Blog

Many music artists are not willing to invest in us, producers, because many of them are looking for a free route. I typically charge $19.99 for a beat, which, in my opinion, is pretty reasonable, however, the clients I deal with offline are like, “Wow, that’s really expensive! I would never pay for that,” only to find them invest in a microphone, and all these other expensive equipment to help them further their music career. Conversely, I have dealt with other clients that bought one or more of my beats with no problems attached. Nevertheless, from my experiences, I was able to conclude 11 tips that may be useful to you:

1. Selling beats for low prices is cheating yourself.

Sell your beats for what you think they’re really worth. If you think your beats are worth $1000, sell it for $1000. Sometime down the road, if someone values your beats the way you do, they will buy.

2. Learn to negotiate.

Negotiating is a powerful tool that can help you in many ways. A good negotiator can easily raise the prices of his or her beats to a client, or cut “deals” that can benefit both you and your client at the same time, but mostly you of course.

3. Be business minded.

Learn to put your foot down. A lot of artists will try to take advantage of you. I’ve been taken advantage of many times when I first started out. Learn to separate friends from business. (Business is very popular for ruining relationships if not handled well.) If your client seems like he’s trying to take advantage of you, stop the communication and close the deal if you have to. If your client turns you into a desperate producer willing to do anything to sell him or her a beat, you’re in trouble. Don’t be afraid to let your client go, because if a client really respects you and your business policies, he or she will follow them without any serious problems. There may be some scenarios or exceptions, in which you can change your policy to help out your client for a single particular moment, but for the most part, put your foot down.

4. Invest in yourself.

There are many ways to invest in yourself, like getting better equipment, but another good way to invest in yourself and your music is through promotion. Learn to promote yourself well & don’t be afraid to pay for promotion. Just make sure the promotion you pay for is legit and will actually get you somewhere. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your fans to promote you. Your fans are actually, in my opinion, the best form of promotion. If your friend asked you to listen to his or her new favorite song, would you do it?

5. Don’t focus too much on making sales.

If someone likes your material and they are serious about what they do, they will buy it. Do not stress it. Just focus on making great, better music.

6. Check on your customers.

Ask prior customers who bought your beats about their success, how they’re doing or if they’re interested in new beats. Cut deals for them, give them VIP opportunities, promote their new work and etc. Congratulate them for buying your beats.

7. Cut deals.

Discounts, specials, prizes, free downloads and “buy 1 get 1 frees;” you name it. Have special days where you at least do one of these. It will keep some people interested. Especially, the opportunists.

8. Deliver fresh content as much as possible.

This is self explanatory, but the fresher your content, the more likely your fan base will grow, the more likely you will perfect your craft and the more likely you will make a sale. Of course, there may be times when you are busy with things other than your music, but make sure your fans know this. (It is moments like these when your fan base declines.) Let them know, you will return with fresh content very soon. Also, with this message, keep in mind that quality beats quantity, so feel free to take your time when producing your music.

9. Network, network, network.

Get your music out there to as much places and people as possible. From all the tips I just gave, this is probably one of the most important!

10. Money isn’t everything. Sometimes you have to trade money for gold.

This one is very questionable and depends on your instincts, ambitions, desires and etc., but as I mentioned before, money isn’t everything! There may come a time when (insert your favorite artist’s name here,) comes up to you and asks, “May I use your beat on my next album?” but for some odd reason, they’re not willing to pay for it. (Remember, this is just a scenario/example.) Let us assume your favorite artist is very credible and famous (in a good way). What would you do? (Answer this question on your own.)

11. Give the best or nothing.

When you put in your best work, others see that. The better you work, the better you have a chance of making a sale or even landing a great placement. Work out your flaws. Maybe it’s your mixing and mastering, or your beat structure. If something is not right to you in your beat, (notice I said to you; not to other people), fix it. Always remember that quality matters.

Final Note:

When someone comes to you looking for a beat, it’s a good thing. It means they trust that with your beats they would be able to make good music, so take it as a compliment. Just keep in mind these tips and you should be fine. Don’t follow these tips too closely, though. Think of these tips as templates. Develop your own techniques and see what works for you. You ask, “How do you develop your own techniques?” Simple, through experience.

Keep it 100.