Selling beats online is a great way for music producers to make money.

It's relatively inexpensive to get started and if you have a collection of unreleased beats, you're sitting on a goldmine.

The demand for beats online is high and many music producers are making 6 figures every year. However, it can be challenging to break into the market due to the level of competition. But with persistence and effort, you can achieve success.

Here’s our guide to selling beats online in 2023, featuring the best proven strategies and steps you need to take to launch and grow your beat-selling business.

Who am I?

I'm Raspo. I'm a full-time music producer and founder of Smart Producers, that helps music producers succeed in beat-selling business.

I started making beats in high school. It was Summer 2015, and I started on YouTube with 0 views, 0 subscribers, and $0 in revenue. Four long years later, my YouTube channel was at 100,000 subscribers, and I was making 10x more money than the average salary in my country. And now, as of January 2023, my channel has 450 thousand subscribers & 130 million views, and I make over $30,000 each month, with 20-25 hours of effort each week.

If you want to learn how to sell beats online and grow your Youtube channel from 0 to 100,000+ subscribers and transform it into a sustainable, beat-selling machine click HERE.

Beats and audio formats

Having a variety of beats in your catalog is essential if you want to start a successful business selling beats. If you don't have many beats, make sure to create a diverse collection before launching your beat-selling business.

Exporting your beats into different audio formats is also important, as different licenses can be sold at different prices. Think of it like offering different pricing plans.

Here are some of the audio formats that I suggest using:

• MP3 with beat tags (128kbps)
• MP3 without beat tags (320kbps)
• WAV format (24 bit – 44.1kHz)
• Tracked Out files in WAV format (24 bit – 44,1kHz )

By offering different audio formats, you provide more options for customers and can increase your revenue.

Ensure your beats are high quality

You want to make sure that when someone purchases your beat, they have the potential to turn it into a hit song right away. That means that you need to make high quality beats first before you sell them.

Beats need to be:

• High-quality, professionally-mixed recordings with no rough spots.
• All music and sound elements meet your quality standards.
• Available in multiple formats, such as lower- and higher-quality mp3 and wav files, with no encoding issues that would prevent them from working on various devices.
• Tested on various audio systems to ensure they sound great everywhere.
• Fully mixed and ready for immediate use, requiring no additional work before being incorporated into a song.

Add beat tags to your beats

Beat tags are short audio clips that producers use to identify their work. They are often heard at the beginning of songs.

There are two main reasons for a producer to include beat tags on their music:

1. Branding: To let people know that you're the beat maker, and
2. Security: To prevent others from stealing your music and using it without permission.

By using beat tags, you are able to establish your brand and protect your work.

Beat licensing explained

When it comes to licensing beats, there are two options to choose from: non-exclusive and exclusive.

With non-exclusive licenses, you can offer different options at different price points, like a Basic license, a Premium license, and an Unlimited license.

The Basic license would be the most affordable and the Unlimited license would be the most expensive. The cost of the license is determined by the user rights and the quality of the audio files that come with it.

With non-exclusive licenses, you can sell to an unlimited number of artists, but with an exclusive license, you can only sell to one person.

When you upload a beat to your beat store, people can buy non-exclusive licenses instantly, but for exclusive licenses, it's common to negotiate the price beforehand.

Once an exclusive license is sold, the beat is usually marked as 'SOLD' or removed from the store. And if a beat has already been licensed before the exclusive rights were sold, the previous license holders can still use the beat for the duration of their license.

Pricing your beats

When determining the price for your beats, it's important to find the right balance.

A good starting point is to charge around the average price for a non-exclusive licenses in mp3 format, which is typically around $20 to $30.

However, it's important to keep in mind that if you charge too low, it could devalue your beats and if you charge too high, you want to make sure that your beats are worth it.

As you gain more experience as a producer and build your reputation, you can consider charging more for exclusive rights to your beats and custom beats.

Additionally, it's good practice to regularly test different prices to see if you make more sales with lower or higher prices.

Beatstore providers

With the rise of the internet, there are now several websites that allow music producers to sell their beats directly to artists.

Here's an example of Raspo's website that uses Beatstars for selling beats.

Here's the list of best websites for selling beats online:

Beatstars

This platform boasts a community of over 800,000 registered users and allows producers to sell their beats on a non-exclusive or exclusive basis. BeatStars offers a variety of pricing options, including leasing and custom beat production. Additionally, the website offers a built-in beat player, a simple checkout process, and a user-friendly interface.

Airbit

This website is a popular choice among producers looking to sell their beats on a non-exclusive basis. Airbit offers a variety of pricing options, including leasing and exclusive rights. Additionally, the website allows producers to sell their beats in multiple formats, including MP3 and WAV.

Traktrain

This platform is unique in that it focuses on a specific genre of music, hip-hop. Traktrain offers a variety of pricing options and allows producers to sell their beats on a non-exclusive or exclusive basis. Additionally, the website offers a built-in beat player and a user-friendly interface.

When choosing a website to sell your beats on, it's important to consider factors such as pricing options, community size, and user-friendliness. Each of these websites offers unique features and caters to different types of producers. Ultimately, the website you choose will depend on your individual needs and preferences.

