This article was sparked by a message I received on the Smart Rapper YouTube.
Alibi wanted to know what he is supposed to get when he buys an exclusive beat so I’m going to go over the list of what you SHOULD receive to be safe.
I’m also going to go through the entire process of making a deal to purchasing and receiving the files.
He was asking how he can feel safer when buying a beat. Realistically, only buy a beat from someone who looks like they have a solid storefront.
If they are making beats, they ARE selling them. If you give them money, chances are they are going to give you the beat because you may potentially buy more.
The One Beat Maker That Stole From Me
I personally paid Lexi Banks Beats a few years back for a beat track out and NEVER RECEIVED MY FILES.
I E-mailed for months with no response. The only reason I never got mad was because I ended up using the beat without the track out and figured I’d just keep the same rights the track out came with.
Lexi Banks is a super established producer and I don’t think she was ignoring me it’s just sometimes e-mails slip through the cracks. If I cared THAT MUCH, I would have contacted her in other places than just e-mail.
I say all of this because, mistakes happen and people take time to send the beats.
Most beat makers set up their beat stores to be as automated as possible so that they don’t have to spend time doing anything.
That automation sometimes gets caught up and you have to go hunt them down. It happens. But you can deal with it.
If you want to know more about the rights to using beats, here a few articles you can open now to check out next.
- How using free beats for your mixtape works. Are you allowed to use them?
- Different types of beat leases and ownership. What do they all mean?
- Proof not buying a beat lease can screw you over.
1) You contact the beat maker to get a good deal on the beat
2) You buy the beat after you have a good deal made with him/her
3) You sign the contract for the beat
If you just bought a beat online and plan on selling a bunch of units with it, I HIGHLY recommend you get a contract showing you paid for it.
If you don’t, there is only a paper trail of you paying it but unfortunately, there is no proof of what you paying for it means.
What are the rights you are paying for?
A professional beat maker will send you a contract for an ‘Unlimited’ or ‘Exclusive Ownership’ purchase.
They should send you something like this. You open the link and then you digitally sign you REAL NAME not your artist name.
4) You receive a finished version of the contract for the beat
Then you should be sent a version of the contract.
Here, a finished version of the contract signed was sent immediately after I digitally signed it.
5) You review your contract to make sure everything looks good
After you read it, copy the file, paste it and then store it in a few places.
I store it on back up drives and I also store a copy of the contract in the file of the song I’m making with it.
Here is proof of the digital sign that he also sent with the beat.
5) You Receive Your Beat Files To Download
6) The Files You Should Receive When You Buy A Beat
1) Contract
2) ZIP File containing:
The beat track out (every instrument that makes up the beat)
Master MP3
Master WAV
I hope that helped you understand what you SHOULD receive so no beat makers try to screw you when you are paying good money for rap beats.
I have more information on beats and stuff you can check out below.
If you want to know more about the rights to using beats, here a few articles you can open now to check out next.
- How using free beats for your mixtape works. Are you allowed to use them?
- Different types of beat leases and ownership. What do they all mean?
- Proof not buying a beat lease can screw you over.
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