How to Sell Your First Beat in 10 Steps

Sell your first beat online by following this ten-step guide. We include beat-selling examples and online tools to use to get sales.

If you have already sold beats online, these tips will help you sell more.

This article is related to our How to Sell Beats Online guide.

Table of Contents

  1. How to Sell Your First Beat
  2. Bonus Tips
  3. Suggested Books & Resources
  4. Launch a Website to Sell Beats

How to Sell Your First Beat

This video shares ten tips to help sell your first beat.

Watch How to Sell Your First Beat!

1. Have 50+ Beats Of Different Music Genres

Have a Wide Selection of Beat to Choose From - Sell Your First Beat
Have a Wide Selection of Beats to Choose From – Photo by Chris Ainsworth

You want to have a variety of different beat types in your beat store.

When someone visits your website, you don’t know what type of music they are searching for.

They can make R&B Music, they can make Pop Music.

You don’t know, so have a variety of different types of music.

If you only have one type of music, you are going to miss out on sales from visitors looking for a different type of music.

And if these genres aren’t your style, you can try to make those different types of music in your own style.

You want to have at least 50 beats in your beat store.

You want to give visitors options to choose from.

If you only have 10 beats online, you aren’t giving music artists a lot to choose from.

You also aren’t covering many different music genres.

You want to have a good selection of beats for music artists to pick from.


2. Put Your Best Beats First

Put Your Best Beats First - Sell Your First Beat
Put Your Best Beats First – Photo by James Owen

People have very short attention spans.

If a visitor doesn’t see and hear what they want within the first 45 seconds, they are going to leave.

You need to fight for their attention in this world full of distractions.

So you need to put your best music first to gain their interest, get them excited, and keep them on your website.

Most website visitors are going to click around and play the first couple of beats in your beat store.

You need to have beats that get your visitor’s attention to make them want to check out the rest of your beat store.

So put your best beats first, even if they may be old.


Follow Current Music Trends
Follow Popular Music Trends – Photo by Frank Septillion

If there is a specific type of music that is popular right now, create that type of music.

Some people don’t want to do this.

But if it’s your goal to make a full-time living off of music…

You should do all you can to help your chances of success.

If people aren’t searching for the type of music you create, then it’s going to be hard for you to find customers.

I want to point out that it’s not either-or when it comes to creating music you like, and following current trends.

You can do both.

As a music producer, over the years you will continue to create a beat catalog of different types of music.

When you come across that right music artist that is looking for a specific type of beat.

You are going to be ready, and have music for them to listen to.

Be open-minded to testing different music genres.


4. Keep Your Website Simple

Keep Your Website Simple
Example of the Music Maker WordPress Theme

If you have too many distractions on your website, people will get confused and leave.

So you need to simplify your website.

If you do website testing, you will see people do not think like you.

Things you think are common sense, are not common to other people:

  1. People will click things that aren’t links.
  2. People will not know how to do certain things without instructions.
  3. At the same time, people don’t want to read.

So you need to analyze everything on your website from text to images, to videos, and more.

Ask if this feature is helping your goal of selling beats or getting in the way?

Try to look at your website from the perspective of a visitor that has never heard of you.

They don’t know what you have to offer and they don’t know what to do on your website.

Then ask: How can you simplify the process to help guide the user on your website to meet your goals?

There are some things you can add to your website that may look cool.

But you need to ask yourself is it user-friendly, or could it be a distraction?

Nike.com can do different things on their website that may be a distraction because they have a huge fan base. So people will spend more time on their site.

But most visitors will leave a website if the experience is confusing.

So you need to simplify your website.

Make it simple for people to listen and buy beats without distractions.

Related: Get Website Hosting Starting at $2.95 Per Month


5. Negotiate Beat Prices

Example of a Make an Offer Form to Negotiate Beat Prices
Make an Offer Pop-Up Form – Music Maker Theme

There will be people who want to buy your beats, but they want to negotiate prices.

If someone wants to pay for one of your beats, it’s great to start a conversation with them and work out a deal.

You may not get what you initially asked for, but you may find a price that makes you both happy.

