
- Electronic ArtsElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
- EA SportsEA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
- NHL seriesNHL seriesNHL is a series of professional ice hockey simulation video games developed by EA Canada and published yearly by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports brand...
- NBA Live seriesNBA Live seriesThe NBA Elite is series of basketball video games, published by EA Sports. There has not been any entry in the series on a home console since 2009. In November 2010, development of the franchise was moved from EA Canada studio to Florida-based Tiburon studio...
- MVP Baseball seriesMVP Baseball seriesMVP Baseball was a baseball game series published by EA Sports, running from 2003 to 2007 with five games produced. In 2003, MVP became the official successor to EA's long-running Triple Play Baseball series, and it simulated Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2005...
- FIFA series