Music licenses for David Bowie, AC/DC, and The Smashing Pumpkins just ran out for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV.
Grand Theft Auto IV’s in-game radio just took a major hit.
Due to licensing issues plaguing the game’s 10-year-old soundtrack, Rockstar Games’ latest update removed over 50 songs from Grand Theft Auto IV across platforms. But some songs have been replaced with new music.
News emerged earlier this month detailing the changes, with outlets like USgamer reporting that licenses for multiple songs would expire by Thursday, April 26, just two days before the game’s 10th anniversary. Vladivostok FM, Grand Theft Auto IV’s Slavic pop station, faced the bulk of the changes, while songs from Stevie Nicks, The Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Electric Light Orchestra, Fat Joe, AC/DC, and The Doors were also removed.
Users on GTAForums studied the new patch closely and found that 11 songs were added in total to Vladivostok FM and 54 songs were removed across radio stations, including five songs from Grand Theft Auto IV’s video editor and several from the game’s DLC episodes. The change impacts users on both PC and console, although some intrepid fans are trying to “downgrade” their edition of Grand Theft Auto in order to keep the original soundtrack.
Here’s just a few highlights among the tracks removed.
- David Bowie—Fascination
- The Smashing Pumpkins—1979
- Electric Light Orchestra—Evil Woman
- Black Sabbath—Heaven and Hell
- Fat Joe (ft. Lil’ Wayne)—Crackhouse
- Papoose—Stylin’
- AC/DC—Touch Too Much
- Iron Maiden—Run To The Hills
- The Doors—Five To One
- Jefferson Starship—Jane
- David Guetta (ft. Kelly Rowland)—When Love Takes Over
For a ten-year-old game, GTA IV still enjoys a loyal following—but those players still driving around Liberty City might need to provide their own soundtrack moving forward.
H/T r/Games
