If you're not into video games, this song will mean nothing to you. The tune by Ghanaian musician Selasee titled 'Run' has become a multi-million seller.
It hasn't sold big in record stores. It hasn't been downloaded through iTunes. It's been popularized by a leading video game company Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts selected 'Run' as the musical theme for their best-selling virtual soccer game, FIFA 2006.
Cassidy: The music plays technically at the beginning of the game, and also when you're in the menus, when you're creating your team.
Cassidy: The kids, they take like almost four to seven hours just to create their team. They pick different players from different countries and build their own team, they spend a lot of time there, and that's where the music is playing.
Seven hours is a long time to hear one song, and the exposure for Selasee is paying off. Sean Cassidy met Selasee several years ago in Ghana.
Cassidy had been there doing missionary work. He and Selasee became friends. Cassidy gave Selasee's demo CD to a rep from Electronic Arts. And the video game company then selected "Run" as the theme for FIFA 2006.
Next thing you know, the game has shipped six million units and is being played -- and heard -- by kids across the planet. Electronic Arts paid virtually nothing for Selasee's song. But Sean Cassidy says that the exposure for a young unknown singer is invaluable.
Cassidy: They have a little thing appearing at the bottom of the screen that like every time your song plays, it appears. And it says the name of the artist, the name of the album, so at least people can recognize who it is, so they can all go on Google, punch in selasee.com, whatever, and then they can get access to the web site, and we've been getting some good hits on the web site because of that, and we haven't done any publicity yet for it. Sponsors and distributors like it. It's kind of creating a whole movement around this artist.
Selasee gets the exposure. Electronic Arts gets music for its video games at a knock-down price. And other musicians from countries that are off the music industry radar screen now have an unconventional route to get their songs out to the public.
Cassidy: Video games is a much better outlet than radio now because the kids keep listening and listening to the same music all the time.
And when was the last time a twelve year old American kid heard a song from Ghana fifty times in a row?
You'll agree with me that this dude is representing Ghana internationally. He is set go one rank higher this year with his album 'Run'. Who knows, he might even be selected for Grammy Awards.
Great news: 'Run' is now available on iTunes in case you want to download but I think you should grab yours instead.? ?
????? ?
If you're not into video games, this song will mean nothing to you. The tune by Ghanaian musician Selasee titled 'Run' has become a multi-million seller.
It hasn't sold big in record stores. It hasn't been downloaded through iTunes. It's been popularized by a leading video game company Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts selected 'Run' as the musical theme for their best-selling virtual soccer game, FIFA 2006.
Cassidy: The music plays technically at the beginning of the game, and also when you're in the menus, when you're creating your team.
Cassidy: The kids, they take like almost four to seven hours just to create their team. They pick different players from different countries and build their own team, they spend a lot of time there, and that's where the music is playing.
Seven hours is a long time to hear one song, and the exposure for Selasee is paying off. Sean Cassidy met Selasee several years ago in Ghana.
Cassidy had been there doing missionary work. He and Selasee became friends. Cassidy gave Selasee's demo CD to a rep from Electronic Arts. And the video game company then selected "Run" as the theme for FIFA 2006.
Next thing you know, the game has shipped six million units and is being played -- and heard -- by kids across the planet. Electronic Arts paid virtually nothing for Selasee's song. But Sean Cassidy says that the exposure for a young unknown singer is invaluable.
Cassidy: They have a little thing appearing at the bottom of the screen that like every time your song plays, it appears. And it says the name of the artist, the name of the album, so at least people can recognize who it is, so they can all go on Google, punch in selasee.com, whatever, and then they can get access to the web site, and we've been getting some good hits on the web site because of that, and we haven't done any publicity yet for it. Sponsors and distributors like it. It's kind of creating a whole movement around this artist.
Selasee gets the exposure. Electronic Arts gets music for its video games at a knock-down price. And other musicians from countries that are off the music industry radar screen now have an unconventional route to get their songs out to the public.
Cassidy: Video games is a much better outlet than radio now because the kids keep listening and listening to the same music all the time.
And when was the last time a twelve year old American kid heard a song from Ghana fifty times in a row?
You'll agree with me that this dude is representing Ghana internationally. He is set go one rank higher this year with his album 'Run'. Who knows, he might even be selected for Grammy Awards.
Great news: 'Run' is now available on iTunes in case you want to download but I think you should grab yours instead.? ?
????? ?
