TL;DR
The sweet spot for most producers is $20-30 for basic leases, $50-75 for premium leases, $100-150 for tracked-out stems, and $300-800 for exclusives. Pricing too low devalues your work, while pricing too high (above $300 for most producers) kills sales. Your analytics tell you which beats are actually valuable—price accordingly.
You’ve uploaded your latest type beat to BeatStars. Now comes the hard part: what do you charge?
Price too low and you’re leaving money on the table while training customers to expect cheap beats. Price too high and crickets—nobody’s buying. This isn’t guesswork. There’s real data on what works.
The Challenge:
- Seeing competitors charge $10 while others charge $500
- No idea if your beat is worth $50 or $200
- Watching beats sit unsold for months
- Feeling like you’re either overcharging or getting ripped off
What You’ll Learn:
- Industry-standard pricing tiers that actually sell
- How to calculate exclusive pricing based on lease performance
- When to adjust prices up or down
- Which pricing mistakes kill sales
- How to use analytics to validate your pricing
Understanding Lease vs. Exclusive Rights
Before we talk numbers, let’s be clear about what you’re selling.
Non-Exclusive Lease (The Volume Play): You keep ownership. You can sell the same beat to multiple artists. The artist gets limited distribution rights—typically 2,000-10,000 streams, one music video, limited performances. You maintain the master recording and can continue selling until someone buys exclusive rights.
Think of it like renting an apartment. Multiple people can rent different units in your building.
Exclusive Rights (The Big Sale): You transfer ownership. The artist gets unlimited distribution, unlimited music videos, radio play, sync licensing rights, and full creative control. Once sold, you can’t sell that beat again—ever.
This is selling the building, not renting it.
Why This Matters for Pricing: Leases generate recurring income from the same beat. One producer on BeatStars generated $18,000 from a single instrumental over three years through repeated leases. Exclusives are one-time paydays but should reflect that lost future income.
Industry-Standard Pricing Tiers (What Actually Sells)
Here’s what the data shows from platforms like BeatStars and Airbit in 2025:
Basic MP3 Lease
Price Range: $20-30 Most Popular: $25 What They Get:
- MP3 file (320kbps)
- 2,000-5,000 streams
- 1 music video
- Limited performances (10-50 shows)
Who Buys: Bedroom artists, SoundCloud rappers, artists testing your sound before committing.
Premium WAV Lease
Price Range: $40-75 Most Popular: $50 What They Get:
- High-quality WAV file
- 10,000-50,000 streams
- 2 music videos
- Unlimited non-profit performances
- YouTube Content ID protection
Who Buys: Serious independent artists with growing audiences, artists releasing EPs or mixtapes.
Tracked-Out Stems
Price Range: $75-150 Most Popular: $100 What They Get:
- Individual track stems (drums, bass, melody, etc.)
- 50,000-100,000 streams
- Unlimited music videos
- Radio airplay (local/internet)
- Full mixing flexibility
Who Buys: Artists working with mixing engineers, artists planning official releases, producers who want to remix your arrangement.
Exclusive Rights
Price Range: $300-2,000+ Most Popular: $500-800 What They Get:
- Complete ownership transfer
- Unlimited distribution
- Sync licensing rights
- Publishing splits (you may negotiate writer’s share)
- Master recording ownership
Who Buys: Artists with label deals, artists planning major releases, established artists who need full creative control.
Reality Check: If you’re a newer producer (less than 1 year selling beats), exclusives above $300 rarely sell. The sweet spot for most producers is $300-500. Premium producers (50+ sales, established brand) can command $800-2,000. Top-tier producers working with major artists? $5,000-20,000+.
The 12-Month Lease Revenue Formula
BeatStars CEO Abe Batshon shared this strategy: Calculate your beat’s lease revenue over 12 months. If it hits $2,000, that’s your baseline exclusive price.
Here’s How It Works:
Example Beat Performance:
- Month 1-3: 5 basic leases @ $25 = $125
- Month 4-6: 3 premium leases @ $50 = $150
- Month 7-9: 2 stems @ $100 = $200
- Month 10-12: 1 premium lease @ $50 = $50
- 12-Month Total: $525
Your Exclusive Price: $500-600 (reflecting lost future income)
Why This Works: You’re not guessing. You’re using actual performance data to validate pricing. A beat that generates $2,000 in leases over a year proves it’s worth at least that much for exclusive rights.
The Three-Year Test: One producer’s beat generated $18,000 over three years through recurring leases. Should he have sold exclusive rights for $500 in month one? Hell no. When a beat performs well early, wait. Let it accumulate lease revenue before considering exclusive offers.
