Managing Unlimited Beat Leases: Tracking & Legal Protection

TL;DR: Unlimited beat leases create serious tracking problems for producers. Without proper systems, you can’t prove who has which license, when they got it, or what terms apply. This guide shows you how to track unlimited leases properly, protect yourself legally, and avoid costly disputes.

The Unlimited Lease Tracking Nightmare

You just sold your newest beat to an artist for $49.99. Unlimited lease, no stream limits, lifetime use. Easy money, right?

Two weeks later, another artist buys the same beat. Then three more. By month’s end, you’ve leased that beat to 47 different artists.

Here’s where it gets messy: One of those artists claims they bought exclusive rights. Another says their lease included stems when you only sent MP3s. A third is disputing the terms because they "don’t remember" what they agreed to.

You check your email. Hundreds of PayPal receipts, scattered across folders. Some artists paid through BeatStars, others through your website, a few via Venmo. Good luck proving what anyone actually purchased.

This is the reality of managing unlimited beat leases without proper tracking. And it’s exactly why so many producers end up in legal disputes, losing money, or giving up their rights because they can’t prove what was agreed.

What Makes Unlimited Leases So Hard to Track?

Unlimited beat leases sound simple: an artist pays once and can use your beat forever with no restrictions on streams, downloads, or distribution.

But here’s what makes them a tracking nightmare:

The Volume Problem

Unlike exclusive licenses (typically one per beat), you can sell unlimited leases to hundreds of artists for the same beat. Each artist gets the same rights, but you still need to track:

Who purchased what beat
When the lease was issued
What files were delivered (MP3, WAV, stems)
What the payment amount was
Which version of your contract they agreed to

When you’re selling 50+ leases per month across multiple beats, that’s thousands of data points to manage.

The "Prove It" Problem

Let’s say an artist releases a track using your beat and it blows up—2 million streams on Spotify. They claim they bought exclusive rights for $200.

You know that’s not true. You sold them a $29 unlimited lease. But can you prove it?

Without proper documentation, you’re in a he-said-she-said situation. Even if you win, the legal fees might cost more than the dispute is worth.

The Version Control Problem

Your lease terms probably evolved over time. Maybe you started offering stems in 2023. Maybe your prices changed. Maybe you updated your contract template last month.

Now you have dozens of artists with different lease terms for the same beat, and you need to remember who got what. One artist’s "unlimited lease" might differ from another’s—same beat, different deal.

The Three Core Tracking Problems (and Why They Matter)

Problem #1: You Can’t Track How Many Times a Beat Was Leased

Most producers use one of these broken systems:

Email folders: Search through thousands of emails hoping you tagged everything correctly PayPal receipts: Scattered across different payment processors with incomplete transaction details BeatStars dashboard: Only shows sales from that platform, missing direct sales

None of these tell you the full picture. You don’t know if you’ve leased a beat 5 times or 50 times. And when someone claims they have exclusive rights, you’re scrambling to piece together proof.

Why this matters: If you can’t prove you only sold non-exclusive leases, you could lose a licensing dispute. Artists who did buy exclusives deserve protection—but so do you.

Problem #2: Lease Agreement Management is Chaos

Here’s the typical producer workflow:

Artist buys beat through BeatStars
You send files via email or WeTransfer
Contract (if you even have one) gets emailed as PDF
Artist downloads beat, maybe saves contract, maybe doesn’t
Six months later, nobody can find anything

The contract is the only thing protecting you. It defines:

Whether the license is exclusive or non-exclusive
Stream/distribution limits (if any)
What files were included
Payment terms and royalty splits
How long the license lasts

If the artist loses it and you don’t have a copy… good luck enforcing those terms.

Problem #3: Proving Lease Terms When Disputes Arise

Picture this scenario: An artist uses your beat on a song that goes viral. A music supervisor wants to license it for a Netflix show.

The artist says they own exclusive rights. You say they have a non-exclusive lease. The music supervisor says "prove it or we’re walking."

Without verifiable proof—timestamped contracts, transaction records, file delivery logs—you’re stuck. Even if you’re 100% right, you can’t prove it fast enough to save the deal.

Legal reality: In copyright disputes, the burden of proof is on you. "I’m pretty sure I only sold non-exclusive leases" won’t hold up.

Why Spreadsheets and Folders Don’t Work

Many producers try to solve this with spreadsheets. You track:

Date of sale
Artist name
Beat title
License type
Price
Files delivered

This works great… until it doesn’t.

The problems with spreadsheet tracking:

Manual entry errors: You forget to log a sale, mistype a license type, or skip updating after a busy week
No proof of agreement: Your spreadsheet says "unlimited lease" but the artist claims they bought exclusive rights—who wins?
File delivery gaps: You track the sale but not which files were actually sent or when the artist downloaded them
No version control: Your contract terms changed in March—which artists got the old terms vs the new ones?
Zero legal weight: A spreadsheet is your word against theirs

The moment you need legal protection, a spreadsheet becomes useless.

