Buying instrumental beats can be a bit difficult and a lot of questions can come to mind. In the world that we live in it’s becoming easier to become an independent artists. More of you are turning your hobby in to a profession and this includes investing in yourself. Now you can make your own music and put it out there. Or you can collaborate with other producers, using their instrumental beats so you can focus on your lyrics. The following tips are to help you in your decision of buying instrumental beats.
Who am I?
Maybe it’s your first time on my website and maybe you already know me. My name is Ljamis Khalaf and I am a music producer from the Netherlands and the owner of Daddynervs Music. In my studio I’m writing emotional piano ballads for singers. With my articles, such as this one, I am helping by sharing my mistakes, my vision and my opinion.
For over 25 years I have played the piano and this is why I am making piano ballad instrumentals. I have written music for artists in the USA, Europe and Asia. I have also written for movies and shortfilms. One even got nominated for best musical composition!
In this blogpost I am going to talk about what to lookout for when buying instrumental beats online. Curious…?
From a seller’s Perspective
I have been selling instrumentals since 2021 and making them since 2016. I want you to have the greatest quality possible. Over the years I have talked to many artists and producers out there and sometimes the stories where just crazy. This is why I want to give you these tips. I am not trying to sell you my music, I am trying to inform you on buying instrumental beats and educate you about the do’s and don’t in buying instrumentals and beats online. With that being said. Let’s go straight to the tips!
When something looks to good to be true, it usually is.
– Emmy Rossum
Tip 1: It’s always too good to be true.
I’m sorry to start with this. But buying instrumental beats will cost you money. It’s called investing in yourself. A beat license will cost you somewhere between $30 – $300 (depending on the tier). If you would like to buy a beat exclusively for you, this will cost you over a $1000. Ofcourse there are some exceptions, but these prices are considered to be normal. So don’t fall for jokes like “Exclusive license for $30” or “$1 for a beat license”.
Ask youself right now: Would I sell my music for these prices?
Now I’m not saying these producers are scamming you. But I’m saying that there is a certain level of experience involved that those producers don’t have. So beware and pay the correct prices.
Tip 2: Read the License Agreement when you are buying instrumental beats
When you buy a instrumental beat, you are actually leasing it for a period of time. What you can or cannot do is in the license agreement. Read it before purchasing the beat. If you don’t get the option to read the license agreement before buying, don’t buy the beat. A license is usually automatically generated by websites such as Beatstars, AIrbit or Soundee. So they are legit.
Tip 3: Make sure you are going to use this beat
What are you trying to start? A beat collection?😂 Some artists buy too much beats, because they are afraid that someone will buy it exclusively and they will miss their chance. Many producers are going to hate me for this…. (sorry not sorry).
Buy the beat, when you are going to use the beat.
I’ll repeat it 1 more time.
Buy the beat, when you are going to use the beat.
It’s important for you to get your music out there. So don’t pile up instrumental beats to your to do list. Instead: Get it, Record it, Release it. That should be your motto! I’m giving you this tip, because many of my clients are buying my instrumentals and I never hear from them again. It’s a shame.. I would really love to work with them, but on the other side it’s giving me a lot of spare time with my kids. So.. 🤷♂️
Tip 4: Research the producer you are buying from
And perhaps contact them before purchase! All of the producers want to become famous in a way. So they should be on social media (soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, whatever is popular in 2023). Check if they are on the platforms and if they are active.
Shitty part (and this is for the next tip) is that some producers, claim to be producers but only sell MP3’s for cheap. You cannot find these producers on the internet. Try it. You won’t succeed. Why? My theory is that they ‘stole’ the beat and are trying to make money of it.
Ofcourse not all of them are like this. I am super duper honest and with me are thousands of other producers who are honest, active on socail media en email. So do your research!
A high quality life starts with a high quality you!
– Cheryl Richardson
Tip 5: Buy High Quality Files
Just like other producers I am selling MP3 only files. Mp3 only are great for social media like Instagram and TikTok. But Standard masters are WAV files in 44.1 kHz and 16 bit. You can’t get that if you have an MP3. That’s why, if you want to get your music on streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify, you should work with WAV files from the producer. Because if you don’t your MP3 masters will sound bad.
Why? MP3’s are (usually mastered) files that are compressed to become less data, 3 Mb MP3 versus 60 Mb WAV. So essentially it’s less quality. Although the mixing process is going to be great, no doubt. The mastering process of the full track will be horrible. Let me try to explain visually for you (see images and description).
The first image represents a mastered WAV instrumental beat. A handsome producer. (The WAV).
Just a normal high quality photo. This is how it should be.
The second image is the mastered MP3. The blurry, but still handsome producer. (The MP3).
The same photo, but blurred using photoshop. This is what you can buy from some producers or what you will get if you download from YouTube, the MP3
The third image is the mastered MP3 with your recording over it and some effects, the recording. In this case Adele would be on my music with a wig. (The Mix).
Just added a wig and adele’s old face, showing off my photoshop skills.
The last image is the mastered version of the MP3 instrumental with your recordings and effects. (The final song).
Used the sharpen tool in photoshop to make the image be more uniform and steady.
In short. Mastering is a process where you are making the whole mix better, more uniform and you are adding subtle changes in frequencies. Well some of those frequencies are not there anymore. And this will eventually effect the final song. You can’t sharpen a blurred image
Bonus Tip for 2023!
Did I mention that you can download 30+ free instrumentals to use, including a license? The music you will receive can be used to try before you buy and you can share them on your social media! You can sign up below by leaving your name and email.
