How much does a beat cost?
Anywhere from nothing to several thousand euros, and the price tag is the least interesting part. What a beat costs depends on what you may do with it, how far your song may go, and who earns what when it does. This guide goes through the price levels you will find, what drives them, and the costs that only show up later.
Short answer: a basic lease usually costs somewhere between € 20 and € 100, an unlimited lease € 150 to € 500, and an exclusive anything from a few hundred euros to several thousand. A custom beat made for one artist is priced per project. At TH6 a lease costs € 75, € 110 or € 300, and what you pay for is how many streams you may reach.
By TH6 · Updated
The price levels at a glance
| What you buy | What you get | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Free beat | Usually a tagged MP3, for non-profit use only | € 0 |
| Basic lease | MP3 or WAV with tag, capped streams or sales | € 20 to € 100 |
| Premium or WAV lease | WAV, higher limits | € 50 to € 200 |
| Lease with stems | Every layer of the beat, high limits | € 100 to € 300 |
| Unlimited lease | No limits, often with stems | € 150 to € 500 |
| Exclusive | Off the market, terms per deal | From a few hundred euros to several thousand |
| Custom beat | Made for your song, exclusive from the start | Per project |
These are the ranges you see on beat stores and producer sites; the exact price depends on the producer. At TH6: Basic Lease € 75 (100,000 streams), Premium Lease € 110 (150,000 streams), Unlimited Lease € 300 (no limit, with stems), exclusive and custom on request.
What drives the price
- The limits. A lease that allows 10,000 streams is a different product from one that allows 100,000. Compare the numbers, not the names of the tiers.
- The files. A tagged MP3 costs less than a WAV, and stems cost more again, because they let your engineer mix the song properly.
- Exclusivity. A lease can be sold to many artists, an exclusive only once. That one sale has to cover what the beat would have earned in leases.
- The producer. Producers with placements and a track record charge more, and often for good reason: their beats have been tested on real releases.
- The splits. A cheap beat that takes a big share of your master can cost you more than an expensive one, once the song earns.
Are free beats really free?
A free beat costs nothing until you release. Most free beats on YouTube are "free for non-profit": you may write and post a demo, but the moment your song goes on Spotify or earns money, you need a lease. "Free for profit" beats exist too, often on the condition that you credit the producer, but the terms are usually one line in a description. For a demo, free is fine. For a release you care about, a written licence is worth the money. More in can I use a beat from YouTube?
A simple way to decide
Work backwards from what the song needs to do. If it is a test or a quick single, the cheapest lease that allows a real release is enough: you can upgrade if it grows, and at TH6 that upgrade costs the difference. If you already know the song is your next lead single, compare the Unlimited Lease with an exclusive (lease or exclusive?). And if the song only works on a beat built around it, a custom beat is the honest choice.
One sum helps when you compare stores. Divide the price by the streams the licence allows. The TH6 Basic Lease comes to € 0.75 per thousand streams, the Premium Lease to about € 0.73. Some leases that look cheap are far more expensive per stream, because their limit is tiny.
What a beat costs at TH6
- Basic Lease, € 75: tagged WAV and MP3, up to 100,000 streams.
- Premium Lease, € 110: tagged WAV and MP3, up to 150,000 streams.
- Unlimited Lease, € 300: tagged WAV and MP3 plus the stems, no stream limit.
- Exclusive: agreed per beat; the beat comes off the shop.
- Custom beat: priced per brief, written for one artist.
Every lease includes selling, video, radio, live shows and sync, never expires, and splits the same way: 90% of the master for you, the publishing 50/50. Prices include 21% VAT; outside the EU you pay the same amount without VAT. There are two deals, and the one that saves you most applies by itself: of every three beats in your cart the cheapest is free, or two Unlimited Leases for € 500 instead of € 600.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a beat lease cost?
Most basic leases cost between € 20 and € 100; a lease with stems or without limits costs more. At TH6 a lease costs € 75, € 110 or € 300.
How much does an exclusive beat cost?
From a few hundred euros to several thousand, depending on the producer and the beat. At TH6 an exclusive is agreed per beat.
Why are some beats so cheap?
Usually because the licence gives you little: a low stream limit, only an MP3, a lease that expires, or a big share of your master for the producer. Read the licence before you compare prices.
Do I pay VAT on a beat?
In the EU, yes: TH6 prices include 21% Dutch VAT. If you live outside the EU you pay the same amount without VAT, and an EU company with a valid VAT number pays no Dutch VAT.
What does a custom beat cost?
It is priced per project, because the work differs a lot from song to song. You get one price up front after sending a brief.