Try to upsell multiple beats by offering a discount if they buy more than 1 beat.

If someone wants to pay you, work out a deal that is beneficial to you both.

Come up with premade answers to copy and paste for the different types of offers you will receive:

You are going to get people who:

  1. Don’t want to pay, asking for a beat for free.
  2. You are going to get people who low ball you offering much less than you are asking.
  3. And people who aren’t meeting the price, but maybe are close.

Pre-plan answers for these types of people to educate and convince people why they should pay what you are asking, and working out a better deal.

With the Music Maker WordPress Theme, you can add beats with no price to allow people to make an offer on a beat.

So try to work out deals with music artists.


6. Offer Discounts

Offer Your Customers Discounts
Offer Your Customers Discounts – Photo by Tamanna Rumee

Create promotional discounts to help boost beat sales.

And if you add a sale deadline for a discount you can encourage visitors to move faster.

You can offer a discount of a flat fee like $10 off, or a percentage discount like 25% off.

Experiment with different types of sales to see what works best.

Here are a couple of different sale examples:

  • 25% Off When You Spend $100!
  • 50% Off Leased Beats for 48 Hours!
  • Buy 2 Leased Beats & Get 1 Free!
  • 1 Week Sale – 60% Off All Premium Licenses!

Experiment with different ideas to see what works.

With the Music Maker Theme you can create discounts at a flat fee, or percentage off.


7. Create Helpful Content

Create Helpful Content
Create Helpful Content to Sell Your First Beat – Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters

You want to create helpful content to help build trust and establish yourself as a leader.

This content can be articles, videos, tweets, and anything where you can share helpful content and knowledge.

Think about all your favorite music producers on YouTube that you admire.

If you admire them, they have done something to establish trust.

Maybe it was a beat making video, maybe it was a product review, maybe it was a music tip. I don’t know, but sharing helpful knowledge is beneficial in multiple ways.

  1. It can help you look like an industry expert
  2. It can help you build fans
  3. It can help you build trust
  4. And it can indirectly promote what you do, which is make music and sell beats

There is a term called content marketing.

This means you promote your product or service while creating helpful or entertaining content.

Here is an example:

You can create an article or video directed towards music artists on:

  • How to Find Quality Beats
  • How to Find Album Art for a Music Single
  • How to Put Music on a Streaming Service

Content like that is directed towards music artists.

And while sharing those helpful tips you promote that you make music and they should checkout your beat store.

So you are being helpful, and promote what you do at the same time.

This is a much better tactic than just telling people who have never heard of you to buy your beats.

People are more likely to buy from you and trust you if they have come across you many times.

Creating helpful content can help with this.

One way to think about this is how can you help music artists succeed?

By helping them achieve their goals, will help you achieve your goals.

Create helpful content that is targeted towards your audience, and promote your beats, products, and services in a helpful way.


8. Establish Trust

Establish Trust w/ Customers
Establish Trust w/ Customers – Photo by Brett Jordan

You want to add things to your website that makes you look professional, helps you stand out, and make people want to work with you.

Here are a few things I think are important to help with establishing trust on your website.

#1 – Production Credits

Music Production Credits
Production Credits From Music Maker WordPress Theme

Showcasing a portfolio of completed work can help build a level of trust.

Especially if you have worked with popular music artists.

By showcasing who you have worked with, and completed songs.

It shows you have experience with music artists, that you are a real music producer, and it can help to justify your beat prices.

#2 – About Description or Bio

About Frontpage Widget
About Widget From Music Maker WordPress Theme

It’s important to show you are a real person and not a faceless website that may steal people’s money online.

A good bio or video can make you look professional and help you build trust.

All your favorite music producers are your favorite producers because you know who they are.

They built a brand for themselves and promoted that brand.

You need to show yourself, and start building a name for yourself.

#3 – Testimonials

Use Testimonials to Help Build Trust Online
Testimonials Widget From Music Maker WordPress Theme

Get testimonials from people you have worked with, saying great things about you.

People want to know you are professional, helpful, and produce great work.