Selling beats on Youtube

When it comes to selling your beats through YouTube, having a large number of views on your channel is crucial. But it's not just about the views, having good engagement on your videos, like likes, shares, and comments, is equally important.

YouTube's algorithm pays attention to how engaging a video is and if it sees that a video has a good level of engagement, it will be more likely to recommend it to others.

So, if you want to sell your beats on YouTube, focus on building a strong audience and engage with them through your videos.

Keyword optimatization

Optimizing your beat videos for search engines is crucial for reaching a wider audience. One of the best ways to do this is by conducting keyword research. This means using tools that help you find the most commonly searched terms related to beats on platforms like YouTube and Google.

When choosing keywords, it's important to think beyond generic terms and focus on the specific types of beats you produce. For example, if you specialize in creating beats that are similar to those of a particular artist like Drake or 21 Savage, then including that artist's name in your video's title can be a great way to increase visibility.

There are many tools available that can help you identify which artists are currently trending in your region when it comes to beats. By conducting keyword research and being mindful of the specific types of beats you produce, you can make sure that your videos are appearing in search results for the right keywords and reaching your target audience.

Use type beats to sell beats on Youtube

When using a keyword like "Drake type beats", it's important to keep in mind that having a large quantity of relevant content on your channel will give you an advantage over those who only have a few beats. YouTube tends to favor channels with a good amount of relevant content, rather than those with limited content.

It's true that YouTube's algorithm can be complex and not always predictable. However, if YouTube sees that a user has listened to one of your beats, they are more likely to suggest more of your work to them in the future. This is why it's important to have a good quantity of relevant content on your channel.

Thumbnails

When it comes to promoting your beats on YouTube, thumbnails play a crucial role in attracting viewers. Even if your videos are well-optimized and being recommended to the right audience, you may still struggle to get clicks if your thumbnails aren't engaging.

Think of a thumbnail as a small preview of your video that can be used to spark curiosity and interest in your content. By creating a compelling thumbnail that accurately represents the video, you can increase the chances of someone clicking on your video and watching it.

If you're not sure where to start with creating thumbnails, consider looking at which ones have performed well in the past. Use them as a reference and try to create similar thumbnails for your future videos.

Titles and Descriptions

If you're looking to sell beats on YouTube, one of the most important things you can do is optimize your video's title and description. By doing extensive keyword research, you can figure out which keywords will help your video reach a wider audience.

Once you know which keywords to use, make sure to include them in your title, description, and tags. This will help YouTube understand what your video is about and rank it accordingly.

The description should also include your targeted keywords. However, don't feel like you have to repeat the same keyword over and over again. Instead, try using alternative phrases or synonyms.

Ultimately, the key is to be specific and use keywords in a way that makes sense for your video and will be engaging for viewers. By doing this, you'll be able to optimize your video for the best possible performance on YouTube.

Selling beats with email marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool for any music producer looking to sell beats. With email marketing, you can directly reach potential customers, establish a relationship with them, and promote your beats in a personalized way.

Here are some steps you can take to start using email marketing to sell your beats

Build an email list

The first step in email marketing is to build a list of people who have shown an interest in your beats. You can do this by having a sign-up form on your website or social media accounts, offering a free beat in exchange for an email address.

Create an email campaign

Once you have a list of people who are interested in your beats, you can start creating email campaigns to promote them. You can use email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or GetResponse to create and send your emails.

Personalize your emails

Personalization is key when it comes to email marketing. You can personalize your emails by using the recipient's name, segmenting your list based on their interests, and tailoring your message to their specific needs. This will increase the chances of them opening and engaging with your emails.

Use attractive subject lines

The subject line is the first thing your recipients will see, so it's important to make it eye-catching and relevant. Use action-oriented words, emojis, and numbers to grab their attention.

Include a call-to-action (CTA)

Every email should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells the recipient what you want them to do next. This could be to visit your website, listen to your beats on Soundcloud, or make a purchase

Optimize for mobile

More and more people are checking their emails on their mobile devices. So make sure that your emails are optimized for mobile viewing by using a responsive design.

Track your results

To know if your email campaigns are working, you should track your results. Use tools like Google Analytics to track your email campaigns' open and click-through rates, bounce rate, and conversion rate.

Follow up

Follow up with your email list regularly, keep them engaged and interested in your beats, and make sure to offer them exclusive deals or freebies occasionally.

Final word

In conclusion, selling beats online in 2023 requires a combination of different strategies and tactics. From optimizing your videos for YouTube, to promoting your beats on social media, to utilizing email marketing, there are many ways to reach potential customers and increase your sales.

It's important to remember that the music industry is constantly changing, so it's crucial to stay up to date with the latest trends and strategies. Experiment with different methods and track your results to see what works best for you.

Most importantly, stay consistent and keep creating high-quality beats that stand out from the competition. With the right approach, you can successfully sell your beats online and build a successful career as a music producer.

Before you leave...

Make sure to check my ebook where I share all details about how I made over $500,000 selling beats online.

You can check it out my clicking HERE.

- Raspo