Very interesting post and lots of information. I think bottom line, it depends on what the artist or person interested is truly looking for. And I do think that the non exclusive beats can cater more to those that are just wanting to see what they can do with some beats and trying to put together something at home perhaps, or even more so with people wanting mixtapes but not really caring so much that others may have bought the beat.
For those that tend to buy
non exclusives from me, it's usually the case with mixtapes or putting together something on the side either just for the enjoyment of it or because they're wanting to see the hype they receive in their neighborhood first. It probably wouldn't make sense to drop a few hundred or so for a beat to just build buzz and wind up being a flop. I mean, if I were deeply serious about it and knew I had that momentum from the crowds, then I would absolutely invest (keyword) in some exclusive beats for an upcoming album or project. But if I wasn't sure what people would think of me just yet, and I was trying to see how things go, then I may try to jump on some non exclusives first, see how things go, and if they went well, then I'd jump the exclusive route when I made some money, and if they didn't go so well, then I only lose a small amount.
I think it really depends completely on the artist, the drive, and what the person is willing to invest in themselves, or where they feel they may be at the moment though. Funny though is that nowadays, it seems that there's more people not even wanting to invest in exclusive beats, feeling that they're just so lyrically gifted that you should be willing to just HAND THEM FREE exclusive beats left and right! I know several producer friends that have been encountering this more and more, so the question now may not even be "non exclusive or exclusive", it should be "free or invest". Hard to say which direction the hip hop game is going now and what upcoming artists feel they should be given or entitled to rather than what they should invest in. Bottom line, if you want to get into the industry, you're going to have to also invest in it... that old saying, "Nothing is free". Just my thoughts... much respect to all producers / beatmakers, whether you're doing non exclusives and exclusives, or exclusives only, or anything else you may be doing to get your beat hustle on.
Genycis