What is a producer tag?
You press play on a beat and before the first bar a voice says a name. That is the producer tag: a short signature that tells you who made the beat. On a lease it usually stays in, so it helps to know why it is there and how to work with it.
Short answer: a producer tag is a short sound or voice line that names the producer. On a lease the tag usually stays in the files you get, and you may not take it out yourself. Taking it off is something you agree on an exclusive. At TH6 every lease comes with the tag in the MP3 and the WAV.
By TH6 · Updated
What a tag is
A producer tag is a few seconds of sound that works as a signature: a name, spoken, sung or run through an effect, sometimes a short melody or a noise. It usually sits at the start of the beat, before the drums come in, and some producers bring it back later in the beat.
A tag is not a sample of someone else’s music. It is made by or for the producer, and it is part of the beat you license.
Why producers use one
- Recognition: listeners learn the sound before they learn the name, and other artists find the producer through it.
- Protection: a tagged beat is useless to anyone who rips it off YouTube or a store page, because the tag sits in the music itself.
- Credit: the tag names the producer even when someone forgets the credits.
Tagged previews and tagged files
Producers handle this in two ways. Some only tag the preview and send clean files when you buy. Others keep the tag in the leased files and only take it off on an exclusive. Both are fine, as long as you know before you pay: "tagged WAV" in a licence means the tag is in the file you get.
At TH6 the MP3 and the WAV of every lease have the tag in them, and the licences say so. Whether the tag comes off is agreed on an exclusive, in writing.
Can you remove the tag yourself?
Not on a lease that comes tagged. The tag is part of the beat you licensed, and the licence gives you the beat as it is, tag included. Cutting it out goes beyond what the lease allows, and so does leaving it out when you mix from the stems.
If the tag is in the way of your song, ask the producer about an exclusive. That is where taking it off is on the table, together with the price. More in the guide lease or exclusive.
Working the tag into your song
Most artists let the tag play and come in right after it, or put something over it: a name, an ad-lib, the first words of the intro. Arranging around the tag sounds more natural than trying to bury it.
Keep it in the version you release, also on YouTube and on social media. A tag that stays in tells other artists who made the beat, and that is part of why a lease can be as cheap as it is.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove the producer tag from a leased beat?
Not when the lease comes tagged, as every lease at TH6 does. Taking the tag off is agreed on an exclusive, in writing.
Why does the beat I bought still have a tag?
Because the lease comes with a tagged file. That is normal for leases: it keeps them cheap and names the producer. Check the licence; it says whether the files are tagged.
Can I rap or sing over the tag?
Yes, many artists do: an intro line, a name or an ad-lib over the tag. The tag stays in the beat; you just use the space around it.
How long is a producer tag?
Usually a few seconds: a name, a short phrase or a sound at the start of the beat.