Producers Getting Paid From Mixtape Placements

Legal Dollaz

Legal Dollaz

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Lil Wayne quote from MTV:

"I don't like to do real songs on there (mixtapes), 'cause the producers be wanting their money. So I just do sh-- that's already out."

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/11/02/lil-wayne-no-ceilings/


So the question I ask to the producer community is do you think a producer should be paid for placing an original track that is being used on a free promotional-only mixtape?

This is a very important issue facing the producer community considering the growing trend for artists (especially in the hip hop genre) to drop free mixtapes containing some if not mostly new original music which is filling in the void in the retail album sector which is rapidly vanishing

Lets talk about it...
 
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I was talkin to my dude today.... producers dont get paid on the mixtape circuit, period...

thats how they come up..
 
nice topic... I think that in those situations it's up to the parties to decided how to best profit from the production in question. If you are treating mixtapes as albums with no sales then, my suggestion would be to direct the traffic/promotion from that mixtape to future projects most likely singles. So if you offer an internet low quality mixtape, sell the best songs from that tape in high quality... the singles and that profit should go both to the producer and artist.. just an idea
 
lol i wouldn't care about profits right now when I have an opportunity to be noticed with some big cats in the industry. Once I come up and ppl see im working with wayne or w.e they'll holla at me and real biz can start. And even if it aint about profits, at least u feel good cuz you got a big artist rapping on ur beat lmao
 
If it's promo only for the artist, it should be promo only for the producer. The artist is dropping original material also.

I don't understand somebody paying for something they have to release for free... Wayne has a point.

Make Wayne's album... then you'll get paid.

but... Wayne is going to do shows with his buzz... producers can't. Other people can loop that producers beat, nobody is going to spit Waynes rhymes again.

I guess if Wayne wanted the producer to take the beat off of the market, I guess the producer should be asked to get paid. If not, the producer could keep the beat up for sale I guess... a beat made popular by Wayne... but I doubt if anybody will buy it after somebody has already used it.

Producer's lose...

There are enough songs out that nobody has to pay if they just wanted to rap over something though.

Remember, rappers care more about raps than they do beats... as long as they get to flex how nice they are... the beat is secondary in their mind. That's why Wayne said what he said.

If you feel the urge to flame or call names, click the sig link first before you post.
 
Mixtapes SHOULD = $ for producers

these are the things that lead to more show money, a deal etc things that make money the producer will never see. The producer gains almost nothing other than a story to tell their kids. It's great for the résumé but most times it doesn't lead to anything else. The artist gains something from nothing and the producers should get a couple hundred per track
 
biggrome said:
Wayne is going to do shows with his buzz... producers can't. .
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THAT right there is the key point! Keep in mind the labels have most of these artists tied up in 360 deals so they're cool with it as well because they're still getting paid. The online sites are getting paid off the traffic generated off of the free music in ad sales.
 
nrjetik said:
lol i wouldn't care about profits right now when I have an opportunity to be noticed with some big cats in the industry. Once I come up and ppl see im working with wayne or w.e they'll holla at me and real biz can start. And even if it aint about profits, at least u feel good cuz you got a big artist rapping on ur beat lmao
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What if the producers are not credited on the mixtape (which happens often), what steps would you take to make sure your name gets out there in front of the song?
 
Most people get mixtapes in digital form then burn them with no recognition of the producers name. The only people who know you produced the track are your friends lol
 
Mixtape producers SHOULD get paid off of mixtape placements...

Yes, the mixtape is "promotional"...but that promotion is going to make the artist money in the long run.

Case in point, DRAKE. He got signed, got a national tour, all off of mixtape joints.


So the artist WILL get paid off of those promotional joints...what about the producer?? Nobody ever knows who that person is.


Promotion isn't free...promotion is PAID FOR. So mixtape artists need to PAY for the production on their PROMOTIONAL songs.

Unless the producer is given the same marquee space as the artist is, then pay up.


Wayne isn't giving away free "promotional verses" for producers, so why should he get "promotional beats"??
 
There will always be people that will do beats for free just to bring attention to their "FOR SALE" work.

... or else nobody will ever hear about them. Even McDonalds gives away free ish from time to time to keep people coming to them.

Be stubborn, hold out to get paid for every song and watch how much attention you get. The mixtape is "advertising"... just like it is for the artist.

You don't have to give away every beat for free... just enough to get noticed. There's a balance.

KFC ran out chicken with their promo but they probably had a bunch of repeat customers afterwards.
 
nrjetik said:
lol i wouldn't care about profits right now when I have an opportunity to be noticed with some big cats in the industry. Once I come up and ppl see im working with wayne or w.e they'll holla at me and real biz can start. And even if it aint about profits, at least u feel good cuz you got a big artist rapping on ur beat lmao
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That's what most cats think. So they sign away that publishing, they give away those beats, and then those "residual placements" never come.


