How to sell beats
Sell a beat as a lease or an exclusive, with the files and the terms agreed before the buyer pays.
Producers, beatmakers and composers selling instrumentals to artists.
What you can sell
- Tagged MP3 leases
- Untagged WAV leases
- Trackout stems
- Exclusive rights
- Beat packs
- Custom production slots
How you would use Unlockable
- 1
Set the lease terms first: what the artist may do with the beat, how many streams or sales are allowed, and whether the beat stays tagged.
- 2
Upload the tagged MP3 and the untagged WAV as one collection, so one price unlocks the files the buyer actually needs.
- 3
Sell the trackout stems as a higher-priced tier for artists who want to mix the record themselves.
- 4
Price an exclusive separately, and take the beat off sale once the exclusive is bought.
Why it works for beats
A beat is not one product; it is a licence with files attached. The same instrumental can be leased to many artists and sold exclusively once, and the difference between those two sales is the terms, not the audio. Most producers underprice because they treat the beat as a file rather than a right, and then discover that the artist who wanted an exclusive expected the lease buyers to disappear as well.
The files follow the licence. A tagged MP3 is the advertisement; the untagged WAV is what the lease buys; the trackout stems are what an artist needs to mix the record, and they justify the higher tier. Selling the tagged and untagged versions as one collection is simpler than three checkout links, and it matches how an artist actually works: hear it, licence it, then ask for the parts.
The hard part is the agreement. A lease needs to say what the artist may do, how many streams or sales are allowed, whether the beat stays tagged, and what happens if the song succeeds. Get those terms reviewed by someone qualified to advise on music contracts. This page is not a licence and does not draft one; it is the packaging and pricing around a licence you already have.
BeatStars and similar marketplaces provide discovery that a link does not. If nobody knows your name, a marketplace is a shop window; if artists already ask you for beats, a direct link keeps the customer and avoids a marketplace cut. The two are not mutually exclusive: many producers use both, with the marketplace for discovery and the link for artists who already know what they want.
Example products and pricing
Illustrations, not a rate card — you set your own prices, in USD, GBP or EUR.
£20
Tagged MP3 lease
single file
£35
WAV lease + tagged MP3
collection
£250+
Exclusive rights + trackout stems
exclusive
What these sell for: Leases sit at £15–£40, with the untagged WAV and stems at the top. An exclusive is a separate product at £150–£500+, priced on the artist and the song rather than the file.
On a sale our 10% fee covers card processing, and the buyer pays a 10% privacy & security fee on top — so a £20 price pays you £18. See the full split.
How you share it
One link, posted wherever this audience already is. You send it yourself — we do not connect to these accounts or post on your behalf.
Start with the ones that matter for beats
- YouTube
- TikTok
- BeatStars
Everywhere else
- TikTok
- X
- Telegram
- Discord
- Bluesky
- YouTube
Beats questions
What is the difference between a beat lease and an exclusive?
A lease grants limited use to several artists, usually with a stream or sales cap and a tagged file. An exclusive transfers the right to use the beat only to one artist and is priced higher. The exact terms are a contract question, not a file question; have the wording reviewed before you sell either.
What files should I deliver with a beat?
A tagged MP3 for the lease preview, an untagged WAV for the licensed use, and trackout stems for the buyer who wants to mix. The tagged file is the advert, the WAV is the product, and the stems are the premium tier. Put them in one collection so the buyer does not have to work out which link to buy.
How much should I charge for a beat lease?
A working range on this site is £15–£40 for a lease, with the untagged WAV and stems at the top of it. An exclusive is a different product at £150–£500 or more, because the buyer is taking the beat off the market rather than sharing it. Price the rights, not the file size.
Can I sell the same beat to more than one artist?
Under a lease, yes, within whatever limits the lease sets. Under an exclusive, no, once the exclusive is sold. The practical rule is to keep the two offers separate and to state clearly which one a buyer is getting. If the terms are unclear, the dispute is predictable.
Do I need BeatStars to sell beats?
No. A paid link sells a beat directly to an artist who already knows you. BeatStars and similar marketplaces add discovery, which a link does not provide. If you have no audience, the marketplace is doing a job the link cannot; if you do, the link keeps more of the sale and the customer.
How do I stop buyers sharing the beat after they download it?
Nothing stops a determined buyer from copying a file. A link can be capped or set to expire, which limits casual sharing, but it is not DRM. Price for the artists who will licence it properly, and put the value in the stems, the documentation and the terms rather than in the file alone.
Start with one piece of content
Upload it, set a price, share the link. No monthly fee, no membership, nothing to pay until something sells.