Beat Licensing
Getting Started
7 min readBeat Licensing Explained
A complete, plain-English breakdown of how beat licensing works and what each license really grants.
The full picture of beat licensing
Beat licensing is the core of how producers earn on a marketplace. This guide pulls it all into one place.
What a license actually is
A license is permission with limits. You grant an artist the right to use your beat under specific conditions — you don't hand over ownership (unless it's exclusive).
The three licenses, fully explained
The three licenses compared
1Lease (MP3)
- Untagged MP3
- Limited copies (up to ~2,000–5,000)
- Streaming usually not included
- Non-exclusive — you keep leasing
- Best for: volume & buyer list
2Premium Lease
- WAV + trackouts/stems
- Higher limits (up to ~10,000)
- Streaming often included
- Non-exclusive — you keep leasing
- Best for: serious artists mixing properly
3Exclusive
- Full rights, WAV + stems
- Unlimited distribution
- Full exclusivity — you stop licensing
- One-time transfer
- Best for: beats with momentum / signed artists
Terms you can customize
On Loopzo you can add custom terms to each license — distribution caps, credit requirements, streaming rights, whatever fits your deal.
The golden rule
Key Takeaway
A license protects both sides. Clear terms up front prevent disputes and make buyers confident enough to pay.
Set clear license terms on every beat and you'll never have to negotiate the basics again.