Artists Are Stealing Your Beats?/ Beatmakers Stealing Your Ideas? - ... So What?!

Jay_Freez

New member
Hi everybody,

I start this thread because it seems that this is a reccurent theme in every forum I go,especially for "starter" beatmakers. I'm sure there is a tons of thread on this matter, but I wanted to give my take on this.

Well, if you're a producer willing to make money off your beats online, you certainly had these thoughts " I'm afraid to put my beats online because...:
- I don't want someone to steal them and use it for free;
- I don't want producers to steal my idea;
- Artists will have a "cheaper" beatmaker remaking my beat...."

I did think that way too.

It's not a secret anymore: Stealing a beat from youtube, soundcloud, or soundclick, or any streaming website you can name is EASY. All you need to do is downloading an app like dwhelper (for mozzila firefox) for example.

- A Tagged Beat you say? Bad news for us, that doesn't stop artist no more. Look at how may artists are rapping over a tagged version of a superstar O or a Vybe beat for example.

What's sad is that there is nothing you can do to stop it. And you will probably never know that someone used your beat, since the artist probably didn't credit you, and since Google can't do "vocal search" (yet).

I know it's F***** up and it may sound discouraging for some of you, but my point is YOU SHOULDN'T CARE ABOUT IT!

Everyday, people are stealing stuff at Wall Mart. Should Wallmart close?-No. It's the same for music: people are downloading albums for free, but that doesn't stop labels to sell music. This reasonning can be applied to the online beat market industry too. All you need to do is being wary and innovative.

Moreover, our perception of the rate of people who are stealing beats is exagerated. I've never heard of a major artist who had stolen a beat from youtube. Indeed, the last thing a major artist needs is a lawsuit. As far as the "others artists" concerned, beats are now really affordable, they do not need to steal it no more.

Finally, for those who are scared of a beatmaker stealing your idea, melody etc.... That comes with it too. But at least in this case you can copywright your songs.

I hope this thread helped someone.

NOW, I want your point of view, experiences....

**** SORRY IF I MAKE GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES, ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE

Jay Freez
soundclick.com/jayfreez
 
People waste time trying to sell beats to random rappers. Beatmakers that sell beats should just target certain artists and market their beats to those artists. Why put up 100 beats online so other people can copy or steal them?
 
Everyday, people are stealing stuff at Wall Mart. Should Wallmart close?-No. It's the same for music: people are downloading albums for free, but that doesn't stop labels to sell music. This reasonning can be applied to the online beat market industry too. All you need to do is being wary and innovative.

bad analogy.

A rapper stealing your beat is not like somebody stealing a hat.

It is like someone stealing the unique design of the hat from the manufacturer and the theif making his own counterfeit hats preventing the designer from making a living from his own work.

Stealing a hat from Wal-Mart to wear is like illegally downloading a song online to listen to on your own ipod.


Moreover, our perception of the rate of people who are stealing beats is exagerated. I've never heard of a major artist who had stolen a beat from youtube. Indeed, the last thing a major artist needs is a lawsuit. As far as the "others artists" concerned, beats are now really affordable, they do not need to steal it no more.


you are not understanding the issue and you are thinking small.

While the major artist is not stealing the beat, the major artist who otherwise would have bought the beat now does not want the beat because all these little small time crappy rappers and singers are using the beat and now nobody wants it because it is already "out there".




Finally, for those who are scared of a beatmaker stealing your idea, melody etc.... That comes with it too. But at least in this case you can copywright your songs.


You think your copyright will keep people from stealing? (and you don't "copyright your songs". You automatically hold a valid copyright in the song you create from the moment you record it or transcribe it)

Does the copyright, trademark, patent or any other laws keep people from stealing from wal mart or from illegally downloading?

These people know what they are doing is illegal.

A little letter "c" in a circle does not stop people from stealing... thieves know they are thieves.



The way to stop stealing is for people to have respect for other people's property.

Simple as that.
 
The way to stop stealing is for people to have respect for other people's property.

Simple as that.

Not so simple, though. Go back 1000 years, 100... 10. "Respect" is hard to come by, on a worldwide scale. The truest answer to any societal problem is societal shift. It just doesn't happen that often.

Take guns... As long as tons of people still want guns, a law to take them away will not work. When the vast, vast majority are against guns, the people will call for a law, which will work.

