selling beats

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Dj17

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the city where i live is not producing a lot of hip hop artists, so there are many limits when you're looking for a record deal. this company got really interested in the beats i make. they'd be willing to work with me. i gave them a sample of my work (about 11 beats) and after 2 weeks, they tell me each beat has already got at least 1 client who'd be ready to buy it (to make demos, shows, things like that). they say they'd be selling them for like... 120$. from that, i'd get 20%. should i be glad or should i feel ripped off? i mean, i'm really not in it for the money right now but making 264$ out of 1320$... :) i'm not working a lot at the moment and seeing about a thousand bucks slip like that when i gotta buy a new soundcard and a new comp... they say i still keep royalties for writing the beat, and if the song ever makes it (which i doubt will happen but still...). now i probably wouldn've had the idea to sell my beats anyway, so making 20% is better than nothing. all i know is that i don't understand anything about all this stuff, it's really my first time around, and if anyone knows how those things usually work (or if they know a link explaining it), i'd be glad to read it. :)

thnx a lot
 
Hold out for a higher percentage. That's what I'd do... never accept what they first offer you cos just like anyone they want the bling blaow...

Come back with a much higher percentage offer, and then compromise... I'd say that you would be more happy with something around the 60% margin and then don't go lower than 40-50%

just some thoughts
 
from a lyricists stand point.....sellin for the very first time......i'd be glad someone is interested enough to buy the material. like you said it's only a demo......let it go for that price..gotta get your stuff heard before you can start commanding prices.
like me.....i made a 7 track demo of rhymes over local guys beats....made 200 of them and GAVE them away outside shows and at parties. when you are startin out you gotta get heard by as many people as you can.
 
You should not feel like you are getting ripped... you should feel like you are getting Fu**ed with no vaseline. You are getting 20% of your own work. Why cant you go out and get your own clients. They could be just buying your beats from you and selling them out of their own studio on a non exclusive basis. Which means you are getting 264 one time but they keep selling your beats over and over to different artist for demo. If anything a 50/50 deal at worst case. I mean you are providing the beats and they are providing the contacts thats a equal deal. Now if they want to reimburse you for your over head being your equioment then 20% + equipment is a great deal. Look at it this way you can market your own music the right way and eventually build a client base but they cant approach a client base without music. Knowing Who they are would help. I mean are they a studio or a local production company. From what i have seen there is no usual you do what works for you but ask yourself if you payed for a whole pizza and they only delivered 2 slices would you be happy with that.
 
I have to agree with soundboy...

It's an illusion that the music business is unapproachable to an artist. People like the company you're dealing with are the ones I suspect are guilty of maintaining that illusion, because without it they'd be out of business. If you put the time in, you should be able to track down your own clients, or at least somone who's going to give you a bigger cut.

However, we all have rent to pay and whether or not to accept the offer on the table depends on a few other details. Are they buying the rights to your beats? If so then I think the offer is a joke. If they're just buying a single or limited use license, the price doesn't sound so horrendous. Another question is how much time you put into the beats. If you can churn good beats out quickly and effortlessly, then there's no need to worry about holding out for the best possible offer.

I know I just contradicted myself...guess there's a lot to consider.

Peter
 
who r they

Can I get the address to this company? I'd like to send them some of my stuff. I have an atorney/ manager lined-up to negotiate for me. I'll try to get a better percentage but. If not I'll take what the give me for now
 
Yo...

We have a website up for indy producers who want another outlet to sell exclusive beats... Slapshack.com

Our site is still constructing the business model for pricing, but we can guarantee much more profit directed to the producer our cap will be at 15-20% on online purchases. This covers the sites expenses and offers the producer a nice chunk of the sale..... We will offer promotion, design, online storage, personalized email, and much more..

Check it out..
 
u should be getting either a heft amount from a label or lease them it.. Think of it this way, theres a cat around here that will sell me a beat for 150.00.. if a label seems interested in that same exact beat, he wont sell it to them for any less then 1100-1500.00 depending on how hes feeling.. Labels even indy labels have the money to pay for it... Just how good you are and how good of a thinker you are..
 
whoaaa... sorry... hadn't seen all these posts. i haven't been really disciplined these days :).

to sypher - i actually give them away to friends and unsigned mc's who want to practice and eventually get serious. but like I said, where I live it's not like there's a (good) rapper every street corner, so I had to get some promotion somehow.

to soundboy - anyway i look at it, 20%'s not enough. but you are right that i should consider this... they are helping me on mixing and mastering (since I got very few skills for it), and they let me use their equipement whenever I want (I didn't make the beats with it, but once I'm in I can use it). but when i think about it, they are selling the beats as they were when they first heard it. soooo... i'm still not sure on what i'll do. and about if i have any beats up online, not yet... never really felt the need, but once they done the websites reconstruction, there should be some up. i might get something on soundclick like everyone else here, if it takes too much time.

to leavings - well... compared to their other beatmakers, i take way less time to produce them, and i have LOTS of them. but i mean... since i'm producing so much, i work a lot too, so i'd like to get my share... for the limited license thing, i think i'm keeping the rights. they'll be selling the beats just for an artist can use it on a demo, or rapping on it in shows i think. if it gets any further, i get more money. at least that's what they explained to me (or maybe what i understood). i'm sorta young... not very used to this whole thing i guess... whenever i hear about it, it just sounds like everyone's steal whatever they can :).

to alphadelta - i don't think it'd be of any help... their field doesn't as far as detroit... they're rather centered in montreal and eastern canada. they're planning tours outside, but i bet it's gonna take a while.

to thirst - that'd be one of my problems... i'm not sure how good i am :) - but they seem to like it. at least, every mc who comes around (signed and unsigned ones alike) just enjoys them. like i said, all of the beats i got there already have a buyer. they just waiting for me to sign up. just thinking about that though, sort of makes me feel like i shouldn't worry about asking for a little raise :). i'll get some beats online someday, so yall can give your opinion on this.
 
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