With this guide you will know every detail to buy beats online in less than 5 minutes. The online business of selling beats has grown a lot in recent times and this has helped more independent artists to get great results, something that a few years ago was unthinkable. I have prepared this guide so that you don’t have any doubts when buying your beats, not only on my website but also in any online instrumental store. Ways to save money buying your beats, tricks and what to do once you already have the instrumentals.
Structure of the beats online store
Even if you have bought beats before, you may feel lost or saturated with information, offers, free downloads…etc. when you get to a producer’s website. Don’t worry because I’m going to solve all your doubts.
The first thing you find when you enter the website of a producer is usually a small text or a photo and then a player from where you can listen and buy the beats. This is the case in 95% of the online stores of beats. This player is very important because from there you are going to make the purchase also, since it usually includes the cart to make the payment.
Although it may vary a little depending on each website, then we find the price boxes of the licenses. Then I will explain quickly what a license is but first I want you to see how are my price tables. In them you can see what permissions you have when buying beats.
Again here you may feel undecided because you do not understand some terms or because you are not sure which is the license that suits you, calm that I will help you in your choice. To finish with the structure of the web, just tell you that there is little else that can be interesting for you but there is something that you should take into account, the offer. Each producer offers deals, discounts and coupons, usually the offer is located above the player and you should always check it, because you can save a lot of money with it.
What is a beat license and which one to choose when you buy beats online?
I have prepared a post talking in detail about beat licenses in case you want to know everything but now, I will quickly explain what they are. A license is the legal agreement that a producer gives to the person who buys the beat, so he can use it according to the conditions of that license. It’s the only thing that covers you when you use a beat in your project, it’s very easy, if you have a license you can use the beat and if you don’t you risk that your song or project will be deleted in the future.
I always recommend that you at least buy the “STEMS” license that includes the stems, that allows you to upload to all digital platforms and monetize. It is not the cheapest but it offers you more benefits. Ideally, and not because I am the one selling you the beat, you should buy the most expensive license you can afford, because you have to see it as an investment and the more you invest the more money you will be able to collect in the future.
My licenses are all unlimited in streams, sales and do not expire. So you have an easier time deciding which one is right for you. Here are some common terms to keep in mind:
- Format, is the type of file in which you can download the beat. I recommend wav and stems.
- Streams, is the number of plays on digital platforms like Spotify, Apple Music…etc.
- Monetize, if you can monetize it means that you are allowed to earn money with your song using that beat on Youtube (as long as your Youtube channel allows it).
- Stems, are the tracks that compose the beat (bass drum, snare, melody…etc). When you buy beats online, If you need to structure the song better and get a more professional sound, you should always choose licenses that allow you to download the stems.
- Registration in PROs, is the registration in rights associations such as Sgae, BMI, Ascap…etc.
Exclusive License VS Exclusive Beat
A common mistake is to confuse an exclusive license with an exclusive beat. The exclusive license is still a license and therefore other people may have bought the beat before, an exclusive beat however only has one buyer and allows you to register the content id of the song, another way to make money with your songs, because every time someone uses your song or post it on any social network, you will be earning money for it.
You don’t need an exclusive beat
There is a very important factor here and that is numbers. If you are an artist that generates a lot of streams, concerts, you want a higher percentage of rights, you are on tv and radio or you are signed by a label, I recommend you to buy exclusive beats. But if you don’t meet all or many of those conditions, the best thing to do is to buy beats through licensing. This will allow you to spend less money and release more music, something that will grow your fan base, which in turn allows you to spend more money on promotion. The best alternative to an exclusive beat is unlimited licensing.
How to buy beats online step by step
Now that we have seen the licenses, the structure of the website and where the offers are, we are going to buy beats online.
Step 1. Listen to the beats in the player and when you like one, add it to the cart by clicking on ADD next to each beat.
Step 2. Select the license you need. BASIC, STEMS, PRO or MIX. (These are mine although the names and permissions usually vary depending on the producer).
Step 3. Click on the cart at the top of the player and then on the PROCEED TO CHECKOUT button. From here you will make the payment.
Step 4. Accept the terms and then choose to pay with Paypal or Credit Card. Prices are in US dollars.
Step 5. You will receive the download links of the beat and your license immediately.
But before making the purchase do not forget to review the offer. The most common offers are:
Discount coupon, in this case when writing the coupon at the time of payment, the indicated discount is applied.
Bulk discount, it is the most used offer and the one I personally like the most. Ex. Buy 2 beats and get 2 free. In this case you must choose 4 beats with the same license and at the time of payment you will see that you will only be charged for 2 beats.
Featured offer, this offer is the best I have on my website without a doubt. It is a pack where you can buy 5 beats online for only $300 and with the best license I offer (PRO). It is not always active, so be careful.
After buying the beats, there are things you should know
When you already have the song recorded, mixed, mastered and you only have to publish it on platforms, there are some important things you should know:
The content ID is prohibited from being registered. At the moment you are going to upload your song to digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music…etc. It doesn’t matter what distributor it is (CdBaby, Distrokid…etc) You can’t register it because it’s in the license agreement and if you did, claims would come to all the people who bought a license before. The only way to be able to register the Content id is by buying an exclusive beat. In any case, the content id only generates great benefits for recognized artists (national or international TOP Artists) who make large numbers. If you are an independent artist without much fame, the content id would not generate almost anything.
Registration in Sgae, Ascap, BMI, GEMA…etc. When you go to register on your rights platform, as long as the license allows it (normally the most expensive licenses allow it, in my case the PRO) you must make the distribution in the following way. Producer 50% and the artist the other 50%. In case there are 2 artists, it would be Producer 50%, Artist 1 25% and Artist 2 25%. In my case, I offer 75% to artists who buy an exclusive beat and I keep the other 25%.
Monetize. If you want to monetize, you must first have a license that allows you to do so. Then you must talk to the producer to activate the monetization or tell you the steps to follow.
Give credits to the producer. This is something that should always be mandatory, in fact in my licenses there is a penalty for not doing it. Every time you post your song on YouTube, social media…etc. Name the producer. Actually you should name each person who put their grain of sand in your project, because we all deserve to have our work recognized.
I hope that now you have everything a little clearer, anyway do not hesitate to write to me at [email protected] and I will be happy to help you when you want to buy beats online.
