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Stardew Valley's developer has some advice for composers trying to get their music out there: "All I had to do was develop an entire video game from scratch"

News
By Hope Bellingham published 1 March 2024

Becoming a game dev allowed ConcernedApe to be a composer

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Stardew Valley grandad
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)
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The developer of Stardew Valley has a hack for composers who want to get people to listen to their music; all you have to do is make an entire game from scratch. 

During the New York City stop on the Stardew Valley Concert tour (via Aftermath's Nathan Grayson), Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, makes an appearance and shares a tip for all budding composers out there. "Growing up, I always wanted to be a composer," Barone tells the audience. "But no one ever wanted to listen to my music.

"So after many years of failure, I've finally discovered the secret," the developer continues. "All I had to do was develop an entire video game from scratch, and then you guys would finally listen to my music!" 

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  • Stardew Valley Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe wants to make the farming sim "infinitely replayable" – but "without the use of AI"

Although ConcernedApe is slightly joking here, he's not wrong. Amazingly, the solo developer's indie game has garnered enough fans over the years that its soundtrack is being played worldwide this year. Baby Barone must be proud. 

went to tonight’s stardew valley concert in nyc, and @ConcernedApe gave a short speech about making music: “no one ever wanted to listen to my music. so after many years of failure, I’ve finally discovered the secret: all I had to do was develop an entire video game from scratch” pic.twitter.com/EBQYa5zMLFMarch 1, 2024

Earlier this week, ConcernedApe also revealed some exciting news: The Stardew Valley update 1.6 is coming next month. The developer has revealed some of the features expected in the next content drops and it's shaping up to be way larger than anyone imagined. 

Since its reveal, fans have been theorizing what else players will be able to do in Stardew Valley 1.6. One theory is that it could finally let us visit an island filled with raccoons and another suggests that Ginger Island is about to head down the Joja route.

There's been so much anticipation surrounding the new update, that the creator of Stardew Valley's biggest mod had to reassure players that Stardew Valley Expanded would still work alongside the 1.6 update from March 19. 

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Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
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News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

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