How Much to Charge for Beats

Price a beat by the rights attached to it: $10–$40 for an MP3 lease, $20–$50 for a WAV lease, $50–$150 for a trackout lease, $150–$250 for an unlimited lease, and $200–$500 for a first exclusive. BeatStars’ own pricing guide publishes example tiers at exactly $40, $50, $150, and $250 for those four lease types. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.

What rights are you selling with a beat?

You are selling files plus a defined set of usage rights, not an instrumental. A non-exclusive lease grants limited use while you keep ownership; an exclusive transfers ownership. The BeatStars Help Center states that “Exclusive contracts are generally an exchange in ownership where the buyer becomes the new copyright owner.”

• Non-exclusive lease: The BeatStars Help Center defines non-exclusive licenses as “leases with limited terms of use based on the producer’s determined settings,” and states there is no limit on how many non-exclusive licenses a single beat may sell.
• Tier order by file type: BeatStars’ published example ladder prices an MP3-only basic license at $40, an MP3-and-WAV lease at $50, a WAV trackout lease at $150, and an unlimited lease at $250, so file quality and stem access — not the beat itself — are what separate the tiers (BeatStars Academy).
• Exclusive rights: Under 17 U.S.C. § 101, a “transfer of copyright ownership” expressly includes an exclusive license but expressly excludes a nonexclusive license (U.S. Copyright Office). BeatStars states that selling an exclusive license “automatically removes the beat from the Marketplace and Pro Pages” (BeatStars Help Center).
• Put the exclusive in writing: U.S. Copyright Office Circular 1 states that a transfer of exclusive rights “generally must be made in writing and signed by the owner of the rights conveyed,” while “transferring a right on a nonexclusive basis does not require a written agreement”.

Offering several non-exclusive tiers alongside a higher-priced exclusive gives budget-conscious artists an entry point without requiring you to surrender future licensing revenue on every sale. Your exclusive agreement should still define which copyrights, royalties, publishing interests, usage rights, and obligations transfer, because the U.S. Copyright Office notes that any or all of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights, “or parts of those rights,” can be transferred (Circular 1).

Which license limits should you define?

Define six limits in writing: unit and stream caps, monetization rights, YouTube Content ID permission, delivered file types, exclusivity timing, and retained producer royalties. BeatStars confirms that producers “manage their own pricing, licenses, terms, and sales” and that BeatStars itself does not manage those license terms (BeatStars Help Center), so the limits below are yours to set. Followers pay upfront as guests for custom beat work.

• Stream and sales caps: Specify permitted audio streams, video views, downloads, or paid units and what happens when the buyer reaches a limit.
• Monetization rights: State whether the artist may monetize the song through streaming services, YouTube, social platforms, live performances, or advertising.
• YouTube and Content ID rules: Explain whether the buyer may register the finished song with Content ID and how conflicting claims involving other licensees will be handled. YouTube states that Content ID “is available to copyright owners who meet specific criteria” and that to be approved they “must own exclusive rights to a substantial body of original material that is frequently uploaded to YouTube” (YouTube Help, “How Content ID works,”), which is why a buyer holding only a non-exclusive lease should not be granted Content ID registration.
• File delivery: List whether the buyer receives a tagged MP3, untagged MP3, WAV file, or individual trackout stems.
• Exclusivity terms: State when the beat will be removed from sale, whether earlier leases remain valid, and which rights transfer to the exclusive buyer.
• Producer royalties and publishing: Specify any retained royalty percentage, songwriter share, publishing interest, credit requirement, or other participation.
• Upgrade and renewal terms: Explain whether a lease can be upgraded, renewed, or converted into an exclusive purchase.

Clear terms help artists compare tiers and reduce disputes about what a payment includes. This guide provides practical pricing information, not legal advice; have a qualified music attorney review agreements involving copyright ownership, publishing, royalties, or exclusive rights.

What are the recommended launch price ranges for beats?

Launch at $10–$40 (MP3), $20–$50 (WAV), $50–$150 (trackout), $150–$250 (unlimited), and $200–$500 (first exclusive). The lease bands are anchored to BeatStars’ four published example prices of $40, $50, $150, and $250 (BeatStars Academy); the exclusive band is a Brillay editorial recommendation, not a marketplace statistic.

The table’s right-hand column is the cited marketplace benchmark; the left-hand range is Brillay’s editorial launch band around it.