Other good examples are:

  1. Your website should have a contact form. People feel better knowing they can reach out to you with questions.
  2. You want to have things on your website that makes people know the site is safe and secure. Their payment details are very important to them.
  3. Have photos of you working with music artists can help state you are serious about music.

And there are more things you can do.

But you want to add things to your website that help to build trust so people feel comfortable giving you their money.


9. Use Data to Increase Beat Sales

Use Data to Increase Beat Sales
Use Data to Increase Conversions – Photo by Luke Chesser

Having your own website is great because there are many tools you can use to track data and improve your website.

When you first create a website, everything you do is based on what looks cool, and what you think is going to work.

But you should use tools to help confirm your ideas and assumptions.

Here are some examples:

You want to add website tracking code to your website like Google Analytics to track how many visitors come to your website.

This will give you tons of information like:

  • How much time do people spend on your website?
  • How many pages do they visit?
  • What are your most popular pages?
  • What country they are in and much more.

And then you want to analyze that data to help improve your website.

If a majority of your visitors come to the homepage and leave in 30 seconds, analyze why.

Try to understand why people are leaving your site so fast.

  • Is it your pricing
  • Is the text
  • Is it the images
  • Is it clear what your website has to offer
  • Are there distractions on your website

You need to ask yourself these questions.

Try to think of it from the perspective of a music artist who may not be web-savvy.

I even like to take it one step further and use tools that record videos of website visitors.

Use a service like Hotjar.com to record videos to see how people interact with your website.

Watching these videos will be very eye-opening.

You will see what people click, what they pay attention to, and what they ignore.

9.1 Data on Beat Sales

Let’s talk about using data to improve beat sales.

You want to pay attention to which beats in your beat store get the most plays and try to understand why:

  • Is it the thumbnail?
  • The beat name?
  • Is it the genre?
  • The price?

You want to analyze this to understand why, so you can improve the play count for your other beats.

Because if people aren’t listening to your beats, you aren’t going to get sales.

A good thumbnail and beat name can make a difference.

Next, you want to pay attention to your beat sales.

If you have sold beats, what type of beats are selling the most, and why?

If you have a specific type of beat that is selling more, figure out why, and repeat the process.

9.2 Data Conclusion

As a business and entrepreneur, it’s important to not make decisions based on your opinion.

Use data to help confirm your ideas.

I’ve been making websites for over 10 years.

I’ve made tons of mistakes that cost me money, hurt website traffic, and lowered search rankings.

All because I made assumptions instead of using data.

The words you use on your website can make a difference.

You may use a specific term for something, but people may be searching for and use another term. So even the right marketing text can make a difference.

Use data and make improvements to your website.


10. Focus on Building Relationships

Focus on Building Relationships
Build Relationships with Customers – Photo by Gordon Cowie

One of the best ways to succeed at selling beats is to build relationships with music artists.

Too many music producers get too focused on making money when it comes to selling beats.

When you get too obsessed with money, it will cloud your judgment and cause you to make bad decisions on how you market yourself.

Think about your favorite music producers online.

Do they beg people to buy their beats? Or do they make people want their beats?

You want to look at your customers as people who you want to help succeed.

If you help others succeed, they will help you succeed.

You selling a beat shouldn’t be you sell a beat and you’re done with that person.

Establish relationships so customers become repeat customers and buy many beats from you.

Provide good service so next time a customer needs a beat, they will think of you first.

“Treat people how you want to be treated.”

Do you want someone to come up to you saying buy my stuff? Give me money?.

Or do you want someone more genuine, trustworthy, and seems helpful?

I’m sure you want the second option, and that’s how you should treat your potential customers.

Be helpful so people come to you for their music needs.

You will get loyal fans by offering great beats at good prices and providing a great experience.


Bonus Tips

Here are bonus tips and suggestions left by users in the comment section.

