What Does It Mean to Lease a Beat? The Complete Leasing Beats Guide For Rap Artists

Creating an album, EP or mixtape doesn't mean you need to hire a producer full-time.

Today, thousands of independent rappers lease beats online as an affordable way to record professional music without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on exclusive production.

But what exactly does it mean to lease a beat?

If you're buying instrumentals for the first time, this guide explains how beat leasing works, what's included in a beat license, how long licenses typically last, and what you should check before releasing your music.

Whether you're recording your first single or preparing a full mixtape, understanding your license can save you from expensive mistakes later.

What Does A Beat Lease Mean?

Leasing beats are similar to renting music from a producer for a certain length of time. You can purchase a lease license from the beat maker. 

This is a much cheaper option of buying beats. It also narrows the risk which most rappers will face when they launch their music career for very the first time.

A beat lease allows you to legally use a producer's instrumental under a specific license agreement.

Instead of purchasing exclusive ownership, you're buying the right to record, distribute and monetise your song according to the terms of that license.

Because the producer retains ownership of the beat, the same instrumental may also be licensed to other artists unless someone later purchases the exclusive rights.

Most rap beat leases will vary in price from $10.00 - $200.00 depending on the lease license. And the prices set by the independent music producer. You should note that each beat lease license has different terms in each lease license. And the way that every beatmaker sells rap instrumentals online is different. This is just a standard guide.

It’s very important that you make sure that you read the lease terms per lease license set by every producer you buy beats lease from.

The drawbacks to leasing hip hop beats is that the producer can continue to lease the same instrumental to multiple hip hop artists. The music producer can also sell the exclusive rights to anyone. 

You will still have your lease rights agreements as the contract will be honoured, but you might never full own the exclusive rights and when your lease agreement is up, you might not be able to continue to monetise the song.

If I Purchase A Lease Does This Mean It Will Have No Tags?

No. Some producers till maintain that the artist still has the tag at the start of the instrumental. Some producers do remove the tag for the artist. At The Corporatethief Beats when an artist purchase a beat all tags are removed from the beat.

What Does Royalty Free Music Mean?

There are normally 4 different types of lease licenses.

I highlight the more common leases that are popular with online beat makers and independent music producers here.

I still recommend that you always speak to the individual producer before you purchase a beat leases from their website.

What Is A Basic Mp3 Beat Lease?

This is lowest beat lease option which usually consists of an untagged MP3 version of the instrumental. Mp3 is usually a lower quality format of music between 224kbps to 320kps.

Some beat makers maintain their production tag at the beginning of the instrumental and require credit back to the beat maker wherever the music is distributed.

The beat is more often than not royalty-free and the artist can monetize the instrumental without having to pay the music producer up to a given limit
As per the basic lease license terms.

This may include distribution rights on sites like Amazon, Itunes, Spotify and music videos. The distribution limits are commonly between 2000 - 5000 streams.

This may also include paid performances where ever the hip hop artist has the opportunity to perform his or her song using the instrumental.

What Is A Premium Wav Beat Lease?

A premium wav beat lease is a higher quality format of the instrumental produced by the music producer. Wav format is a much larger file compared to an MP3 which is the very compressed audio format.

Mp3 was created to help send audio online or store audio without taking up too much space. The mp3 player and the iPod popularize the use of the mp3 due to its convenience for music storage and file transfer.

But with the convenience of Mp3 lead to the loss in music quality. Wav files are much larger and can store more data, which in turn gives more room for higher quality audio.

The main benefits are the higher quality audio and higher distribution limits.

Higher quality Wav files stand out much more clear on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Streaming websites.

So What is The Main Benefit Of Having A Premium Wav Lease?

When music producer sells premium Wav leases they tend to give the Mp3 also just for convenience purposes for the artist to. The final master recording would be carried out on the higher quality have file.

The Wav Premium lease also comes with better lease rights for the artists too. Every producer's lease rights may vary so its always a good idea to speak to the producer before you make any purchase.

Just for argument's sake the Premium Wav lease rights at The Corporatethief Beats website includes one commercial recording, distribution rights up to 5000 copies, 100% royalty free music, 5000 paid performances, the use in 2 music videos the beat is untagged, 7000 audio streams Amazon, Spotify, Itunes and credit must be given to the music producer.

