How to find game music work as a small composer
You've been making music for a while, maybe you've done some commissions or Roblox work, and now you want bigger games or even a studio job. That's exactly the gap I founded ComposerScout to help with. Here's where the work actually is and how I'd climb from small gigs to bigger projects.
- Go where devs are already asking for music: hiring boards, jam team boards and dev posts.
- Count the work you've done. Roblox and commission music are game credits.
- Make a short reel of game-ready music: loops, a menu theme, a tense track, a stinger.
- Do a few game jams to pick up credits and dev friends fast.
- Learn the basics of how music goes into a game, then aim for bigger indie projects and studio roles.
1. Go where devs are already looking
The easiest gig is the one someone already posted. These are the spots I'd check every week:
- Studios hiring on ComposerScout. Indie devs post open roles with what they need, the pay type (paid, rev share or hobby) and often a budget. Matching composers get them by email.
- Jam Crew and itch.io jam boards. Almost every jam has a community tab full of "looking for a composer" posts. Tap "I'm in" on a jam on ComposerScout and teams can find you too.
- Game job boards. Boards like Work With Indies list paid roles at indie studios, including audio. These usually want some shipped credits, so they're a great next step once you have a few.
- Bluesky and X. Search "looking for a composer", "need music for my game" or "need a composer" and sort by latest. Devs post these all the time.
- Reddit and Discord. r/INAT is built for finding teams, and a lot of game dev Discords have a hiring or collab channel. Read each community's rules first, because most don't allow self-promo posts.
- See them side by side. My guide to where indie game devs find composers compares ComposerScout, Twine, SoundBetter, Upwork, Fiverr, Reddit, jams and Discord, and when each is the better pick.
2. Your Roblox and commission work counts
A lot of composers undersell this. Music for a Roblox experience is music for a game, with real players hearing it. List those as game credits: the experience name, what you made (main theme, lobby music, combat loops) and anything you can share about how many people played it.
The one thing to add is range. Roblox games lean toward certain styles, so if you want to work on a cozy farming game or a horror demo, have a piece or two in that mood ready. Devs hire the composer who already sounds like their game.
3. Make a reel that sounds like games, not an album
Devs don't listen to your full catalog. They listen to 20 seconds of two tracks and decide. Keep your reel short and game-shaped:
- A seamless loop that could play under exploration for ten minutes without getting annoying.
- A menu or main theme that shows your melody writing.
- A tense or combat track, because almost every game needs one.
- A stinger: a short victory, game over or level up jingle.
- Bonus: one track with layers that build in intensity, so you can show you get adaptive music.
Label each piece with the kind of game it fits ("cozy farming loop", "pixel horror chase"). On ComposerScout, devs can play your samples over their own gameplay clip in the Gameplay studio, which sells you way better than a link to a playlist.
4. Use game jams to stack credits fast
Jams are the cheat code for small composers. In a weekend or a week you get a finished game with your music in it, a credit you can link, and a dev who now knows how you work. Do a few and you'll have a handful of games on your profile and a list of devs who might hire you for their next real project.
Pick jams that match the genres you want to work in, keep the scope small (a main loop, a menu track and a couple of stingers is plenty), and deliver on time. Being reliable in a jam is how the paid follow-up gigs happen.
5. Learn how music actually goes into a game
For small indie gigs, you usually hand over loops and the dev drops them in. As projects get bigger, devs want composers who understand implementation: how loops and transitions work in Unity, Godot or Roblox Studio, and the basics of middleware like FMOD or Wwise. You don't need to be an expert. Being able to say "I'll give you stems and loop points, and here's how I'd set up the transition" puts you ahead of a lot of people.
6. Climbing to bigger projects and studios
Here's the honest path most game composers take: jams, then small paid indie games, then bigger indie projects, then studio work. Studio audio roles almost always ask for shipped games, so every small project you finish moves you up. A few things that help along the way:
- Pitch devs whose game you actually like. My guide to pitching a game dev has a sample message.
- Know your rates before someone asks. Here's how game music is usually priced.
- Stay friendly with every dev you work with. A lot of work comes from devs you jammed with months ago.
- Put your credits and reel in one link so a dev can check you out in under a minute.
Frequently asked questions
How do small composers find game devs to make music for?
Go where devs are already asking for music: open roles on ComposerScout's Studios hiring page, game jam team-finding boards on itch.io, Jam Crew on ComposerScout, game job boards like Work With Indies, and posts on Bluesky and X from devs saying they need a composer. Jams are the fastest way to get your first credits.
Does Roblox music count as game music experience?
Yes. Music for a Roblox experience is music for a game, so list it as game credits with the experience name and what you made. Pair it with a short reel of loops and stingers in a few genres so indie devs outside Roblox can hear the range.
What should a game music reel include?
Two or three minutes of your best game-ready music: seamless loops, a menu theme, a combat or tension track, a short stinger or victory jingle, and if you can, a track that changes intensity in layers. Label each piece with the kind of game it fits.
Do I need to know FMOD or Wwise to get game music work?
Not for most small indie jobs, where you hand over loops and the dev drops them in. Knowing the basics of FMOD, Wwise or how audio works in Unity, Godot or Roblox Studio helps a lot for bigger projects and studio roles, because adaptive music is part of the job there.
How do I get a job at a game studio as a composer?
Most studio audio roles want shipped games on your resume, so the usual path is jams, then a few small paid indie games, then bigger indie projects. Keep a profile with your credits and reel, and watch indie job boards for audio roles. Many studio composers started on small indie games.
Is ComposerScout free for composers?
Yes. Making a profile is free, and I don't take anything from your gigs. You and the dev agree on payment and rights directly.
Let devs find you, too
Make a free composer profile with your samples, credits, rates and what you're open to (paid, rev share or hobby). When a studio posts a role that fits you, you get it in your inbox. It's free, and I don't take a cut of your gigs.
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