Creating Your Pricing Tiers
Don’t offer every option on every beat. Here’s a strategic approach:
Tier 1: New/Untested Beats
Strategy: Lower barrier to entry, gather data
- Basic Lease: $20
- Premium Lease: $40
- Stems: $75
- Exclusive: $300 (or "Make Offer")
Goal: Get early traction, see which beats resonate.
Tier 2: Proven Performers (3+ Sales)
Strategy: Standard market pricing
- Basic Lease: $25-30
- Premium Lease: $50-60
- Stems: $100-125
- Exclusive: $500-700
Goal: Maximize lease income while building exclusive value.
Tier 3: Top Performers (10+ Sales or Viral)
Strategy: Premium pricing, consider removing exclusives
- Basic Lease: $30-40
- Premium Lease: $75-100
- Stems: $150-200
- Exclusive: $1,500+ or not offered
Goal: Protect high-earning assets, maximize recurring revenue.
Pro Move: Remove the exclusive option entirely on your top 5 performing beats. If a beat is consistently generating lease income, why would you kill that revenue stream for a one-time payment?
Common Pricing Mistakes That Kill Sales
Mistake #1: Pricing All Beats the Same
Your "Type Beat - Drake x 21 Savage" that got 500 plays isn’t worth the same as your viral beat with 50,000 plays. Use performance data.
Better Approach: Dynamic pricing based on analytics. Feedtracks shows you which beats get the most plays, downloads, and shares—price your top performers higher.
Mistake #2: Competing on Price
When you see competitors charging $10 for leases, your instinct is to undercut them at $9. Race to the bottom.
Better Approach: Compete on quality, service, and branding. Producers who build strong brands charge 2-3x more than generic beat sellers and still get sales.
Mistake #3: Overpricing Before You Have Proof
New producer, zero sales, charging $50 for basic leases and $1,000 for exclusives? Nobody’s buying.
Better Approach: Start at market rates ($20-25 for basics), prove your value through sales, then increase prices gradually as your brand grows.
Mistake #4: Never Adjusting Prices
You set prices in month one and never touch them again, even as your catalog performs differently.
Better Approach: Review pricing quarterly. Increase prices on top performers, discount slow movers, bundle unpopular beats.
Mistake #5: Ignoring Lease-to-Exclusive Conversions
Artist buys a $30 lease, then wants exclusive rights a month later. You charge full $500. They walk.
Better Approach: Offer lease credit toward exclusives. They paid $30? Exclusive costs $470. Makes upgrading easy and increases conversion.
When to Raise Your Prices
You’ve been selling beats for a year. When do you justify higher prices?
Green Lights to Increase Pricing:
-
Consistent Sales Volume
- 10+ sales per month for 3 consecutive months
- You’re not struggling to get buyers
-
Growing Placements
- Artists using your beats hit 100k+ streams
- You’re getting repeat customers
- Artists with followings are buying
-
Strong Analytics Performance
- Top beats getting 5,000+ plays before first sale
- High engagement (shares, downloads, comments)
- Feedtracks analytics show clear winners
-
Brand Recognition
- Artists searching for your producer tag
- Organic traffic (not just paid ads)
- Social proof (testimonials, reposted tracks)
How Much to Increase:
- Year 1 to Year 2: +20-30% on all tiers
- After Major Placement: +50% on premium/exclusive
- Established Brand (3+ years): Price based on value, not competition
Example Progression:
Year 1 (Building):
- Basic: $20 → Premium: $40 → Stems: $75 → Exclusive: $300
Year 2 (Growing):
- Basic: $25 → Premium: $50 → Stems: $100 → Exclusive: $500
Year 3 (Established):
- Basic: $30 → Premium: $75 → Stems: $150 → Exclusive: $800
Year 4+ (Premium Brand):
- Basic: $40 → Premium: $100 → Stems: $200 → Exclusive: $1,500+
Platform Fees & Take-Home Math
You set a $50 lease price. What do you actually pocket?
BeatStars
- Marketplace Sales: 12% service fee
- Your $50 Lease: $44 in your pocket
- Pro Page Direct Sales: 0% commission (keep 100%)
Strategy: Drive traffic to your Pro Page, not the marketplace, to avoid the 12% cut.
Airbit
- Non-Exclusive Leases: 20% commission
- Exclusive Rights: 10% commission
- Your $50 Lease: $40 in your pocket
- Your $500 Exclusive: $450 in your pocket
Strategy: Airbit’s higher commission means you need to price 10-15% higher to net the same amount as BeatStars.
Your Own Website (Feedtracks + Payment Processor)
- Stripe/PayPal Fees: ~3%
- Your $50 Lease: $48.50 in your pocket
Strategy: As you grow, sell direct. Keep 97% instead of 80-88%. Use Feedtracks to host beats, collect feedback, and manage client delivery—then process payments yourself.
