Producer JC said:
Pros
Online beat store players make it extremely easy for producers to start a business and saves producers a ton of start-up money. They also provide a way for us to take money in exchange for our beats.
Cons
Beat stores are often designed by companies who sell the for general use; therefore, the specific tools needs for client with special needs. Also, some beat store makers paint a false picture to their customer which makes t look like the store does on the sales work for the producer.
It's amazing to me that most producers ignore the actual selling process.
When it comes to non-exclusive agreements, the terms are simple because our beats can be resold at anytime to anyone for any reason. It doesn't really matter what buyer thinks because right belong to the music maker. However, exclusive agreements require TLC and therefore term should be negotiated between the parties involved; voice to voice or via email.
Any beat that's placed online can be stolen.
The idea behind music players is to increase the difficulty of theft in a cost effective way. If you're going to design your own music player, it's best to demo short 30 second clips of tagged beats. Either that, or only display beats with vocals on them. A real producer works with artists who use their beats in mix-tapes, albums, performances, etc . For non-exclusives, producers should promote the artists that buy from them as often as possible. On the other hand, you can save time and energy by using
myflashstore or any one of their competitors. Each company has their own pros and cons, so look for the one that fits your specific needs. Most of us have have different work ethics, but the music business is still the same.
Selling beats requires a store.
Online stores work best for taking accepting credit card payments and paypal, but there are other ways to handle business. For example, before the internet came around hip hop artists would go to the studio to buy beats. They'd also higher bands and dj's to help the make music and would pay in cash. With an online store,
embedded on a website, producers can still handle face to face business and make sells offline. The money exchange mostly happens online once terms are decided.
As far as contracts are concerned, each one should be negotiated based on the wants of the parties involved. This is the purpose of attorneys. It's seems like people in the industry are trying to develop a standard for purchasing the different right associated with music making. There are 6 rights that we can sell as music makers once we've created a new beat. If your going to have a standard contract, rather its acknowledged before or after the transaction, you needs to include to details as to what the purchaser can or can't do with those 6 rights. This is why producers need to know the process of making and releasing music, so they can protect their intellectual property from being stolen.
When selling beats, online or off, it's important to display the terms of purchase in a clear and legible way. Rather people read the terms before or after purchase is irrelevant in my experience, especially if the terms state something like, " By purchasing these beats you are accepting the terms and conditions of this agreement." It's their fault if they decide to purchase without reading. This doesn't mean you should try to sue every person that violates the terms. Usually a message to the purchaser letting them know a violation has occurred will fix most problems you run into.
IMO, producers who place too much importance on their beats hurt their business and sales. Remain humble and remember that it's about the music and not
just about the beat. And, they should stop depending on these online stores to make sales for them. Those of you who don't know how to sell should either learn or hire someone who knows how to.