Songtradr SyncTalk is a podcast series that opens the discussion on sync licensing, its many participants, and some of the ins and outs around placing music and sound to visual media.
In this episode of SyncTalk, we spoke with Vietnam-based global app publisher, Amanotes, on their innovations in the hyper-casual games space and the key role music plays.
The world is filled with people who love to game, and the gaming industry obliges, providing a neverending smorgasbord of choice. From the advent of the app store, instantly playable or ‘hyper-casual’ games have taken a front-row seat. If you’ve played Magic Tiles, Tiles Hop, or Dancing Road, you’re enjoying the work of the Amanotes team. In this episode, Amanotes’ Product Manager, Vova, and their PR & Communications Specialist, Michelle Nguyen represented.
Co-founders Silver and Bill shared a passion for music and technology and combined their entrepreneurial skills to deliver games anyone could play. Their belief that “Everyone Can Music” is derived from the fusion of “amateurs” + “musical notes” = “Amanotes.” Their first hit game, Magic Tiles 3 took off in 2017, three short years since founding the company in 2014. This was followed by a successful launch in 2019 of Tiles Hop; both games using clever interactivity with addictive songs, culminating in over a billion downloads to date.
“We let the market decide.”
Following an initial screening for potential, any proposed game must survive the test phase by delivering on pre-determined metrics of success. “We put it through a soft launch,” said Vova. “And we collect the metrics to see if people really like the game and if the game is really scalable to a really large audience.”
“Music is the key emotion driver”
Whether the desired emotion for the end-user is to create an upbeat, artsy, or abstract type of gaming experience, Amanotes carefully selects music they believe will support and drive that emotion.
“Lately, we think we should let the player decide,” remarked Vova, “So if it’s not too crazy, we add a lot of music to our games and see the better-performing ones pop up to the top.”
“Recently we have been working with smaller labels so we have opportunities for indie artists to be included in our apps,” indicated Nguyen. Speaking of the win-win situation for both Amanotes and the artist, Nguyen said, “…we have more enriched content, but for the artist, they will have a different platform promoting their material.”
“Don’t just create a product just to be featured somewhere because that will dry down all of your inspiration.”
“If I am to give some advice, it’s always best to go with the genre you are most comfortable in,” Nguyen offered. She also added that this is not exclusive to the category of hyper-casual games, but that pitching anywhere, the artist should be able to talk about it in the most passionate way and describe how their songs would fit with the market. In conclusion, “Listen to your voice.”
Great advice for all creators, music, technology, or otherwise. 🧐
Submit your songs to Amanotes for consideration
Watch the full episode
This episode has been edited for format.