Reality Check: Don’t let platform fees dictate your entire strategy early on. BeatStars and Airbit provide traffic you don’t have yet. Pay the commission, get exposure, build your brand. Once you’re established, migrate to your own site.
Using Analytics to Validate Pricing
Guessing which beats are valuable is a losing game. Your analytics tell you exactly what’s working.
Key Metrics to Track:
1. Play-to-Purchase Ratio
What It Means: How many plays does it take to get one sale?
- High Performer: 100-200 plays per sale
- Average: 300-500 plays per sale
- Underperformer: 1,000+ plays per sale
Pricing Decision: High performers justify premium pricing. If a beat converts at 150 plays per sale, it’s valuable—charge more.
2. Repeat Customer Rate
What It Means: Artists coming back to buy more beats.
- High Value: 30%+ of customers are repeat buyers
- Good: 15-25% repeat rate
- Low: Under 10% repeat rate
Pricing Decision: High repeat rates mean your quality is proven. You can increase prices without losing customers.
3. Engagement Before Purchase
What It Means: Downloads, shares, comments before buying.
High Engagement Beat:
- 50+ downloads (free download gate)
- 20+ shares
- 10+ comments asking about price
Pricing Decision: High engagement = high perceived value. Price at the top of your range.
4. Time to First Sale
What It Means: How long from upload to first purchase?
- Hot Beat: Sells within 7 days
- Good Beat: Sells within 30 days
- Slow Beat: Takes 60+ days
Pricing Decision: Fast sellers indicate strong demand. Consider raising price after first sale to test ceiling.
How Feedtracks Helps: Standard analytics show plays and downloads. Feedtracks adds context: who’s listening (other producers vs potential buyers), when engagement spikes (after you share vs organic discovery), and what beats get the most collaborative activity (artists sharing with their teams before buying).
When you see an artist share your beat with 3 collaborators, that’s purchase intent. That beat is worth more than one with solo plays.
Special Pricing Strategies
Bundle Pricing (Move Slow Beats)
Strategy: 3 leases for the price of 2.
Example:
- Single Premium Lease: $50
- 3-Beat Bundle: $100 (33% savings)
Why It Works: Clears slow inventory, increases average transaction value, gets more of your beats into circulation.
Subscription Model (Recurring Revenue)
Strategy: $99/month = 2 premium leases + 1 stem per month
Why It Works: Predictable income, locks in serious customers, higher lifetime value than one-off sales.
Dynamic Pricing (Automated Adjustments)
Strategy: Start at $20 for new beats, increase $5 after every 5 sales.
Example Progression:
- Sale 1-5: $20
- Sale 6-10: $25
- Sale 11-15: $30
- Sale 16+: $35
Why It Works: Rewards early adopters with lower prices, captures increased value as beat proves popular.
Pay What You Want (Social Proof Hack)
Strategy: Minimum $15, suggested $30, let buyers choose.
Why It Works: Psychological pricing. Many pay suggested price or higher. Generates goodwill. Works best for new producers building audience.
Negotiating Exclusive Deals
An artist DMs: "I’ll give you $200 for exclusive rights." Your listed price is $500. What do you do?
When to Negotiate Down
Accept Lower Offers If:
-
Beat hasn’t sold any leases in 6+ months
- It’s dead inventory
- $200 now beats $0 forever
-
Artist has legitimate placement potential
- Verified Spotify artist with 50k+ monthly listeners
- Label backing or radio play history
- Could lead to future placements or exposure
-
You need cash flow immediately
- Bills to pay, equipment to buy
- Better to sell at discount than stay broke
Counter-Offer Strategy: "$200 is below my rate, but I can do $350 if you credit me as producer and tag me when you release it."
You’re getting promotional value + higher price.
When to Hold Your Price
Don’t Budge If:
-
Beat is actively generating lease income
- Made $150 in leases last month
- Why sell for $200 when you’ll make $1,800 over the year?
-
You have consistent exclusive sales at your price
- If you’ve sold 3 exclusives at $500, don’t discount to $200
- You’ve proven market value
-
Artist is lowballing with no leverage
- No following, no track record, just fishing for deals
- "I only have $200" isn’t a negotiation strategy
Response: "My exclusive price is $500 based on this beat’s performance. I can offer you premium stems for $100 if budget is tight."
Give them an option, don’t devalue your work.
