Herman Li has revealed how much money DragonForce were paid to have their Inhuman Rampage song "Through the Fire and Flames" placed as one of the playable tracks in the Guitar Hero video game franchise and, well, the answer is going to shock you. Spoiler: it's not a lot!
The guitarist spoke candidly on TikTok (seen below) about DragonForce's involvement with the popular video game, where participants use a guitar-shaped controller with color-coded buttons (frets) to replicate the order they need to be pressed on screen.
"How many millions of dollars did I get? Well, I’ll tell you this. ‘Guitar Hero‘ actually only paid a one-off fee—a one-off fee—to use the song," Li began before divulging what that monetary figure was (transcription via The PRP).
"So, I’m thinking a little less than $3,000. Maybe even less. I can’t remember, but let's split that between the band members, you've got to pay the manager, the record label, the accountant… whoever’s involved. It’s actually barely any money. I don’t even remember the amount I even cashed in on that one," the shred icon continued.
Although the initial payout didn't amount to much, the inclusion of "Through the Fire and Flames" paid dividends in other ways as Li explained, "But what Guitar Hero did do for us and a lot of other bands was present guitar music to the world. At that time, guitar music wasn’t really that popular. And letting the audience hear our music and decide if they like it or not was really special, because we definitely don’t play music that fits the radio. You’re not going hear seven minutes of shredding melodic metal fast on the radio."
Grateful for how things played out, he concluded, "So thank you, Guitar Hero, for helping musicians, guitar players around the world and gamers have an awesome time."
DragonForce, who last released Extreme Power Metal in 2019, are in the midst of a headlining North American tour with special guests Firewind, Visions of Atlantis and Seven Spires. Head here to see the remaining dates.
