Chronicles of Empire - soundtrack music

During the late 1990's I composed a soundtrack album for Chronicles of Empire - Gathering.

I'm not going to claim it's any good - I don't know music theory and I tend to compose by playing with one finger.

However, I always hear music, and this was something that possessed me for some time.

Around the year 2001 I recorded the instrument layers and had them mixed by a cheap local recording studio (paid for by the Job Centre!).

There were originally 14 tracks on the album, but the ones I've put online are the only ones I think are still passable. Not sure the streaming quality will do them any favours, though.

However, if there ever proves to be further interest in these, I can always get them re-recorded, mixed, and mastered professionally, and put up additional tracks I've also composed for the rest of the series.

Until then, I've put them up on Soundcloud as something of a curiosity:

Chronicles of Empire - Gathering (Soundtrack)

(I've also put a couple of other things up on my Soundcloud page, too: Brian G Turner)

Just as an addendum to this, in 2001 I was long-term unemployed with little chance of coming off benefits, which wasn't good with a family of four.

However, that year I also discovered mp3.com, which not only allowed independent artists to put their music online - they also got a share of the advertising revenue on the site, which could be substantial.

So I persuaded the Job Centre that I was going self-employed to chase the opportunity, and was able to persuade them to stump up £200 to record the music at a local studio, as part of a "tools allowance".

In September 2001 I put my music up on mp3.com, and immediately got a string of No.1s across the soundtrack subgenres. One track, Lion Inn, got to No.2 in the Classical Music chart.

I earned £200 that month through mp3.com's revenue share, and reinvested it into advertising on mp3.com.

And then, at the end of that month, Vivendi - the owner of Universal - completed their takeover of the website and killed it, first by slashing royalties to around 10% of previous values, making it no longer possible to earn a significant income. Not long afterward, Vivendi stopped paying royalties entirely:
MP3.com - Wikipedia

When the chrons forums were first set up, I had some CD's printed and sent them out via a giveaway competition. However, as it become increasingly obvious that my writing wasn't going anywhere fast, I put the music aside to gather dust.

A couple of years ago I did go to another studio to explore re-recording them, but it would take a substantial amount of work and I decided I needed to focus solely on the writing.

I've always wanted to record Imperiatrix Majestica with a full orchestra - and the full choir that was always intended for the second half of that track. Maybe I'll record some of my other music first, and build up to that.

Brian G Turner said:

However, if there ever proves to be further interest in these, I can always get them re-recorded, mixed, and mastered professionally, and put up additional tracks I've also composed for the rest of the series.

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Well, I really enjoyed the tracks. Tuneful, pleasant, and a good soundtrack.

Brian G Turner said:

I tend to compose by playing with one finger.

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That makes it more impressive. The sound quality was a little low, I thought, but the structure and melody of the tunes were well-crafted with a medieval flavour to them (which I assume is what you intended).

Brian G Turner said:

I don't know music theory

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Not necessarily a bad thing. That way lies madness (and jazz). I've forgotten a ton of theory, but classmates told me everything I did sounded like a 1970s Swedish adult movie soundtrack (and no, I never did ask how they were so knowledgeable about such things). So, you know,theory doesn't always help

Brian G Turner said:

Maybe I'll record some of my other music first, and build up to that.

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With tunes like that, it would be a shame if you stopped, but it's hard finding the time (and time-consuming too). Still, I think if you can find the time then a) I'd certainly want to hear more, and b) I think it's very indie doing not only your book but the soundtrack as well - the complete package, if you will