Regional & Genre Pricing Differences
Not all markets pay the same. Here’s what actually sells by genre and location:
Genre Pricing Realities
Trap/Hip-Hop (Highest Volume):
- Basic Lease: $20-30
- Exclusive: $300-800
- Market: Saturated, competitive pricing
Drill:
- Basic Lease: $25-35
- Exclusive: $400-1,000
- Market: High demand, artists often have budgets
R&B/Soul:
- Basic Lease: $30-50
- Exclusive: $500-1,500
- Market: Smaller volume, higher quality expectations
Afrobeats:
- Basic Lease: $25-40
- Exclusive: $400-1,200
- Market: Growing demand, international buyers
Gospel/Christian Hip-Hop:
- Basic Lease: $30-50
- Exclusive: Up to $250 (ceiling)
- Market: Budget-conscious, rarely pay over $300
Geographic Pricing
US Market (Baseline): Standard pricing applies ($20-30 leases, $500 exclusives).
UK/Europe: Price 10-20% higher. Artists often have better budgets, less saturation.
Africa/South America: Price 20-40% lower. Currency differences, different economic realities. A $50 lease can be a week’s wages in some markets.
Asia/Middle East: Price case-by-case. Emerging markets with huge appetite but varying budgets.
Strategic Approach: Don’t automatically discount for international buyers, but be flexible. A $15 lease from Brazil is better than no sale trying to get $25.
How Feedtracks Helps You Price Smarter
You’re not just guessing at prices when you can see actual data.
Analytics Show Which Beats Are Valuable
Feedtracks Tracks:
- Play counts: Which beats get repeated listens
- Share activity: When artists share with collaborators
- Download patterns: Free download interest before purchase
- Time spent: How long people engage with each beat
Pricing Decision: Beat A: 5,000 plays, 50 shares, 200 downloads = High value, price at top tier Beat B: 500 plays, 2 shares, 10 downloads = Average value, standard pricing
You’re pricing based on actual demand signals, not hopes.
Version Control for Different License Tiers
The Problem: Artist buys premium lease, wants stems later. You send the wrong version or can’t find the tracked-out files.
Feedtracks Solution:
- Upload MP3, WAV, and stem versions with clear labels
- Track which version each customer received
- Maintain organized library by license type
No more digging through folders trying to remember which file you sent.
Activity Tracking Validates Pricing Experiments
Scenario: You raise your basic lease from $20 to $30.
What Feedtracks Shows:
- Play counts stay the same (interest unchanged)
- Purchase rate drops 40% (price resistance)
- Revenue per beat increases 20% (higher price offsets fewer sales)
Decision: Net positive. Keep new pricing, monitor for 60 days.
Alternative Scenario:
- Purchase rate drops 60%
- Revenue per beat decreases 10%
Decision: Price too high. Roll back to $25, test middle ground.
Without data, you’re guessing. With activity tracking, you know exactly what works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I offer payment plans for exclusive beats?
Yes, if it increases your close rate. Offer 2-3 month payment plans (50% upfront, 25% month 2, 25% month 3) with a small fee (add 10% for payment plan option). Make sure you retain rights until final payment clears.
How often should I run sales or discounts?
Sparingly. Black Friday, your birthday, New Year—2-3 times per year max. Constant sales train customers to wait for discounts. You devalue your brand.
What if an artist blows up after buying a lease?
If your contract is solid, you’re entitled to royalties based on your split. If they didn’t credit you properly, you have legal recourse. This is why clear contracts matter—even on $20 leases.
Can I raise prices on beats people already purchased leases for?
Yes. Past purchases are locked at their price. Future purchases reflect new pricing. You can’t retroactively charge people more, but you can absolutely increase prices going forward.
Should I price beats higher if they took longer to make?
No. Price based on market value, not production time. A 30-minute loop that sounds incredible is worth more than a 6-hour beat that’s mediocre. Time invested doesn’t equal value delivered.
Summary & Pricing Action Plan
Key Takeaways:
- ✅ Start with market-standard pricing: $20-30 (basic), $50 (premium), $100 (stems), $500 (exclusive)
- ✅ Use the 12-month lease revenue formula to calculate exclusive pricing
- ✅ Track analytics to identify high-value beats and price accordingly
- ✅ Avoid pricing mistakes: competing on price, never adjusting, ignoring data
- ✅ Build pricing tiers based on beat performance, not arbitrary decisions
- ✅ Negotiate smart: accept discounts on dead inventory, hold firm on performers
- ✅ Account for platform fees in your pricing strategy
Action Items:
- [ ] Audit your current pricing—are you leaving money on the table or overpricing?
- [ ] Calculate 12-month lease revenue for your top 5 beats
- [ ] Set up analytics tracking (plays, shares, downloads, conversions)
- [ ] Create 3 pricing tiers: new beats, proven beats, top performers
- [ ] Review pricing quarterly and adjust based on performance data