Can You Start a Music Career in GTA 6? What's Confirmed vs. Rumored

No credible report says Jason or Lucia can build a playable music career in GTA 6. The music industry is confirmed as part of the story through other characters, not as an activity you control.

The record label in the story

Confirmed (Rockstar character bios and screenshots, as compiled by Mapheist):

• The story includes a record label, Only Raw Records.
• Dre'Quan Priest runs it. His bio says he dealt on the street to fund his way into music.
• Boobie Ike puts up the money. His empire includes real estate, the Jack of Hearts strip club and a recording studio.
• The label's first signing is Real Dimez, the rap duo of Bae-Luxe and Roxy. Their bio says they turned scam money and nonstop posting into a rap career.
• Rockstar screenshots show Dre'Quan inside the studio.

Whether the player takes part in any of this through missions or activities hasn't been announced. Fan readings, such as the theory that the label nods to Miami's Slip-N-Slide Records, are speculation.

The radio

Confirmed (Oct 8): Rockstar revealed six radio stations and their hosts:

• Cocoteo FM (modern Latin; Bad Bunny and RaiNao)
• Back Country Radio (Morgan Wallen and Lana Del Rey, with Jeremy Dufrene as roving reporter Mud Dog Mike)
• AfroBank FM (Burna Boy and Palms Trax)
• The Chamber 106.6 (metal; Kerry King and Tom Araya)
• Flash FM (pop; Robyn and Alex Consani)
• Dirty South Classics (Trick Daddy and Trina)

GameSpot reports that GTA 6 will also have on-demand podcasts, a series first, and that you can listen to the radio on foot through the in-game phone.

Confirmed: Rockstar's album has 34 original tracks and is out Nov 19, alongside the game. Mapheist and GameSpot both report it, and GameSpot names new music from Keith Richards and Travis Scott. Rockstar also co-owns a real dance label, CircoLoco Records, set up in 2021 (per Mapheist).

What the leak showed

Leak: Kotaku reported in August that footage from the leaker known as Cyberleek, apparently captured from a playable build, showed a radio menu. The stations it listed included Stockyard FM, Emotion, Symphony FM, Back Country Radio, Circo Loco Records Radio, Dirty South Classics and Honey FM. Kotaku said the build looked old and placeholder-heavy. The footage showed someone listening to the radio, not making music. Rockstar has confirmed only Back Country Radio and Dirty South Classics from that list.

The custom-mix rumor

Rumor (2024): In a GTAForums post reported by Dexerto in July 2024, insider Tez2 claimed that a shelved GTA Online feature for Dr. Dre's Record A Studios, which would have let players upload and download custom mixes, was "being cooked for VI." Rockstar has never confirmed it, and it's unclear whether it would apply to story mode or online. Dexerto itself said to take it with a pinch of salt.

Bottom line

You'll hear a lot of music in Leonida and meet characters trying to make it big. A player-run music career, though, is unconfirmed. We'll update this story if Rockstar announces music-making features.