protecting your beats. Copyright?
- Thread starter City Situation
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So how do you expose the good artists to your beats? You let them listen in the studio or something? Never give them a beat cd?
I know it's like $50 per as much as you can fit on a CD (audio CD though I think), but my problem is I know I wouldn't sell every track on that CD. I know I would make it up in one sale of a beat.
And I dont wanna make a beat, and have to wait to sell it. It might not be in style anymore (not that I make a lotta trendy beats, but I just don't like to wait). You get it copyrighted quick, but you don't get anything back until about 6 months.
Yeah just copyright it aint no thing. You just have a little less rights since you didn't record the sample. (as in someone else recorded that clip that you sampled, and wrote/composed it)
What do you do if you're in the studio, or worse, you're not in the studio, and you meet an artist. You don't have time to let them listen to a lotta songs or don't even have the means to let them listen. Get contact info and then play them a CD in real life always?
I know it's like $50 per as much as you can fit on a CD (audio CD though I think), but my problem is I know I wouldn't sell every track on that CD. I know I would make it up in one sale of a beat.
And I dont wanna make a beat, and have to wait to sell it. It might not be in style anymore (not that I make a lotta trendy beats, but I just don't like to wait). You get it copyrighted quick, but you don't get anything back until about 6 months.
Yeah just copyright it aint no thing. You just have a little less rights since you didn't record the sample. (as in someone else recorded that clip that you sampled, and wrote/composed it)
What do you do if you're in the studio, or worse, you're not in the studio, and you meet an artist. You don't have time to let them listen to a lotta songs or don't even have the means to let them listen. Get contact info and then play them a CD in real life always?
I'm not saying to never hand out beat discs. I usually email shit now actually. Just send a zip file full of shit. Just don't trust everyone, know that you will get jacked, and if you don't care, then that's on you.. .
I always check up with people after I send them stuff to see what they thought. I don't even tag my shit, I think it takes away from the music. I've only had my shit on two albums that sort of bothered me, the rest of the shit, was nobody characters who nobody knows anyway
I always check up with people after I send them stuff to see what they thought. I don't even tag my shit, I think it takes away from the music. I've only had my shit on two albums that sort of bothered me, the rest of the shit, was nobody characters who nobody knows anyway
Technically it's up to the label, or whatever entity is making it available for mass consumption. And of course the artist will be paying for it.
As far as copyrights.. If you can't afford to copyright your beats then you really can't afford to engage in a lawsuit if somebody steals one. Especially against some wannabe rapper who probably doesn't have any money anyways. Honestly, the level you're at right now, I wouldn't worry about people stealing from you. Not to say it can't happen, because it can. Not to say your beats aren't worth stealing because I've never heard them and don't know if they're hot or not. But the bottom line is that unless the person who stole your beat significantly profited from it, and you can prove it, and they have money, there isn't much that would happen anyway.
The best beat maker in the world won't sell any beats if nobody ever hears them so you should be more worried about growing your talent (if you have any) then theft. If a well-known artist stole one of your beats and used it, it would be a blessing for you. And yes, even if it was used on a mixtape that's "for promotional use only".
As far as actually getting your beats heard... Obtaining a well-connected manager (or person in general) always helps. Make music and put it out there for people to hear. Go where the people you're trying to get in contact with go. Get on the phone and the internet and start networking your ass off. And don't stop.
As far as copyrights.. If you can't afford to copyright your beats then you really can't afford to engage in a lawsuit if somebody steals one. Especially against some wannabe rapper who probably doesn't have any money anyways. Honestly, the level you're at right now, I wouldn't worry about people stealing from you. Not to say it can't happen, because it can. Not to say your beats aren't worth stealing because I've never heard them and don't know if they're hot or not. But the bottom line is that unless the person who stole your beat significantly profited from it, and you can prove it, and they have money, there isn't much that would happen anyway.
The best beat maker in the world won't sell any beats if nobody ever hears them so you should be more worried about growing your talent (if you have any) then theft. If a well-known artist stole one of your beats and used it, it would be a blessing for you. And yes, even if it was used on a mixtape that's "for promotional use only".
As far as actually getting your beats heard... Obtaining a well-connected manager (or person in general) always helps. Make music and put it out there for people to hear. Go where the people you're trying to get in contact with go. Get on the phone and the internet and start networking your ass off. And don't stop.
