Leasing beats… Beat licenses… Exclusives… Free beats… What does all of this stuff mean?
As someone who has never bought a beat or a license off the internet before, you might be wondering why you need to do it and what it’s all about.
And you might be thinking, “What’s the difference between a free beat and leasing a beat?”
I won’t lie, things can get very confusing in the beginning, but the good news is: you’re here now.
After reading this guide, you won’t be in the dark about leasing beats online anymore. You’ll know the difference between free beats and licenses, you’ll know how you are able to use beats, you’ll know what the different ‘agreements’ mean, and a few more bits of essential advice.
“Is this article For Me?”
Now, I don’t want to waste your time, so before we get started:
- Are you just getting started with music, but you’re planning to get serious with it?
- Have you been doing music for a while, but you want to take it serious and start making money/booking shows etc?
- Are you tired of using tagged beats or low-quality beats?
- Are you getting some traction and now you know the next step is to properly license the beats you are using or want to use?
- Have you seen people talking about leasing beats and wonder if it’s something you should be doing?
If you answered YES! To any of those questions, then you’re going to want to keep reading…
“What Are Free Beats?”
Before we talk about leasing and buying beats, we need to address free beats.
Free beats usually have a ‘producer tag’ every 30 seconds or so. You know, one of those things that says something like, “EssPee Beats the Freshest beats hot off the grill”
Or something…
If you have a beat without having a license to use it, that could be classed as a free beat, too.
The main benefit of free beats is that (yes you guessed it) they’re freeeeee!
The main drawback? You aren’t authorised to use them for commercial purposes… Meaning, you can’t sell the track or get paid for it.
This means, you can’t put the song on Spotify (or other streaming sites), you can’t put the song on an album or sell it as a single, you can’t perform the song live, you can’t get radio play with it and you can’t monetise it on YouTube.
As a result, free beats have a two main purposes:
One – To see if the beat is a good fit for you.
Two – Just to have some fun with and share with some friends.
Now, not all producers or artists know this, so it’s not uncommon for producers to put ‘FREE DOWNLOAD’ on their YouTube video to get clicks and then get angry when people don’t buy their beats.
If you have a free beat, and you’re unsure how you can use it, the best thing to do would be contact the beat maker and ask them.
“So, Sam, Why Do You Offer Free Beats?”
I offer free beats for a very specific reason… to let you try before you buy.
By trying before you buy, you can test a few things:
- you can see if your vocals match the beat
- if you can match the mood or tempo of the beat
- to record a demo and get feedback before taking the plunge for a license
I’m letting artists to make sure that the beat is a good fit for them before they buy – sort of like fitting rooms at a clothes shop.
But my free beats cannot be used for commercial purposes and come with ‘producer tags’… When you purchase a license, you get a beat with no tags AND the ability to use the beat commercially.
“I’m Not Sure If I Can Use The Beat”
Honestly, if you don’t have a license for a beat OR if you’re unsure how you can use it, contact the producer.
If a producer chooses to take legal action against someone using a free beat, the repercussions can be quite severe for copyright infringement.
See the image below for what I mean:
“Okay, I Understand That. So, How Does Buying Beats Online Work?”
When you buy a beat online, you are usually purchasing a ‘license’. In other words, you aren’t buying the beat, you are leasing it.
When you purchase a beat, you usually get TWO items from the produces.
1. The beat (with no vocal tags)
2. A license that tells you how you can use the beat.
In some cases, you will also get the tracked-out stems of the beat. These are the ‘ingredients’ of the beat (like the drum patterns, melodies, bass, synths, chords and so on).
There are two types of license:
1. Non-exclusive license.
2. Exclusive license.
The biggest difference between these two types of license are that many people can purchase a license for a non-exclusive beat. However, if you purchase the exclusive rights to a beat, no-one else can purchase a license after you.
I’ve written an article that goes more in-depth about the two different types of licenses here:
Non-Exclusive License Or Exclusive License: Which One Do You Need?
You can also see samples of licenses there.
In general, I recommend people to first lease a beat (ie. Buy a non-exclusive license). Then, if the beat blows up, you can negotiate purchasing the exclusive rights to the beat.
“Okay, I Want A Non-Exclusive License… But Which One?”
Usually the biggest differences between non-exclusive licenses is the number of things you can do with the track.
To keep it simple, at the time of writing, I have only two different types of license: Standard and Premium.
With both licenses, you get a high-quality WAV track, the only difference between the two licenses are the limitations of them.
These limitations include how many times the track can be streamed or sold.