  • Offer Free Beats to Gain Interest – I gave away a free beat, which led to a music artist buying 5 beats from me months later. – Kyle Smith
  • Message Music Artists Directly – I got my first beat sale through Soundcloud by messaging rappers if they are interested in my beats and if you ask me that’s the best way to get paying customers for life! – Teodor (TED0BEATS)
  • Use Acapellas – Letting people listen to my mixtapes, I would use acapellas over my beats and once they knew it was a made beat they liked them. – Chris
  • Focus on Quality Beats – My tip for all of you out there is to stay focused on your productions. I posted beats to my SoundCloud and YouTube when someone contacted me about purchasing a beat of mine. – Aidan

Suggested Books & Resources

Books on Marketing & Selling

Last update on 2024-03-25 / Affiliate Disclaimer


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Check out the comments below for more helpful tips on selling beats.

How did you sell your first beat?

Please share in the comment section below.

Mark V.

Written By Mark V.

Mark Valenzuela is a professional blogger, entrepreneur, and educator with more than 15 years of experience in music production. In 2008, Mark founded Hip Hop Makers, a top resource for aspiring music producers and beatmakers. He specializes in content on music production, software, gear, and free music resources. Committed to empowering creators of all levels, Mark continues to inspire and help music creators pursue their dreams.

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Comments

  1. 1. First, I gave a beat away for free. My buddy Drew Harris, who is a professional audio engineer, had connected me to this rapper that goes by the name “Harlem Duke Hazard”, and I heard that he was looking for hot new music to spit to. I sent the beat to Drew first so that he could mix it, then Drew recorded Duke over the track a few weeks later. I liked Duke’s delivery, flow, and work ethic, so I sent him about ten to twelve beat snippets a few weeks later. Long story short, Duke was drawn to my sound, and he bought five beats off of me a month later.

    2. If you want longevity in your business, sell your craft. If you are stuck in the mindset of selling music to make money, you will not have long-term customers. Also, start promoting your music locally. Go to talent shows, house parties, small concerts, and poetry events. Network with local talent and try to get your music played at these events. The music business is grounded on relationships, honestly.

    3. You do not need a beat site to sell your music. You can sell your craft via email. Money will come, but you should be developing long-term relationships with artists. Ask first before sending your beat snippets to artists, managers, and such. And make sure to send mp3 files, not links!

  2. Hi I Dragan Tesla have been creating beats for more than 10 years now and never sold anything spent a lot of money on software and hardware in more than ten years!But i still do it for the love of music!

  3. I learn went to schools about marketing department as the games terms at least one other person like me to do with the following link unsubscribe if I have to do it for you to see the outcomes of my life with Family members fashion friends designed methods I thought you were able to make sure that the best way is to be able to get back give back MONEY to the poor kids to school and work as well as parents we are not in the industry just me. Thanks again for all of your help.

  4. DON’T think about money. Just try to create your own sound and don’t be scared to get inspired by bigger producers.
    Build your own site and post everything you make.

    Learn how to mix and master tracks. When you’ll get true feedbacks you’ll begin to sell beats. When you’re selling a beat deal with the artist as an ARTIST instead of a consumer. Nowadays beat is not just the instrumental but what makes the artist inspired.

  5. Letting people listen to my mixtapes, I would use accapellas over my beats and once they knew it was a made beat they liked them.

  6. I was chilling with one of my friends and we were free styling, he told me he was having a difficult time making his own beats. I showed him a couple of the beats i made and he really liked them. he offered me $40 for just one beat, but since he was my friend i sold it to him 2 beats for $20. afterwards i was really excited, because it was the first beat i ever sold.

  7. I got more first beat sale through Soundcloud by messaging rappers if they are interested in my beats and if you ask me that’s the best way to have a paying customers for life!!!

    Important step in start selling beats online is to build trust. And to build trust you need to build relationship with artist. Don’t go and say ‘omg you so fye buy my beats’ instead say something like ‘Damn bro that track here is fye. I see the potential in you’ and that’s it. Don’t say anything about beats or sh*t just talk with em like you talk with your friends and if they ask you for beats then is your turn. If not you can try to ask em if they need any and if they need send em some and start working! That’s it! Nothing hard at all.

    I use Beatstars and Youtube to upload my beats. I communicate with rappers through soundcloud, instagram and twitter.

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