How to sell music beats

You are no doubt capable of commercializing your music beats as this sector of the music industry is gaining momentum. The market is replete with examples of successful businesses that have managed to make a name for themselves by offering quality bits for a variety of needs. Running a business on the Internet related to the sale of beats opens up broad horizons for generating income through advertising, content makers and others in the search for unique music tracks.

The main problem for many is understanding the mechanisms for promoting and implementing their work. In a world where there are countless different stimuli vying for your audience’s attention, it is critical to develop an effective marketing strategy and identify the most suitable platforms for your sales.

1. Your own website

Social media platforms can come and go, search engine algorithms are subject to change, and legislation may impose restrictions on access to certain web resources… However, having your own website allows you to minimize these risks and guarantees the constant availability of an up-to-date Internet space where you can attract potential clients and buyers. Moreover, it gives you absolute control over your resource.

Not only does your website build trust in your brand, but it also highlights your professionalism. Investing in your brand can lead to a loyal customer base. It’s important to actively collect your visitors’ contact information by offering them something of value (such as discounts) in exchange, because in the long run, your email subscriber list becomes a key resource for growing your business.

Plus, by selling beats directly through your website, you eliminate the need to pay commissions and can set your own prices, something you can’t achieve by working through third-party platforms.

2. Airbit

With superior beat search functionality and recognition from reputable publications such as Forbes and CNBC, Airbit is often cited as one of the top marketplaces for selling music beats online. It’s completely free to register to sell on Airbit, which is a great way to test your compatibility with the platform. However, it is worth considering that the initial tariff plan provides the ability to upload only up to 10 bits to the market.

With an audience of over 800,000 users and over two million beats sold to their credit, producers on Airbit have collectively earned over $45 million. To achieve the best results on Airbit, it is important to actively use the platform, regularly update it with fresh content, establish business connections and effectively promote your creations.

3. YouTube

By finding the right target audience, YouTube can offer you significant success in a relatively short time compared to other social networks or video hosting sites. About competition – if you have just started and your content is not resonating with viewers, then even 5-50 views on a video may seem like luck. This may be enough to attract the occasional buyer, but it is clearly not enough to achieve meaningful attention.

However, by finding a unique voice, style, and content focus, you can steadily grow your channel. A skilled beat producer understands the importance of developing a compelling concept for their channel. Here are some content suggestions that may help you get started:

• Share your favorite beats;
• Show how you create a beat;
• Discuss your preferred recording equipment, digital audio workstations, VST plugins, MIDI packages, etc.;
• Tell us about the musicians who inspire you or have influenced your work;
• Create a beat in collaboration and capture the entire process.

4. Twitter

Twitter seems to be somewhat behind in the social media competition, but even though its audience is smaller compared to other well-known platforms, its users are highly loyal. Even for accounts without history, each of your tweets has a chance to be seen by hundreds, or even thousands of people at once.

This doesn’t mean that every tweet will automatically generate business value. However, this opens up opportunities to increase the visibility of your beats in the public space. By creating content for YouTube, for example, you get a chance to republish it on Twitter, thereby attracting interested users. In addition, Twitter provides a unique opportunity to keep in touch with potential partners and clients on a regular basis.

5. Beatstars

Twitter seems to be somewhat behind in the social media competition, but even though its audience is smaller compared to other well-known platforms, its users are highly loyal. Even for accounts without history, each of your tweets has a chance to be seen by hundreds, or even thousands of people at once.

This doesn’t mean that every tweet will automatically generate business value. However, this opens up opportunities to increase the visibility of your beats in the public space. By creating content for YouTube, for example, you get a chance to republish it on Twitter, thereby attracting interested users. In addition, Twitter provides a unique opportunity to keep in touch with potential partners and clients on a regular basis.

6. Airbit

Platforms like Airbit serve as a bridge between music producers and buyers, providing a wide range of catalogs and opportunities for licensing music tracks. This makes it an ideal environment for collaborations with artists to create musical hits. On Airbit, producers can not only develop beats for various projects, but also interact with other musicians and recognized professionals in the industry. A $7.99 Airbit subscription allows you to download and sell an unlimited number of beats and audio packs.

Like BeatStars, the free Airbit account offers the ability to host up to 10 tracks. Depending on the type of deal, sellers face commissions ranging from 30% to 40% when selling their beats through the platform.

7. Audiojungle

Audiojungle’s operating model provides a rich selection of free music and paid audio tracks available for customers to purchase. This platform is a great choice for those looking for an easy and fast way to sell their music beats online. On Audiojungle, producers have the opportunity to offer beats from a variety of genres and emotional tones, with the platform particularly focused on commercializing instrumentals that can find their way across a wide range of clients.

8. Premiumbeat

Premiumbeat provides customers with a curated selection of royalty-free music and sound effects for their projects. Those searching for music beats online can conveniently filter offerings by genre and mood, and select the desired audio format to best suit their requirements.

9. Audiodraft

Audiodraft differentiates itself in the market by offering high-quality beats for companies that want to develop a unique audio identity using a hybrid approach incorporating both human perception and AI analytics. The platform allows brands to efficiently curate sounds that suit their unique requirements, while music producers have the ability to create and offer custom beats.

10. Traktrain

For music producers looking to sell beats in specific genres such as hip-hop, pop, EDM and others, the Traktrain platform is a great choice. Traktrain allows producers to post their beats for further use on social media, advertising campaigns, and by musicians as needed. The platform is also equipped with a music player, giving customers the opportunity to preview tracks before making a purchase.

