Beat licensing explained: Basic, Premium, Unlimited & Exclusive

If you sell beats, your license tiers are your pricing strategy. Get them right and buyers know exactly what to choose. Get them wrong and confused artists click away. Here's every common beat license, what it includes, and how to structure yours.

What a beat license actually is

When you "sell a beat" as a lease, you're not selling the beat — you're renting out the right to use it under specific terms. You keep ownership; the artist gets permission. The exception is an exclusive, where you sell the rights outright.

The terms that change between tiers usually are: file quality (MP3 / WAV / stems), streaming and sales caps, music video rights, radio rights, and whether the beat stays available to others.

The four standard tiers

Basic Lease

The entry point. Usually an MP3, with modest caps (e.g. a few thousand streams). Great for new artists testing a beat. Lowest price.

Premium Lease

WAV (and often tracked stems) with higher caps and music video rights. This is the tier most serious artists buy. Price it as your "default."

Unlimited Lease

Same files as Premium but with no streaming or distribution caps. For artists who don't want to think about limits. A clear step up in price.

Exclusive

You sell the beat outright — it's removed from your store and no one else can license it. Price this highest by far; it's a one-time sale of an asset you can never resell.

How to structure tiers that convert

• Three to four tiers, no more. Too many options kills decisions.
• Anchor with the middle. Most buyers pick the second or third tier — make Premium the obvious choice.
• Be specific. Spell out exactly what's included per tier so there are zero questions.
• Deliver instantly. The moment an artist pays, they should get the files and a signed license — no DMs, no delay.

For the actual numbers to put on each tier — ratios, anchoring and bundles — see how to price your beats without underselling.

Make it automatic

Writing license PDFs by hand and emailing files is where sales die. A proper beat store generates the license, delivers the right files for the tier, and pays you out automatically.

LoopDrop gives you Basic, Premium, Unlimited and Exclusive tiers with instant delivery and Stripe payouts — so the sale closes itself while you make the next beat. Start free.