Beat Licensing
Getting Started
5 min readLease vs Premium vs Exclusive
A practical comparison of what each license includes and when to offer each one.
Choosing the right license for each beat
Not every beat needs all three tiers, but offering them gives artists room to grow with you.
Side-by-side
Lease vs. Premium vs. Exclusive
1Lease
- MP3 delivered
- ~2,000–5,000 copies
- Streaming: often no
- Non-exclusive — resell freely
- Typical: $20–$40
2Premium
- WAV + stems delivered
- ~5,000–10,000 copies
- Streaming: often yes
- Non-exclusive — resell freely
- Typical: $40–$80
3Exclusive
- WAV + stems delivered
- Unlimited distribution
- Streaming: yes
- Full exclusivity — you stop selling
- Typical: $300–$2,000+
When to lean on each
- Lease — your everyday bread. Most artists start here. Volume matters.
- Premium — for artists getting serious: they want stems to mix properly and higher limits.
- Exclusive — for a beat with real momentum (lots of plays/leases) or a signed artist. Price it to reflect that it's gone from your catalog once sold.
Pro Tip
The art of pricing: make the lease a no-brainer, the premium a clear upgrade, and the exclusive a decision.
Set your three license prices on every beat you upload — it takes a minute and captures every type of buyer.