The Legal Risks of Poor Tracking

Here’s what can go wrong when you can’t track unlimited leases properly:

Copyright Disputes

An artist claims exclusive rights to a beat you know you only leased non-exclusively. Without proof of the original agreement, you’re looking at:

Legal fees: $5,000-$15,000 for a copyright lawyer
Lost licensing opportunities while the dispute drags on
Potential settlement costs if you can’t prove your case

Royalty Payment Issues

If your lease includes royalty splits (common for unlimited leases), you need to track:

Which artists owe you publishing royalties
What percentage each artist agreed to
When those agreements were made

Without documentation, you’re leaving money on the table. Or worse—artists refuse to pay because "that wasn’t part of the deal."

Platform Violations

Many beat marketplaces (BeatStars, Airbit) have rules about exclusive vs non-exclusive licensing. If you can’t prove you didn’t sell exclusives, you could get banned for policy violations—even if you followed the rules.

Loss of Rights

Here’s the worst-case scenario: An artist registers the copyright under their name claiming they bought exclusives. By the time you find out, they’ve collected royalties, signed sync deals, and established themselves as the rights holder.

You might still be the legal owner, but now you need a lawyer to get your rights back. All because you couldn’t prove what was actually agreed.

What Professional Beat Tracking Systems Should Include

Modern producers need more than spreadsheets. Here’s what actually works:

1. Automated Sale Logging

Every transaction gets recorded automatically with:

Exact timestamp
Payment amount and method
License type (exclusive, unlimited, basic)
Beat ID and version
Artist contact details

No manual entry, no forgotten sales, no gaps.

2. Contract Version Management

Each lease gets matched to the specific contract version active at that time. When you update your terms, old leases stay linked to old contracts—making it easy to prove what each artist agreed to.

3. File Delivery Tracking

Know exactly what files were sent and when the artist accessed them:

Which beat version (with or without stems)
Download timestamps
Number of times accessed
File format (MP3, WAV, stems)

This matters when an artist claims they were supposed to get stems but only received an MP3.

4. Verifiable Proof of Agreement

This is the game-changer: cryptographic proof that a specific agreement was made at a specific time, in a way that can’t be altered or disputed.

Blockchain certification creates an immutable record linking:

The artist who purchased
The beat and files delivered
The contract terms agreed to
The exact timestamp

If someone claims they bought different rights, you have third-party-verified proof of what actually happened.

How Feedtracks Solves the Unlimited Lease Problem

While Feedtracks is primarily designed for audio collaboration and file sharing, its core features happen to solve the exact problems producers face with unlimited lease tracking.

Here’s how producers are using it:

Activity Tracking Per File

Every beat you upload gets its own activity log showing:

Who accessed it and when
How many times it was downloaded
What version was sent (with or without stems)
Complete timestamp history

Example workflow: Artist claims they never got stems. You check activity tracking, see they downloaded "Beat_Name_Stems.zip" on October 15th at 2:47 PM. Dispute over.

Version Control for Different Lease Types

You can upload multiple versions of the same beat:

Beat_MP3_Basic_Lease.mp3
Beat_WAV_Unlimited_Lease.wav
Beat_Stems_Exclusive.zip

Each gets tracked separately. When Artist A gets the unlimited lease version and Artist B gets basic lease, you have a permanent record of who received what—no guesswork, no confusion.

Blockchain Certification for Each Lease

This is the legal protection layer. When you send a beat to an artist:

You upload the beat + contract PDF to Feedtracks
Share it with the artist (they download it)
Feedtracks generates a blockchain certificate with:
- SHA-256 hash of the exact files
- Timestamp of when it was shared
- Proof it hasn’t been altered

This certificate is legally admissible proof of what was delivered and when. If an artist disputes the terms later, you have third-party verification that can’t be faked or backdated.

Analytics Dashboard for Usage Tracking

Get a bird’s-eye view of your entire beat catalog:

Which beats have been leased most
How many artists have each beat
Total downloads per beat
Monthly lease activity

Perfect for understanding which beats are selling and ensuring you never accidentally sell exclusive rights to a beat with existing unlimited leases.

Best Practices for Managing Unlimited Leases

Beyond tools, here’s what you should be doing:

1. Always Use Written Contracts

Even for $19 beats. Every single lease needs a contract that defines:

License type (non-exclusive unlimited)
What files are included
Distribution rights
Royalty splits (if any)
How long the license lasts
What happens if terms are violated

Use a template, but send it every time. No exceptions.

2. Keep Contracts with Files

Don’t email the contract separately. Bundle it with the beat files:

Beat_Name_Unlimited_Lease.wav
Beat_Name_Contract.pdf

This way, when the artist downloads the beat, they also get the contract—making it much harder for them to claim they "never saw it."

3. Document Everything Automatically

Manual tracking fails because humans forget. Automate:

Payment receipts (PayPal, Stripe, BeatStars)
File delivery (cloud storage with tracking)
Contract acceptance (require agreement before download)
Communication (save all emails/DMs about terms)

If it’s not automated, it won’t get done consistently.

