Beat Stores vs. Free Beats: The Pros and Cons of Both Options for Rap Artists

You are not sure wheter buying beats or using the "Free for Profit" option is best for you? In this blog post I'll shortly outline the difference and the pros and cons of each option to help you find out what is the most optimal for you.

The Importance of Beats in Trap Music

Especially in trap music trap music are one of the most important parts of the whole track. The beat is mainly responsible for setting an atmosphere and a rhytm for the artist. Trap beats are known for their synthesized and hard hitting drums originating from the Roland 808 Drum Machine. In more modern productions you can find really creative Hi-Hat and 808 patterns that are responsible for the typical "trap sound".

There are two ways of obtaining a beat:

1. Free For Profit Beats

You can usually find these on Youtube. Most of the times the producer offers a Free Download link in exchang for your E-Mail Adress.

2. Lease a Beat or Buy an Exclusive

To lease a beat means that you are buying usage rights. But keep in mind when you are leasing a beat you are not buying exclusive use rights for that instrumental. That is the main difference between a Lease and an Exclusive.

Buying an exclusive license means you are the only person being legally allowed to use this beat. This also comes with a higher invest for the artist. The producer is loosing future revenue for potential leases, therefore he will be selling this license at a higher price tag to make up for the lost revenue.

Beatstores

Simply put, a beatstore is an online platform offering the usage rights for instrumentals. These beats can be used as the foundation for songs or be used in movie productions for example.

What are the pros of buying beats at a beatstore? The biggest benefit for artist who want to buy their beats at a dedicated online store would be quality of production and personal support from the admin of the store. Additionally you will get a lease or exclusive license which gives you the legal right to use a beat for profit. This way the artist has legal protection against copyright flags on platforms like Spotify or Apple music.

The cons of buying a beat are very simple. It costs money to buy a high quality production. Some producers like Southside from 808 Mafia are charging over 10.000 Dollars for an exclusive beat.

Free Beats

Free for Profits Beats are what the name describe. They are instrumentals that can be used for free without having to buy a license for it. You can usually find these on Youtube. Just type "Free For Profit" into the Youtube search bar. In most cases the uploader offers a free download link in exchange for your E-Mail adress.

The biggest pro of using "Free For Profit Beats" is the almost unlimited selection of beats and the fact that it is for free.

On the other hand it will be really hard to get adequate support from the producer. In addition you have no legal protection against copyright infringement which can lead to a takedown from streaming services.

Pros and Cons

So which option is best for me. To make this easier I will put artists into 2 different categories. Category 1 is the Professional. Category 2 is the beginner.

When you fall under Category 1 you will most likely now the process of recording music and publishing it on Streaming services and know how important legal protection can be. In addition you have the ability to buy exclusive usage rights which can set you apart from artists that are leasing their beats. In this case it will be more beneficial to buy a license.

For artists falling under Category 2 there will be way less experience to how the industry works. Additionally you most likely have not made enough music yet to know which style you want to persue long term. Most of your music can be found on Soundcloud because you are not comfortable yet showcasing your art to the broad pulic. If you can identify with this archetype you should stick to Free For Profit Beats and just create music. In my opinion this stage can be one of the most fun it is like childhood until you mature and start taking music more serious.

If you do not fall into any of these two categories you will be most likely in the intermediate stage. In this period you'll probably have found producers you like and you also bought a couple of leases from them. But you also want to experiment with new styles. Just do whatever you feel like, if you really like a song and want to publish it think about contacting the producer and buying a lease.

Conclusion

Whether you should be buying beats or use the free for profit alternative depends on a couple of factors. For example the experience you have making music will impact this decision greatly. Another limiting factor can be your budget, especially buying exclusive rights will cost you. On the other hand you have legal protection against copyright claims. As a beginner trying to experiment and mainly uploading to Soundcloud free beats will be the better option. As you mature in your musical career you might want to think about buying leases or exclusives for extended support and legal protection.

If I inspired you or helped you to make a informed decision check out my Beatstore here.