Selling Beats

[tone_aot]

Whasup folks. I'm new to this site but i wanted to ask what everyone thinks about selling beats. I've been a musician since the age of three so i know music. I started making rap beats at about 10 on a yamaha psr 520. Now i'm 20 and i've made countless amounts of beats. I've been trying to find a new job that pays good money but it's hard. I'm working at chic-fil-a and i just decided to increase my hours and sell beats on the side until i can find a better job. I have a page on soundclick but in my year on the site i've only sold beats one time. I'm afraid of posting my best beats on soundclick because i know someone will jack them through recording the high stream or either make something similar. My page is www.soundclick.com/tonejonez if anyone would like to hear anything. I need some suggestions on how to get my beats out there to potential buyers and possibly make $100-$600 a beat. I would appreciate the help.

[ethos]

vocal tags. that should clear up people recording the hi straem.
as for people stealing ideas... theres no way around it. its part of the territory.

[gullyjewelz]

honestly there is nothing u can do to stop a thief - except copyright your shit the right way - 30 bucks for a compilation . . . .

as far as gettin beats out there, sometime u gotta give a few freebies (thats my belief) otehrs will tell you not to do it - its really all up to u . . . u also gotta GO WHERE THE EM CEES ARE . . . a lot of times, a gang of producers are not really gonna be willin to pay for a beat . . . thats what they do themselves

u might wanna start your own production company, and work with otgher em cees - or get with some one . . . like "me" who is tryin to do the same thing and work out some deal . . . its all about networkin
--no magic pills
--no one right, perfect way

hell u can always give gullyjewelz a beat and recieve credit on whatever site, or cd he ends up puttin out . . . i peeped your tracks u got quite a few nice joints up there too see for instance, im workin on a compilation. i hope to get it pushed out like a child from teh woumb--so errbody know about it. . . . . holla

[bknot1]

the only way to protect yourself is to copyright your beats toe right way http://copyright.gov you can voice tag all you want if they want to it they can just redo the beat...

back to your question.. Getting beats out there...If you find a hot artist give him some few beats to use..do not just give them away..but let him use it for demos, mixtapes, anything except commerical releases unless you gettin some money on the back end..this way you get you name out there and business thrown your way..you gotta give a little to recieve alot..look for local artist that tryin to do talent shows and get them to do something over one of your tracks..hit up the DJs(since you in SC to use your tracks as backing tracks inbetween their mixes or when the talkin on the mic) just network and dont be afraid to hook up a hot artist with a track to get credit...



welcom to the HR.com Fam..stay up..and stay active posting..

[Fieva]

Yeah if someone wants your beat bad enough they'll find a way to get it. Kind of like software, you know you can make the best shit but you know once it leaks to the public, it's gonna wind up on p2p networks.

What I do is I only give you part of the track. Now if you wanted it that bad, you could record the track and then loop it, but who's gonna go through the trouble (and work) of doing all that when you can get someone else's beat for free in mere seconds. I don't do the whole vocal tag thing since I don't put out full beats...just the intro, 1st verse, and the hook. Then I fade it out at the 2nd verse.

I can't argue with the free beat, it's like crack. You give them a little taste for free and when they come back, hit their pockets up.

Fie.

[tone_aot]

I didn't think about givin away free beats to get business. That's a good idea. Does anybody here make money on the internet sellin beats?

[peritus]

I can relate to the original poster... However I'm so sick of worrying about getting paid before dropping beats. It has kept me from making any new ones. I say, getting my stuff out there is the ABSOLUTE MAIN ISSUE for now. I've changed my attitude and I'm gonna let people holla back on their own time. Plus if I make 10 hot beats and people copy em, I can always make 10 more to lure them back to me (until someone notices and hires me for pay)... How else can I get exposure in the 'burbs???

My Stuff

[Murdock Jones]

Get a manager

[Artikulate]

As an emcee and a producer I would recommend just putting vocal tags over the beats. I want beats bad but I wouldn't remake the beat or anything that extreme. I wouldn't even record a hi-stream of someone's beat if I wanted it bad.

