Bob Moses' 'Inner Light', the song from GTA 6's Extended Look, has 50 million more streams
'Inner Light', a 2021 song by Vancouver duo Bob Moses and Elderbrook, has racked up more than 50 million extra streams since Rockstar used it in An Extended Look, the band told The Canadian Press.
A five-year-old dance track has become one of the songs most tied to Grand Theft Auto VI before the game is even out. "Inner Light," a 2021 collaboration between the Vancouver duo Bob Moses and the British musician Elderbrook, has racked up more than 50 million extra streams since Rockstar used it in An Extended Look, the gameplay video it released in late August, the band told The Canadian Press in an interview published on Nov. 13 and 14.
How it got there
Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, who formed the Grammy-nominated Bob Moses in 2012, say their manager emailed them earlier this year with a request from Rockstar Games to use the song, with few details about how. They agreed and forgot about it, until months later their phones filled with messages from people they hadn't heard from in years.
The song plays at the climax of An Extended Look, Rockstar's 27-minute video, under a speech about living in one's glory days, The Canadian Press reports. Vallance said that stretch became the part everyone clipped and shared, and that took the song viral. Spotify told the agency streams of "Inner Light" rose 500% after the video came out, and daily additions to listeners' playlists rose more than 3,000%.
Not a big paycheck
The duo say Rockstar paid a modest licensing fee. Howie couldn't recall the amount, saying "it's not enough to remember"; the value, he said, is in the reach. Heather Gardner, president of the Guild of Music Supervisors Canada, told the agency that a placement in a game as big as GTA can be worth it for the exposure even when the payment isn't.
Rockstar hasn't said whether "Inner Light" also plays on one of the game's radio stations. GTA 6's music so far: Justice's original score, GTA VI: The Album, which comes out with the game on Nov. 19, and the six radio stations Rockstar has named, with full tracklists due at launch.
Our guide to An Extended Look has the characters and places in the rest of the video. GTA 6 comes out Nov. 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Questions readers ask
- What is the Bob Moses song in GTA 6's Extended Look?
- 'Inner Light', a 2021 song by the Vancouver electronic duo Bob Moses and the British musician Elderbrook. It plays at the climax of An Extended Look, Rockstar's gameplay video from Aug. 27, under a speech about glory days.
- Is 'Inner Light' in GTA 6?
- Rockstar used it in An Extended Look, but it hasn't said whether the song plays on one of the game's radio stations. The band says Rockstar's request came with few details.
- How popular has 'Inner Light' become since GTA 6's trailer?
- The band says it has had more than 50 million extra streams since late August, and Spotify told The Canadian Press its streams rose 500%, with daily playlist additions up more than 3,000%.
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Rockstar has named six stations so far. We'll email you when it names more or lists the songs.