With a free account on Traktrain you will be faced with a limit of 15 tracks. However, it offers some of the most favorable commission terms of any free plan: you keep 100% of mp3 sales (or 90% if paid with cryptocurrency) and 75% of WAV and Stem sales. Unlike paid subscriptions, the free plan doesn’t offer the ability to promote your beats with ads or offer custom licensing deals or discounts.

11. Soundee

Soundee is emerging as an up-and-coming beat marketplace, providing opportunities for producers to stand out from the crowd. The platform emphasizes advanced analytical and marketing tools, including the ability to integrate sales data with external applications, as well as the ability to collaborate with other producers on the platform.

Soundee offers two paid plans: Starter for $10 per month, which includes 50 beat downloads without any special offers or discounts, and Professional for $20 per month, with unlimited downloads, personalized offers, the ability to download sound packs and more to others. Both paid plans do not include sales commissions.

Under Soundee’s free plan, users are entitled to 10 downloads and access to limited sales analytics, with a 30% commission charged on sales.

12. Soundclick

Soundclick is one of the pioneers in online beat selling, having started in 1997, before many of today’s beat producers began their careers. The company keeps a 30% commission on both its free and basic paid plans, but provides the ability to download an unlimited number of tracks at any level. Choosing the free plan or the $15/month Gold plan, which does not include sales fees, may be a smart decision considering that their $8/month Silver plan offers few benefits over the free one.

Soundclick’s free plan allows for unlimited downloads of tracks, with a 30% commission on sales. However, if your strategy is to maximize your online presence with the maximum number of tracks without incurring additional costs, Soundclick could be a great choice.

13. Soundgine

Soundgine is a music track trading platform that stands out due to its variety of selling options, including offering subscription plans for your beats. It is not free to use; for the professional plan, which is offered at $10 per month, users get the ability to download an unlimited number of tracks and face no sales fees.

14. GoBuyBeats

GoBuyBeats is a compact online marketplace for beats that operates without charging a monthly subscription fee—there are no fixed-price plans on the platform. The sales commission charged is 20%. While GoBuyBeats may not offer the wide range of features available on larger platforms, the lack of monthly fees makes it attractive.

On GoBuyBeats, all services are provided for free, and the platform takes a 20% commission on each sale.

15. BuyBeats

BuyBeats is another place to sell music beats, standing out for offering a no-commissions plan for a $15 monthly fee. They also offer a unique provision where you earn a percentage of purchases made by a customer you refer to the platform, regardless of whose beats were purchased.

16. Sellfy

Sellfy is an e-commerce platform similar to Shopify that has gained popularity among beat producers. Unlike niche markets, Sellfy does not have its own target audience actively searching for beats.

17. Premium Beat

Premium Beat, a music licensing platform, is part of Shutterstock. There are no fees to download tracks or subscribe, and the platform attracts musicians from a variety of genres, not just limited to hip-hop artists. Commission terms are considered on a case-by-case basis, with Premium Beat often offering “substantial” amounts to creators for full rights to their beats. This can be a lucrative proposition, allowing sellers to earn a one-time income for their work, with no subsequent liability if they fail.

How much do beats sell for?

Selling beats across multiple platforms, allowing the same track to circulate across multiple sites, opens up money-making opportunities. Music producers can achieve incomes of up to $10,000 monthly or even more if they are consistent in their efforts. Increasing your sales volumes depends on making your beats easier for customers to find and offering a range of audio formats. Providing free beats can help grow your business and build your reputation as a creator before you start selling commercial tracks.

How to attract buyers for your beats?

Increasing the accessibility of your beats by making them available on a variety of platforms is key. Additionally, promoting through social media, music forums and other online platforms can significantly increase your chances of making a sale.

Conclusion

The era of digitalization has contributed to an increase in interest in unique music and beats, which are now in demand not only in the field of traditional music creation, but also on a variety of digital platforms, including YouTube, film production, television and others. Online sales of music beats have grown into a lucrative segment of the music industry, providing avenues for producers to monetize their creativity. Here are the main points:

• Profitable business model for selling beats. Selling beats as a way to make money is a workable business strategy. Numerous successful companies in this space provide services to content creators, advertisers and musicians in search of a unique sound;
• Online beat sales. The process of selling beats online is pretty straight forward. It starts with creating high quality beats in a variety of styles, choosing the right platform for your target audience, and uploading the beats to sell;
• Pricing methods. Pricing your bits competitively is key. Offering a free beat can be a magnet for potential clients and build your credibility. Researching market pricing trends in your genre and analyzing the intended use of the beats will help determine appropriate pricing;
• Selecting platforms for selling beats. There are a number of online platforms that specialize in working with beat producers, facilitating access to a large client base. Platforms like Beatstars, Airbit, Audiojungle, PremiumBeat, and their own website offer a variety of benefits, including a wide range of markets and licensing options;
• Business expansion. To increase revenue, many successful beat sellers use the strategy of listing the same beat on multiple platforms, taking advantage of their accessibility and variety of licensing offerings. Promoting beats on social networks and music forums helps attract new customers;
• Earning opportunities. Earnings from selling beats can be quite impressive, with some producers earning up to $10,000 a month or more by actively offering their work across multiple platforms. The variety of audio formats offered and the distribution of free beats as a marketing strategy can help grow your enterprise;
• Interaction with clients. To successfully sell beats, it’s important to post them on multiple platforms, actively promote them on social media, participate in music communities, and build a strong online brand. Building trust and reputation are key to attracting and retaining customers.

In the era of digitalization, the beat sales market offers promising prospects for music producers to realize their creative potential and monetize their unique skills. This sector plays a key role in providing a variety of creative projects with the necessary musical components. Achieving success in this area requires an innovative approach, a thoughtful pricing strategy, smart promotion and flexibility in adapting to the evolving demands of the music market and the needs of content creators.