Take a look:
Now, not all of my beats have the option to get a Standard License. This is just my preference.
You’ll also notice that each ‘lease lasts 2 years.’
This is called a lease term, and this basically means that your lease will need to be renewed after 2 years if you want to continue to use the beat (such as continue streaming it.
(NOTE: you won’t be able to renew a lease if someone has bought the exclusive rights to it).
I’ve tried to make it as simple for you to know which lease you need.
If you’re a pure beginner, go for the standard license. If you’re a bit more established, go for the premium license.
“Do I Need Tracked Out Stems?”
Maybe… It purely depends on your needs and situation.
As we’ve already mentioned, tracked-out stems are the building blocks of a track.
Having these stems, gives you the power to reconstruct the track to your taste.
Having the tracked-out stems gives you the flexibility to recreate the track in your own vision.
It also gives your more control over the mixing and mastering process.
I offer you the ability to purchase the tracked-out stems for each beat individually as you need them.
“Great. So, If I Get A License, Can I Upgrade Later?”
This isn’t a common service to be honest.
Many producers will require you to purchase another license if you go over the limitations of the license.
On my site, I allow you to upgrade your license at a discounted rate.
This means you can purchase a Standard Lease and upgrade later if money is tight.
One thing though: upgrading your license doesn't extend your lease length.
“If I Lease A Beat, Do I Have Any Copyright Protection?”
To put it simply, I have the copyright of the original beat. The music still belongs to me…
BUT
You own the copyright to your lyrics, vocals and your additions to the track.
When you record onto a beat that you have purchased from me, you have created a ‘New Song’.
In legal terms, this is called a ‘Derivative Work’. And yes, you do have rights attached to your new derivative work, and these rights protect your work from being stolen. See the image below:
“When I Make A Song, Do I Own It All?”
When it comes down to who owns what… you legally own and control 50% of the ‘Writer’s Share’ of the new song.
I, the producer, will own and control the other 50% of the Writer’s Share.
You don’t own 100% of the rights of the song, just the amount that you have been licensed to based on the terms of the agreement you bought.
It might sound confusing, but basically, you own everything you added to the beat. The ownership of the beats and rights belong to the beat maker/producer. When it comes to the song, this is split 50/50.
“What Happens If I Buy a Non-Exclusive License, And Then Someone Buys The Exclusive License Of The Same Beat?”
The good news is: Nothing!
You are protected by the purchase agreement between you and I.
So, if you bought the non-exclusive license, and then the next day, someone bought the exclusive license, you have nothing to worry about. You can continue to use the beat how you like until the end of your lease term.
Yup, remember that point from earlier? The term of lease is how long you have rights to use the beat.
Just like how you have to ‘renew’ your contract at the gym, with Netflix or with your anti-virus, you also need to renew your lease with the producer to continue using the beat.
In my case, my leases expire after two years. This means, every two years, you will need to renew the lease OR retire the song.
If someone purchases the exclusive rights to a beat, you won’t be able to renew your lease.
This isn’t a situation that artists or producers like to be in. This is one reason why I like to stay in touch with everyone who purchases my beats so I can try and spot potential hits before they happen!
If you have used one of my beats and it’s blowing up, get in touch with me!
“Is It Safe To Buy A Beat Online?”
I can’t speak for everyone because not everyone is honest.
I have actually had a run in with a well-known producer who I would regard as dishonest and
I’ll never deal with them again…
But in terms of me, I take every measure to make it safe and secure for you to purchase from my site.
For One, you’ll notice the secure Website Symbol. This means that your actions on my site are secure.
Next, I’ve made sure that the checkout form is extremely secure. Your payments are processed using secure payment processors (PayPal and Stripe). This ensures that your purchase is secure.
Next – your products.
The beat that your purchase will be instantly delivered to you digitally. After you pay, you’ll be able to download it.
I will produce the license individually and send you that separately within 24 hours.
If you purchase stems, these will be provided within 24 hours of you purchasing them as these need to be sent manually.
If you ever have any concerns about buying beats online, the best thing to do would be to message the producer. If they get back to you in a reasonable time and talk through your issues, you can get a good idea whether to buy from them.
Final Words
I think that just about wraps up the First Time Buyers’ Guide To Buying Beats Online. Hopefully this has given you a good insight into buying beats online.
If you have any more questions about buying beats online, leave a comment below!
If this guide has been helpful, I’d love to hear your feedback!
Finally, if you’re ready to buy some beats, visit my store and let’s make some hits!