Even if you purchase the Premium Wav lease right the music producer can continue to lease the Instrumental beats to other artists.

What Is A Platinum Tracked Out Stem Lease?

This lease is very popular for well established hip hop artist that have a larger budget to spend on much production. The tracked out stem lease allows the artist to download the Wav file stems used in the creation of the rap instrumental.

What Is A Wav File Stem?

These are the individual files used in the creation of the instrumental. This consists of the Drums, Kick, Snare, Hats, Percs, samples, sfx , synths and instruments used to make the beat. Wav is an uncompressed audio file.

What Are The Benefits Of A Tracked Out Lease?

Most professional hip hop artists like to have more control over the creation process. This tracked out stems allow the artist to manipulate the instrumental to with accordance the specifics of the songs that are written over the instrumental.

It also gives the artist producer or mix engineer more control in the mixing and mastering process of the final recording. By giving the mixing engineer more freedom with the individual stems the music producer can produce a much cleaner higher quality recording for the artist.

What are the price ranges for Platinum Tracked Out Stem Leases?

Most of the time it varies from music producer, but the average price varies from $27 - £200. This includes the MP3, Wav File and Tracked Out Stems.

Platinum Tracked Out Stem Lease Terms.

The more common terms include in the tracked out lease rights agreement includes one commercial recording, distribution rights up to 10000 copies, 100% royalty free music, 10000 paid performances, the use in 2 music videos the beat is untagged, 10000 audio streams Amazon, Spotify, Itunes and credit must be given to the music producer.

Is The Platinum Tracked Out Stem Lease The Same As Exclusive Rights ?

Nope I am afraid not! A tracked out stem lease is not exclusive rights. The producer still maintains ownership of the instrumental and can continue to sell the lease of that instrumental to other rap artists. 

The main differences between tracked out stem leases and the exclusive right is that you still technically renting the instrumental from the music producer. So the producer still has the rights to continue to lease it to other musicians. You do get much better lease rights and distribution right when you purchase a tracked out lease. 

If you purchase Exclusive rights from a music producer, he or she can no longer sell the rights to any other artist. The music producer still maintains the publishing of that instrumental but he or she can no longer profit from the lease of these particular hip hop beats.

What is An Unlimited Beat Lease?

This is the fourth tier in the online beat leasing industry. More of a modern lease license. Again like that of the platinum tracked out lease license it is predominantly popular with record labels, rap artist with large audience and bigger budgets. 

I gives the artist similar freedoms over the control of the instrumental where the artist receives the Mp3, HQ Wav File and The Tracked Out Stems.

The Terms of The Unlimited Lease License?

This varies from producer to producer. Please make sure that you read every word of each producer lease terms before you purchase any beats from any producer online. Don’t assume anything. This is for your own benefit. 

The more common terms include in the tracked out lease rights agreement includes one commercial recording, distribution rights up to Unlimited copies, 100% royalty free music, Unlimited paid performances, the use in Unlimited  music videos the beat is untagged, Unlimited Broadcasting, Unlimited audio streams Amazon, Spotify, Itunes and credit must be given to the  rap music producer.

Is An Unlimited Beat Lease The Same As Exclusive Rights?

Again the answer is no!. An Unlimited Beat Lease is still like renting the instrumental from the music producer but with unlimited distribution rights for a certain period of time. The music producer still can continue to profit from the sale of leases from his or her website.

So What Is An Exclusive Beat License Then? 

Exclusive beat licenses varies from producer to producer. You usually get the Mp3, The HQ Wav file and The Tracked Out Stems.

It comes with one commercial recording, distribution rights up to Unlimited copies, 100% royalty free music, Unlimited paid performances, the use in Unlimited  music videos the beat is untagged, Unlimited Broadcasting, Unlimited audio streams Amazon, Spotify, Itunes and credit must be given to the music producer. 

But it with the added exception that the producer can no longer sell the lease rights to another artist. Most music producers maintain the publishing on Exclusive rights beats. That is over the original instrumental recording. You keep the publishing of your own song.Buying exclusive beats online is a much more expensive route in the music industry for up an coming rap artists. 
 