Every quoted price and phrase in the right-hand column comes from the BeatStars Academy article “What You Need to Know About the New Track Creation Process,” dated October 22, 2024.

The floor can go much lower on volume-led catalogs: BeatStars reports that top seller Beast Inside Beats combined bulk discounts with MP3 leases priced “as low as $7” as of August 2024 (BeatStars Academy). BeatStars’ own pricing guidance also warns that a $10 gap “between pricing a track at $30 versus $40 might seem small in the US,” but in other regions can decide the sale, so test the low end before assuming it is beneath you.

Several factors can move a price within or above these ranges:

• Track record: A verifiable placement or co-sign can justify testing a higher exclusive price, although it does not guarantee buyer acceptance.
• Format and control: Trackout stems provide more mixing flexibility than a flat WAV or MP3, supporting a higher price.
• License scope: Higher stream caps, broader monetization rights, Content ID permission, or more favorable buyer terms can support a higher price.
• Demand: If a beat repeatedly sells at its current lease price, test a higher price for new buyers or increase its exclusive price.
• Scarcity: An exclusive eliminates future licensing opportunities, so its price should reflect the revenue and flexibility you give up.

Keep these options in a visible pricing ladder rather than negotiating every basic license from scratch. For made-to-order work, Brillay’s Custom Work lets you list a fixed price for each request type so followers can see the cost before ordering.

How should you calculate an exclusive price?

Quote an exclusive as the lease revenue you give up, plus a scarcity premium, plus the value of the rights transferred. BeatStars advises producers to take offers on exclusive rights rather than post a fixed exclusive price (BeatStars Academy), which is exactly why an exclusive is calculated per beat rather than pulled from a rate card.

Use this pricing framework instead of choosing an exclusive price from the range alone:

Exclusive price floor = expected future lease revenue lost + scarcity premium + value of the rights granted

Estimate the foregone revenue from the beat’s recent lease performance and the number of future sales you reasonably expect. Then add a scarcity premium because you cannot offer new licenses after the exclusive sale.

Finally, adjust the quote for the contract terms. Broader usage rights or the transfer of additional copyright, royalty, or publishing interests should support a higher upfront price. Retaining producer royalties or publishing participation may support a different upfront price, subject to the negotiated agreement.

Existing leases also matter: an exclusive buyer may value a never-licensed beat differently from one that already has active licensees. State clearly whether previous licenses remain valid.

How much do you keep after Brillay and Stripe fees?

Two charges apply: Brillay’s platform fee, and Stripe’s card processing. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Stripe’s published US rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic card transaction, so a $150 trackout lease sold on Brillay returns roughly $133.35 after both.

1. Brillay’s platform fee is 8% when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals; Brillay’s pricing page states the follower “pays only the displayed price,” with payment-processing fees “deducted separately from creator earnings” (pricing). Brillay is free to start at $0/month.
2. Brillay uses Stripe for payment processing and payouts (how it works). Stripe’s published US pricing is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction for domestic cards, plus 1.5% for international cards and a further 1% if currency conversion is required — so an overseas buyer can cost roughly 2.5 percentage points more than the table below assumes.

Using those stated rates, the approximate take-home formula for a typical US domestic online-card payment is:

Amount kept = sale price − Brillay's 8% paid-work fee − 2.9% Stripe fee − $0.30 Stripe fixed fee.

These estimates illustrate take-home revenue rather than guarantee the amount for a specific payment. Check your dashboard for the actual transaction total.

At a $10 sale, Stripe’s fixed $0.30 component is 3.0% of the purchase price, versus 0.75% on a $40 sale and 0.1% on a $300 sale. Account for that fixed cost before choosing a very low entry tier.

How do beat marketplace fees compare?

Beat marketplaces charge in three different shapes: a buyer-side service fee, an annual seller subscription, or nothing at all on the sale. The three headline figures are BeatStars’ 12% Marketplace service fee, BeatStars’ $19.99–$179.88 annual seller plans, and Airbit’s 0% seller commission.