Same for free music. Laws against it don't convince people not to do it. People would have to collectively agree that they're being jerks. That ain't happening!

You can't put the toothpaste back into the tube. Internet made music easy to steal. I'll pay the man that convinces everyone to stop.
 
It's not stealing. Music and beats are free in this age.

Payment comes from those that support you. Can't believe people still talkin about this. The more people download and share your beats/music the more promotion for you.
 
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Not so simple, though. Go back 1000 years, 100... 10. "Respect" is hard to come by, on a worldwide scale. The truest answer to any societal problem is societal shift. It just doesn't happen that often.

Take guns... As long as tons of people still want guns, a law to take them away will not work. When the vast, vast majority are against guns, the people will call for a law, which will work.

Same for free music. Laws against it don't convince people not to do it. People would have to collectively agree that they're being jerks. That ain't happening!

You can't put the toothpaste back into the tube. Internet made music easy to steal. I'll pay the man that convinces everyone to stop.

The answer is simple. If people respect other people's property they would not steal it.

Did i say it is easy to get people to respect other people? No.

Most people are dicks.

An unfortunate truth.
 
It's not stealing. Music and beats are free in this age.

Payment comes from those that support you. Can't believe people still talkin about this. The more people download and share your beats/music the more promotion for you.

...and we wonder why things are falling apart.
 
Just don't post anything online. Problem solved. Make your connections by meeting people out in the real world.
 
It's not stealing. Music and beats are free in this age.

Payment comes from those that support you. Can't believe people still talkin about this. The more people download and share your beats/music the more promotion for you.

so you are suggesting that we need to create a new golden age of patronage
- this is how musicians survived before the 19th century, people gave them a position within their household or community
- then came the age of the commission, where a composer (not a performer) was paid to produce specific works for specific purposes
- some composers were able to work at one job (most times totally unrelated to music) to support their passion as composers
- performers have always held positions/jobs as musicians in households/communities/performing companies,
- the concept of freelance performers is a late 19th century idea
- recording contracts replaced the older forms of patronage and released the composer/performers from having to hold a day job to survive
- in this current age of theft, patronage would seem to be the only solution but I doubt that many will achieve the success they dream of if this is the only way forward
- what other models of financial/business action can we apply to the products of our creative endeavours?????
 

Listen to Will.I.Am

Thank you for posting this !;) it´s definitly a différent point of view, but arguments are solid
 
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OMG! That is pure genius. Even little things like a lemonade stand in a concert earns $$$ fast. Music's the honey that attracts audience who soon get thirsty by partyin hard, who then aim for the lemonade. Instant $$$ i feel so evil bwahahaha. But yes music is our buisness at the end of the day and we make a living out of it so yeah its fair. :)
 
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It's not stealing. Music and beats are free in this age.

Payment comes from those that support you. Can't believe people still talkin about this. The more people download and share your beats/music the more promotion for you.

Promotion revenue.

Ask any major label artist that had a heavily promoted album that flopped.
 
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Promotion revenue.

Ask any major label artist that had a heavily promoted album that flopped.

From what I hear major label artists are broke. Why follow the mainstream?


you don't even get close with promotion + traction + sales = revenue

What about the people that this actually works for? Are they wrong?


Trying to get in the mainstream music industry is one thing, but if you love to make music and you want to make money from that then you should be going the opposite way

That's just my opinion. I know what has worked for me
 
2 cents maybe but not even close to a living wage

the 1% that the paradigm works for do not share it with the 99% who it does not work for
 
you don't even get close with promotion + traction + sales = revenue

art may be theft (of concepts and ideas) but that does not mean that as artists we accept that others can steal our resulting work

see this

Lars Was First And Lars Was Right | The Trichordist

and watch the video

and then trawl through the links on the rhs

Poor Lars.. I remember people being passionately hateful towards his stance back then. Why? Because most people just want free music. It was true then, and it's true now.
 
Chuck wins @ 15:12 to 15:47.

From what I hear major label artists are broke. Why follow the mainstream?

This depends on the source of information and what you define as "broke." However, your claim was that "payment comes from those that support you" and that "the more people download and share your beats/music the more promotion for you." What I'm saying is promotion whether free or purchased, does not equal a return on investment or profit.

And what does following the mainstream have to do with anything?
 
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