Musicians are finding ever more innovative ways to earn a living. One avenue many heavy metal bands have taken has been through iGaming. We discuss how the genre is turning to online slot licensing as a source of income.
It is no secret that musicians no longer earn the big bucks they did in the past. There are a few reasons for this. Mainly, this is due to the way music is consumed. Services like Spotify pay a very small amount for each track that is streamed. Even the biggest artists will earn very little from the stream of a song or album over the course of a year. This has also resulted in a decline in the sale of physical products. People are buying vinyl, CDs, and cassettes in much smaller amounts than they did in the past. All of this is cutting into the pockets of your favourite metal bands. However, they are finding other ways to earn a living.
Loss of Income for Bands
Many believe that the way bands can make money in the modern age is through touring. However, even the costs involved in that have risen. Travel, accommodation, staff, and equipment are now much more costly. Even venues are taking a larger proportion of ticket sales to compensate for high running costs. This means that the money made playing live is much less than it was in the past unless you are in the upper echelons of the rock pantheon.
Lastly, there is now a lot more competition. Artists of the past had to be signed to a record label, which skimmed the library of accessible music down somewhat. Today, low-cost production equipment has meant that people can release albums made in their bedrooms to a global audience. There is more music about. Add to that how much entertainment is at people’s fingertips, from video games to streaming television. Making money from music suddenly becomes extremely hard.
The Growing Popularity of Online Slots
In total opposite to the loss of income faced by musicians, the iGaming industry has grown huge over the past few years. This sector is primarily concerned with the provision of online gambling games, usually in the form of table games and slot titles. As the processing power of mobile devices has increased along with connectivity, online casinos have begun to thrive. Revenue is increasing by around $66.5 billion year on year.
Inevitably, this brings vast levels of competition with it. Using an existing license from popular culture is a great way to make a game unique and attract players. By combining this game selection with welcome bonuses and secure online casino payment methods, the industry has trust behind it. When they add in a familiar face from an existing property, the appeal is obvious.
Slot games have been at the forefront of this. In the United Kingdom, for example, it is estimated a third of all gambling revenues come from online slots. This s for £3.2 billion. Of the people who play them, 35% of these players wager more than £100 a month on slots, with a tenth wagering more than £500.
Metal Bands with Their Own Slot Games
It would come as no surprise to metal fans that KISS has a slot machine that uses their likeness. In fact, they have quite a few. Never one to hide from merchandise or licensing tie-in, KISS has had everything from board games to their own rum made. Luckily, the KISS slot machine is not just a branded tie-in but one made with actual love for the band. It has live footage of their concerts woven into it and provides 100 different ways to win.
Motörhead are another classic speed metal band to have their own slot title. With a track as big as “Ace of Spades” being their anthem, the casino parallels are obvious. The slot incorporates a lot of biker imagery, but best of all is the soundtrack, which features actual tunes from the band’s extensive back catalogue.
By no means is it just the major players like Ozzy and Guns N Roses who have slots either. Swedish metal band Candlemass has managed to rack up two slot games to their name. Known as House of Doom, it was based on a previous slot game named Sabaton, which itself had a non-d heavy metal theme. It was very popular and quickly gained a follow-up.
In the near future, there will undoubtedly be instances where bands think of innovative ways to make money. The aforementioned KISS recently sold its future likeness and brand so that it will be used in audiovisual extravaganzas in the future. Even new music will be made that bears their name, long after the band has ceased to exist.
As a metal fan, there is actually no better time to be in this genre. With new music arriving daily and the classics still available, you can find more music than ever. The best thing is, you can also play games and watch movies all about your favourite artists.