• BeatStars adds a 12% Marketplace service fee to the buyer’s price. Its help center states that “for purchases on the BeatStars Marketplace, a service fee of 12% of the subtotal is added to the purchase price,” applying to beats, sound kits, collections, and services, and that this fee “does not apply to purchases made on Pro Pages or Blaze Players” (BeatStars Help Center, “Why is there a service fee on the Marketplace?”).
• BeatStars seller subscriptions cost $19.99, $79.99, or $179.88 per year. The help center lists the Starter Plan at “$19.99 annually or $4.99 monthly,” the Growth Plan at “$79.99 annually or $8.99 monthly,” and the Professional Plan at “$179.88 annually or $19.99 monthly” (BeatStars Help Center, “How Much Does BeatStars Cost?”).
• Airbit charges 0% seller commission on marketplace sales. Airbit announced that it removed all seller commission charges across its Marketplace “even on free accounts,” cutting seller commission “from 40% to 0%,” with only PayPal/Stripe transaction and payout fees deducted (Airbit Creator Hub announcement).
• Brillay charges an 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, a 5% platform fee on tips and goals, and $0/month. Brillay’s platform fee applies only when a follower pays, with processing fees deducted separately from creator earnings. Followers pay upfront as guests when they send the request, so the request arrives already paid for, and your bank details stay with Stripe rather than with the buyer.

The practical consequence: a subscription platform costs the same whether you sell zero beats or fifty, while a percentage fee costs nothing until a sale lands. Price your beats to clear the fee shape you actually pay.

When should you raise your beat prices?

Raise prices when the same beat sells repeatedly, when buyers keep asking for rights your current tier excludes, or when a verifiable placement strengthens your track record. The thresholds below are Brillay editorial benchmarks, not marketplace statistics: BeatStars states that producers set their own pricing and that it does not manage prices (BeatStars Help Center).

Brillay’s editorial trigger points, each stated as a testable threshold rather than a rule:

• Three or more non-exclusive sales of the same beat within 30 days: raise that beat’s lease prices by roughly 20–25% for new buyers and re-check sales over the next 30 days.

• Two or more buyers in a row upgrading to your top tier: the ladder is priced too low at the top; add a higher tier rather than repricing the bottom.

• More than about one in three enquiries asking for stems, higher caps, or Content ID: those rights belong in a paid tier, not in a discount.

• A backlog of more than two weeks on custom work: raise the custom price or narrow the scope until the queue clears.

• A verifiable placement or co-sign lands: move the exclusive up a tier first, since a track record supports the exclusive price long before it supports the lease price.

Treat each as a test with a defined review window, and roll back a rise that costs you more sales than it earns. One number worth watching before you cut instead: BeatStars’ own guidance notes that the gap “between pricing a track at $30 versus $40 might seem small in the US” but can decide the sale in other regions (BeatStars Academy).

Review conversion and demand after each change rather than assuming every increase will work. Brillay lets you set prices for custom work at $0/month, charging 8% when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals.

If you are developing several music-related income streams, learn how to price services without undervaluing your time so custom work and follower support complement your beat sales.

Frequently asked questions

Should you lease beats or sell only exclusives?

Offer both. BeatStars states there is “no limit on selling non-exclusive licenses,” while selling an exclusive license “automatically removes the beat from the Marketplace and Pro Pages” (BeatStars Help Center, “Can You Sell the Same Beat Twice?”). Your agreement should state whether earlier leases survive an exclusive sale.

Is $10 too low for a beat lease?

A $10 MP3 lease sits below BeatStars’ published $40 example price for an MP3-only basic license (BeatStars Academy), and Stripe’s fixed $0.30 component alone is 3.0% of a $10 sale versus 0.75% of a $40 sale. It is defensible only as a deliberate volume play — BeatStars cites top seller Beast Inside Beats pricing some MP3 leases “as low as $7” as of August 2024.

How much should a new producer charge for an exclusive?

Brillay’s editorial launch range for a new producer’s exclusive is $200–$500, and producers with placements can test $500 and up; neither figure is a published marketplace price, because BeatStars advises producers to take offers on exclusive rights rather than list a fixed price (BeatStars Academy). Price it as lost lease revenue plus a scarcity premium plus the value of the rights transferred — and remember that under 17 U.S.C. § 101 an exclusive license is a transfer of copyright ownership (U.S. Copyright Office).

Can you sell beats and take custom orders on the same page?

Yes. Brillay supports fixed-price custom work at $0/month with no follower minimum, charges 8% only when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals, and pays out through Stripe (pricing and how it works).

Ready to set your prices and start taking beat orders? Create your free Brillay page — it only takes a few minutes to set up.