If you've never actually sold a beat, but want to, this article is for you. In it, I'm going to break down the 4 main reasons for your lack of success and the steps you can take to overcome them.
Let's get right to it. As I said, there are four main reasons why you haven't been able to sell a beat:
1. Your beats aren't good enough.
This one is tough to swallow but it's real for a lot of aspiring producers. You need a certain skill level if you expect people to pay to use your music. While there is a strong market for beats made by amateurs, the beat still has to be hot. Bottom line, nobody buys garbage beats.
Now what can you do about it? Three things: practice, get feedback, and practice some more. You can't just make beats in your studio and keep them on your hard drive. Hit the forums like futureproducers.com or others and ask for feedback on your beats. Take that feedback and practice some more.
Compare your mixes to pro beats in your genre and don't stop this cycle to the feedback from people you don't know is positive. That's the true test.
2. You are not pitching your beats to the right buyers.
If you're trying to get your first sale by pitching to major label artists, you're not pitching to the right buyers. Unless you already have major label connections, getting a major label placement without ever having sold a beat is like hitting the lottery.
Instead of pitching to majors right at the start, understand that there are much better ways for you to get your first beat sold. Work the unsigned market. Build your clientele and body of work before moving up from there.
3. Your prices are too high or to low.
For an unproven producer, beats sell (or get licensed) for $25 to $250 in the unsigned/independent market. There are exceptions to these numbers but on average, that's what you can expect.
To fix this problem, study the market on the beat sites like soundclick.com to compare your product and pricing strategy to the competition. If the sound and price are right and you pitch to enough potential customers, it's simply a matter of time before you make your first sale.
4. You don't have your business in order.
By this I mean you don't have answers to the questions artists or collaborators will ask about copyright, contracts, royalties, publishing, etc. In most cases, artists look to you, the producer, to be the expert on all the legal details.
If you don't know the answers to who owns what and what if this or that happens, then some people will not do business with you for fear of getting ripped off.
Take care of this issue BEFORE it causes your any real problems. Learn how money is made and paid to producers and artists before engaging in the business of selling beats. On this point, you can't cut corners. If you're not willing to run your business, someone else will - to their advantage.
Work through these for main obstacles, do some smart marketing, and you will get paid for your beats.
Let's get right to it. As I said, there are four main reasons why you haven't been able to sell a beat:
1. Your beats aren't good enough.
This one is tough to swallow but it's real for a lot of aspiring producers. You need a certain skill level if you expect people to pay to use your music. While there is a strong market for beats made by amateurs, the beat still has to be hot. Bottom line, nobody buys garbage beats.
Now what can you do about it? Three things: practice, get feedback, and practice some more. You can't just make beats in your studio and keep them on your hard drive. Hit the forums like futureproducers.com or others and ask for feedback on your beats. Take that feedback and practice some more.
Compare your mixes to pro beats in your genre and don't stop this cycle to the feedback from people you don't know is positive. That's the true test.
2. You are not pitching your beats to the right buyers.
If you're trying to get your first sale by pitching to major label artists, you're not pitching to the right buyers. Unless you already have major label connections, getting a major label placement without ever having sold a beat is like hitting the lottery.
Instead of pitching to majors right at the start, understand that there are much better ways for you to get your first beat sold. Work the unsigned market. Build your clientele and body of work before moving up from there.
3. Your prices are too high or to low.
For an unproven producer, beats sell (or get licensed) for $25 to $250 in the unsigned/independent market. There are exceptions to these numbers but on average, that's what you can expect.
To fix this problem, study the market on the beat sites like soundclick.com to compare your product and pricing strategy to the competition. If the sound and price are right and you pitch to enough potential customers, it's simply a matter of time before you make your first sale.
4. You don't have your business in order.
By this I mean you don't have answers to the questions artists or collaborators will ask about copyright, contracts, royalties, publishing, etc. In most cases, artists look to you, the producer, to be the expert on all the legal details.
If you don't know the answers to who owns what and what if this or that happens, then some people will not do business with you for fear of getting ripped off.
Take care of this issue BEFORE it causes your any real problems. Learn how money is made and paid to producers and artists before engaging in the business of selling beats. On this point, you can't cut corners. If you're not willing to run your business, someone else will - to their advantage.
Work through these for main obstacles, do some smart marketing, and you will get paid for your beats.
A. Zar is a producer, songwriter, and author of How To Sell Beats: The Underground Beat Sellers Report.
For more business tips, opportunities, and resources for beat makers, visit http://TheBeatBusiness.com
For more business tips, opportunities, and resources for beat makers, visit http://TheBeatBusiness.com
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