4. Use Unique File Names

Don’t send every artist "MyBeat.wav". Use unique identifiers:

MyBeat_UnlimitedLease_ArtistName_2025.wav
MyBeat_Stems_UnlimitedLease_ArtistName_2025.zip

This makes it easy to identify which version went to which artist when you review activity logs.

5. Regular Audits

Once a month, review:

All beats with multiple unlimited leases
Any beats approaching exclusive sale consideration
Outstanding royalty payments
Contract version updates needed

Catching problems early saves you from legal headaches later.

Real-World Example: Tracking 50+ Leases for One Beat

Let’s walk through a realistic scenario using proper tracking.

The situation: You have a drill beat that’s been leased 73 times over 18 months.

What you need to track:

Master list: All 73 artists who have the beat
Tier breakdown: Who has MP3 vs WAV vs stems
Contract versions: 15 artists bought before you updated your terms in June 2024
Payment records: Different pricing over time ($19, $29, $49)
Delivery proof: When each artist actually received their files

Using Feedtracks:

Upload three versions: MP3 lease, WAV lease, stems lease
Share appropriate version with each artist via unique links
Each share generates activity log + blockchain certificate
Dashboard shows: "73 total shares, 28 MP3, 31 WAV, 14 stems"
Search by artist name to see exactly what they got and when

When disputes arise:

Artist claims they bought stems for $49 but you only show they paid $29 for WAV.

You pull up:

Activity log showing they downloaded "Beat_WAV_Unlimited.wav" (not stems)
PayPal receipt showing $29 payment
Blockchain certificate timestamped to that transaction
Contract PDF version from that date clearly stating "WAV file, no stems"

Case closed. Artist either accepts it or you have court-ready evidence.

Unlimited Leases and Exclusive Rights: The Tracking Trap

Here’s a common mistake that proper tracking prevents:

You lease a beat to 30 artists over six months. Then someone offers $500 for exclusive rights.

The problem: Those 30 existing leases don’t disappear when you sell exclusives.

What you need to track:

All existing unlimited leases remain valid (they paid for lifetime use)
Exclusive buyer gets exclusive rights after those existing leases
You need to disclose all existing leases to the exclusive buyer
Future leases are prohibited (that’s what exclusive means)

If you can’t prove exactly who has existing unlimited leases, you can’t ethically sell exclusives. And if you sell exclusives anyway, you’re opening yourself to lawsuits from both the exclusive buyer and the unlimited lease holders.

Best practice: Mark beats with existing unlimited leases as "not available for exclusive" until you have complete tracking records.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I keep lease records?

Forever, or at least as long as the beat might earn royalties. Copyright lasts 70 years after your death, so theoretically a lease agreement could be relevant decades from now. Digital storage is cheap—there’s no reason to delete records.

What if I sold beats before I had tracking systems?

Start tracking now and do your best to reconstruct past sales. Check email, PayPal, BeatStars history, and any other records you have. Create a "legacy sales" log for pre-tracking beats, even if incomplete. Something is better than nothing.

Can I change lease terms after someone already bought?

No. Once a lease is sold, those terms are locked. You can update your contract template for future sales, but existing agreements stay as-is. This is why version tracking matters—you need to know which artists have which terms.

Do I need a lawyer to create a beat lease agreement?

Not necessarily, but it helps. Many producers use templates from sites like SendBeatsTo or 99Beats, which are created by lawyers and cover the basics. For high-value beats or complex deals, yes—get a lawyer. For standard $19-$49 unlimited leases, a solid template is usually fine.

What if an artist loses their contract?

If you have good tracking, this isn’t a problem. You send them a copy from your records, complete with the delivery timestamp and blockchain certificate proving it’s the original agreement. If you don’t have tracking… you’re both guessing.

Can blockchain certificates be faked?

No. That’s the entire point of blockchain verification. The certificate is generated by hashing the exact file contents and recording the hash on an immutable ledger. Any change to the file—even one character—creates a different hash, making tampering obvious.

Summary & Next Steps

Managing unlimited beat leases comes down to one thing: proof.

You need to prove:

Who bought what beat
When they bought it
What files they received
What terms they agreed to

Without proof, you’re vulnerable to disputes, lost royalties, and legal headaches that could cost thousands in legal fees.

Action items:

Start tracking today: Even if you have to manually log past sales, begin proper tracking for every new lease
Use automated tools: Spreadsheets fail—use platforms designed for file tracking and proof of delivery
Bundle contracts with files: Make it impossible for artists to claim they "never saw" the agreement
Implement blockchain certification: For legal protection that holds up in court
Audit existing beats: Know which beats have multiple unlimited leases before considering exclusive sales

The producers who succeed long-term aren’t necessarily the ones making the best beats—they’re the ones protecting their rights with proper systems.

About the Author: The Feedtracks team helps music producers protect their work and streamline their business with secure cloud storage, activity tracking, and blockchain certification tools designed for the audio industry.

Last Updated: December 11, 2025