Exclusive beats are commonly purchased by record labels who negotiate the terms of the Exclusive rights contact with the music producer. Independent rap artist with larger budgets and a bigger audience to monitise can also purchase the exclusive rights license from a music producer.
 

You must have a large audience to even justify paying for exclusive beats. Otherwise you are just wasting your money on something that isn't proven to acquire a good ROI.

So What Are The Main Benefits Of Exclusive Instrumentals?

With the obvious inclusion of Tracked Out Stems and the Unlimited Distribution rights without a time limit {depending from producer to producer} you have the security that your song goes viral the producer can no longer sell the lease rights to any other artist.

What Are The common Prices Of Exclusive Right Beats?

Exclusive instrumentals will vary in price from producer to producer. The standard or average prices for exclusive rap beats online is seem between $50 - $2000. The price will vary due to the popularity of the lease, the promotional value of the beat for the producer.

What Happens Some Buys The Exclusive Beat License To A Beat I Have Purchased A Non Exclusive License Of?

This is a common concern that I hear from hip hop artists that hear online. While most producers continue to honour the original lease license of a beat for the given length of time that lease has been set too.

It's best to make sure that you always read the full terms of the beat lease agreement from every producer that you end up purchasing beats from.

Look for when the lease agreement ends. That being said if you have made a truly amazing song using a producers beat and you have a plan on how to distribute that song with a good ROI plan, it might be time to negotiate a price with music producer for the exclusive rights.

If I Download Free Beats From A Beat Makers Site Is This Considered A Lease?

No! Most music producer offer free downloads on their website to invite new hip hop artists to trail their instrumentals.

The free download are mostly for audition and personal recording. This gives the rap artist the chance to see if he or she can actually write a song to a beat without spending money on instrumentals that they never end up using.

Where Are The Best Sites To Buy Rap Beat Leases?

Alternatively other sites that sell rap or hip hop instrumental beats include Soundclick.com, Beatstarts.com, Airbit.com, TrakTrain.com You also just Google or Youtube independent rap beat makers online and you will find the types of beats you are looking for.

General Advice For Rappers Buying or Leasing Beats Online.

Remember every music producers beat lease terms are different. Read or ask for a copy of the full agreement before purchasing. Don’t assume anything. Some producers name their own type of lease licenses.

Know the difference between beat leasing and exclusive rights. Use the above guide to help you. Just because you paid a producer $200 for a doesn't mean you own the beat.

Don't take unnecessary risks with beats you don't own or if you don't have rights too. Not just for the legal perspective. But for the time that you might waste using beats and instrumentals that might no longer be for sale. 

Can I Monetise My Song On Youtube If I Purchase Beat Lease?

That all depends on the beat lease license set out by the music producer. Some music producers don’t allow it, others will whitelist your youtube channel after you have purchased a beat lease from their website. 

Make Sure You Know Who You Are Buying Beats From? 

A good indicator of a professional music producer is that if he or she has a good online brand or presence. This can be seen with,

1. Their Own Official Website. 

2. A Good Bio or Background On Who This Producer Is.

3. Profile Photos Of Who They Are.

4. Business Or Home Address

5. Contact Details Phone, Email, Social

6. Connect Branded Social Profiles {Not Essential Just Backs Up Legitimacy}

7. Up To Date Social Profiles

8. Production Credits

9. Consistency and Good Communication

10. Accepts Common Payment Methods For Rap Beats With Paypal and Stripe.

11. Testimonials from other artists that have purchased beats from that producer.

Is It Safe To Buy Beats Online?

Any purchase you make online carries some risk. Not every music producer online is legit. Some beat sites don't have contact info or a bio of who of that producer is. 

It's best just follow the above the indicators and do the best research that you can on that producer before buying beats online.

If a producer is using payment tools like Paypal and Stripe its a much safe process for you to get your money back if you feel you have been scammed.

Purchasing beats using credit card is also a good idea as the credit card company will make it their prerogative to help their customers if the feel that they have been a victim of fraud from an online transaction. It's a good rule of thumb to ask for music marketing or music promotion advice to build a relationship with the producer.