[gullyjewelz]

Honestly. The Best Thing To Do (i Think) Is A Few Choice Em Cees For "back End" Money Nad Up Front Credit . . . Have It So They Gotta Shout Out Ya Name In Teh Song Somewhere Too (or Your Website) . . . . Then Whenever They Put Out That "beat" Wit Them On It, People Find Out About U Too !!! --

I Know For Me - I Have Had Radio Station Dj's Play Myb Song When They Were Doing "local Talent" Nights - But The Beat Maker Got Called [on The Low] By The Damm Radio Dj Sayin . . . "how Much?"

[BeatsBuY]

I look at it this way. COPYRIGHT and PUBLISH your songs. If someone takes your beat, GREAT. What I mean by this is: They are giving you promotion. And you can take them to court. They will make you money cause they used your beat without asking. One time, I heard my beat on the radio from a project I did. I didn't give them premission. I called them up and they gave me free promotion to even things out. And remember, do what's right. If you want to use something on the web what ever it is: Always ask the person who made it. Normally, they will say you can use it. But, if you don't ask, your gonna have some problems if they come accross it.

[FREEZYSHOP]

yea... you got some decent tracks... you just gotta network...

[tone_aot]

Thanks. Does anybody know of any beat selling websites that have alot of people buying? I'm on soundclick but nobody is buying right now.

[Fieva]

Soundclick is too infested with free beats and beat jackers to sell good. Don't use that to sell....use it to store your beats and have potential buyers go there for tracks.

You wanna sell beats, start out locally first. Folks are more likely to buy from you if they can put a face and a presence behind what they buyin'. If your product is good and you can make a little money on the locals, try hitting up chat rooms and sites like myspace and shit looking for people who might like your beats. Just remember just like any other kind of sales related material, it's a numbers game and you're gonna find a lot of people not buying before you find the ones who do. That's real.

But just remember if you hold your own, the ones who do buy from you will know that you're handlin' yours on the professional and won't feel like they're paying for bullshit do they're more likely to continue to do business with you or help promote you in exchange for a free beat or two every now and then.

[bknot1]

alot of the beat boker site take a certain % of your price...like if you sell the beat for 100$ the get 40$

plus sellin beats on the net is not the fastest way to seel track you need to network locally their where most of your money will come from..the net you always find most of the time young kids wanting to just hear theirself over a beat and wont pay what you want..unless you find someone serious about what they want..

just something to think about..

[tone_aot]

Thank you. I know a couple of local cats who wanna rap, but they can't rap. I know yall have went through this. They bug me all the time about beats but they have no money, no talent. How do yall deal wit these cats? Another reason why it's going to be kind of hard for me to sell beats is because of my policy. In my contract, i state that their lyrics cannot contain any vulgar language or reference to sexual things. I'm trying to start a christian rap movement but nobody is feelin it. I ain't hatin on mainstream rap. I'm just sayin there's enough violence goin on today on the news that i don't want to hear about in music too. Feel me?

[bknot1]

you as being toe producer need to work with them to make they a desent rapper to make you tracks sound even hotter..you can work with them to get them to rap exactly how you want them too..make to better..that is what a producer does..

Your contract is limiting and it will steer artist away that might feel that what they use to express their point..its ok to do the christian movement thing..but to list that in a contract and get someone thats not into christian rap..is hard for them to do..

but if you goin to stick by your guns...hit up the christian rappers on soundclick message board to get them to peep your tracks..and you will be able to network with some of them..

good luck

[tone_aot]

I appreciate the help. Thanks!

[BeatsBuY]

Ya, sell beats locally. Selling beats on websites is not 100%. Of course post your beats, but most of your sells will be when you talk with artists...

[tone_aot]

Hear is a song from a beat these cats bought from me last year. I just heard the track like last week. The beat on this link and the beats on my page are no where near my best tracks and are old but tell me what you think.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/song...songID=2649835

[peritus]

Originally Posted by tone_aot

Hear is a song from a beat these cats bought from me last year. I just heard the track like last week. The beat on this link and the beats on my page are no where near my best tracks and are old but tell me what you think.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/song...songID=2649835

Sounds cool to me... Could use some mastering but like you said it's old...

Those vocals are pretty good too... Good job with the beat man!

Digging the caddy pic on your site too... Eldorado... circa 1979-1985?

Check my link to see my Riviera (same body style)

My Blog

[tone_aot]

Thanks for the compliment on the beat man but that's not my car or my site That's the dudes site who bought the beat from me. I got my site as my signature if u wanna hear some of my beats. The beats are old tho.

[ofirdearie]

that beat sounds damn good to me