Radio Free Los Santos

by Ted Dolby

Gamilon Staff Writer

If you look in many gamers stash  you'll likely find a copy of  Grand Theft Auto 5. The action adventure game created by the legendary game publishers Rockstar Games debuted  several years ago and sold a whopping fifty-two million copies. The game shelf life is still  very much relevant as thirty-three  million owners still actively play in on-line mode.  The open world game play and storytelling is video games at its best. Think of it as part shooter, part racer, part Foursquare, part Google Maps and part Spotify all rolled into one. 

Grand Theft Auto 5 is not only all about action, it's also all about the music. 

GTA5 has about twenty radio stations that stream everything from Country to Classic Rock, Techno to Talk Radio. To put in perspective how many people are not only playing GTA5, but listening to it as well, consider that Sirius XM radio has twenty-five million subscribers while GTA5 has thirty-three million. GTA5 even beat Spotify by eight million subscribers when it was released. That is a lot of people, listening to a lot of music.. 

The music in GTA5 has always been an essential element to the game. The games massive expanse of road systems range from superhighways to country lanes and give the player the freedom to explore and  invites hours of driving while listening to some of your favorite tunes. My favorite station in the game is Los Santos Rock Radio hosted by Kenny Loggins who spins tracks that vary from mainstream Rock like Queen and the Cult, but also deep tracks like the Small Faces cult classic Ogdens Nut Gone Flake. I also love Rebel Radio that brims with Outlaw Country artists like Jerry Reed, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.  

Each Station also comes with its own unique flavor of commercials. These quick snippets for  made up TV shows  like Kung Fu Laser Force and the Life Invader social media network are hilarious and keep the flow of music moving and fresh. DJ's are also free to put their own personality into segue between music. The Grand Theft Auto Franchise has a history of famous dj's like Fred Armisten and Axel Rose, who appear under factitious names,  and some like Iggy Pop and  Couzin Ed, who play themselves. Each station is its own entity and totally worth a listen. 

Gamers are a fiercely loyal bunch and Rockstar Games cashed in by releasing the GTA5 soundtrack with a sample of about sixty tunes on both disc and a USB thumb drive version, or the standard  iTunes/ Google Play mp3 format.  We can now turn our everyday into the surreal world of Grand Theft Auto, just don't blame the music for your next drive by.   

Grand Theft Auto is a game that  holds a mirror to our own society and reflects both the very  best and the very worst. All the insanity and hilarity of  life wrapped up within a fictitious city called Los Santos. GTA5 is meant to be a satire of ourselves and it's sometimes hardcore and brutal  themes can walk the razors edge of  comedy and tragedy. 

It's life in a nutshell... all done to a killer soundtrack.