A beat lease is a deal between a music producer and an artist, letting the artist use the producer’s beat for a set time and under certain rules. There are two main types of beat leases:
Non-exclusive Lease ( Basic, Premium, Track-outs and Unlimited)
With a non-exclusive lease, multiple artists can use the same beat. It’s cheaper and great for new artists on a budget. The downside? Your song might not be the only one using that beat.
Exclusive Lease
An exclusive lease means you’re the only one who can use that beat. No one else can touch it. This option costs more but gives your track a unique edge.
Key Differences
Price: Non-exclusive leases are cheaper.
Ownership: Non-exclusive beats can be used by many; exclusive beats are just for you.
Flexibility: Non-exclusive leases offer more flexibility
Beat leasing is a concept in music production that allows artists to use instrumental music tracks produced by others for their own projects under specific conditions without owning exclusive rights to the beat. This arrangement benefits both the music producer, who can earn income from a single beat multiple times, and the artist, who can access professionally produced beats at a lower cost compared to purchasing exclusive rights. Here’s a detailed look at how beat leasing works.
Types of Leases: There are typically several types of lease options available, each catering to different needs and budgets of artists:
Basic Lease: This is the most basic and affordable option, granting the artist the right to use the beat for a limited number of commercial recordings or broadcasts. It usually comes with a cap on the number of streams or sales and does not include rights for radio play.
Premium Lease: Offering more flexibility than a standard lease, a premium lease allows for more units to be sold and often includes higher streaming limits. This type of lease might also allow for radio plays and can include the tracked-out stems of the beat for better mixing and mastering control.
Unlimited Lease: As the name suggests, this lease removes the cap on the number of streams and sales. It’s ideal for artists expecting to reach a wide audience and not wanting to worry about exceeding usage limits.
Exclusive Rights: Though technically not a lease, purchasing exclusive rights means the artist buys full ownership of the beat. The producer cannot sell the beat to anyone else after the sale. Exclusive rights are the most expensive and provide the artist with the maximum level of control and legal assurance.
When you purchase an exclusive license from Beat Lease you essentially take over full ownership of that beat. Copyright is transferred to you and all usage restrictions are lifted. This allows you to use the beat in any way you see fit. You will be given a signed 'transfer of ownership' agreement when your order has been checked and accepted. The beat will no longer be available for our customers to lease. Stems (multi-track audio masters) will also be provided in WAVE format.
Really, there is not much you can do with free beats; well, nothing commercial or profitable. Most people tend to use free beats in order to:
Test it out before purchasing
Record vocals and test if the vocal keys match the key of the beat
Record a demo for feedback purposes before purchasing a license for the beat
If you work well within your payment and benefits agreement then you will not be fined or penalized for being a success. Instead, what will happen is you will need to talk and negotiated a deal with the producer.
If the producer still holds the exclusive rights to the beat then you will need to come up with a payment agreement for you to upgrade and buy the exclusive rights to beat. However, if they do not wish to sell their rights, then you will either have to agree on a deal that hashes out sharing and distribution of the profits you make or, unfortunately, take down the track if that is their wish.
When you buy beats, you are guaranteed to enjoy the rights that you received and agreed on upon payment of the beat. Therefore, when someone buys the exclusive rights, it will not immediately affect you.
Where someone buys the exclusive rights to the beat during your term, all it would mean is that you will not be able to renew your license after your term.
No, I do not remove non-exclusive beats from the site. The only way to get the beat removed and call it your own is to buy it exclusively. Prices for exclusive beats range from $199 to $2000 depending on the beat and/or producer. You can request a price from the contact page or go to https://www.flowbeats.co.za and purchase the beats directly.