And "feeling good cuz i got a big artist rapping on my beat" doesn't pay for this $2000 in software that I just bought, nor does it pay my electricity bill for all this damn equipment.
 
j.troup said:
Mixtape producers SHOULD get paid off of mixtape placements...

Promotion isn't free...promotion is PAID FOR.
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Good point! But the reality is most producers don't see a dime and in some cases don't even realize their beat was used until the mixtape and/or song is available to the public (another growing trend in the industry). The line 'yo I'm not making any money off this mixtape so I can't give you any money but its a good look for your resume' usually does the trick lol. Especially for the newbies that are just happy with the 'opportunity' and believe the industry will give a damn. NOTE: Industry execs only care about songs that make MONEY for their company, period (thats why even producers that have only album filler placements have a difficult time raising their prices even if they have 30 songs under their belt...none of them where hit singles and thats what the suits care about)


This issue needs to come to the forefront because 99 percent of ALL new hip hop music is being made available for free and only a small fraction of the remaining 1 percent that goes to retail sell enough to really matter
 
j.troup said:
That's what most cats think. So they sign away that publishing, they give away those beats, and then those "residual placements" never come.


And "feeling good cuz i got a big artist rapping on my beat" doesn't pay for this $2000 in software that I just bought, nor does it pay my electricity bill for all this damn equipment.
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Getting screwed early on is just part of paying your dues. It's not about writing one great song..

Dr Luke said the same thing, do what you can to get out there. Max Martin got screwed out of something like 10 songs.. he did pretty well.
 
ptonemusic said:
Getting screwed early on is just part of paying your dues. It's not about writing one great song..

Dr Luke said the same thing, do what you can to get out there. Max Martin got screwed out of something like 10 songs.. he did pretty well.
Click to expand...

Having no leverage happens in every industry when you're new. You always get less than what you deserve, until you gain leverage.


But there's a difference between not having any leverage, and walking into the office with your drawz down and your ass cheeks spread, already pre-lubed.


You can minimize the getting jerked, if you educate yourself as to how the game is played.
 
Most producers don't even do promotion for themselves except spamming links on message boards.

A hard drive choked full of tight beats that nobody will ever hear because they want a few hundred bucks, lol.

Put your beats on the web and people can rap over them for free anyway, you'll still never know. So PMP, Myspace, etc is full of FREE beats due to stream rippers and what not.

It's dudes selling TIGHT BEATS for $20... not sure why anybody would pay hundreds with whats available for free or for $20.

I'd take getting my name around with some artist that's going to try to hustle his project and I take that piggy back ride.

Nobody knows where you myspace page is except people on FP... (not directed at anyone but you get the picture).

You may sell a beat here and there.... but not enough to be a go to person.

That's why Wayne released ALL OF THOSE MIXTAPES... to get his name around... it caused him to sell over 1 mil in a week. Ask the guy with no mixtapes out if anybody even knows he's releasing anything.
 
biggrome said:
There will always be people that will do beats for free just to bring attention to their "FOR SALE" work.
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Yes this is 100% correct.

The 'no name' producer that does a song with Gucci Mane for a mixtape may not get any money directly from Gucci but he can market his BRAND off of Gucci Mane to justify upping his prices from $75.00 a track to $500.00 (especially if the track is fairly popular) to the indy artist community which is where most of the work is at anyhow. On the flip side it will hurt that producer to know Gucci is pulling in $20,000 a show due in part to a song he produced and isnt get a cut off of
 
biggrome said:
There will always be people that will do beats for free just to bring attention to their "FOR SALE" work.

... or else nobody will ever hear about them. Even McDonalds gives away free ish from time to time to keep people coming to them.

Be stubborn, hold out to get paid for every song and watch how much attention you get. The mixtape is "advertising"... just like it is for the artist.

You don't have to give away every beat for free... just enough to get noticed. There's a balance.

KFC ran out chicken with their promo but they probably had a bunch of repeat customers afterwards.
Click to expand...


So why give away your tracks? Why not do a "remix album" and give the joints away yourself...


At least then you have control over the credits, so that it can be used as a promotional vehicle for YOU, THE PRODUCER.



Wendy Day told me FREE WORK HAS NO VALUE. I live by that every day.
 
Drake wasn't getting paid off all the **** he was doing on the mix circuit...

But he knew his grind... so he did it...

Producers gotta do the same...

Look at Drake now, he sold that mixtape that was released promotionally... only had like 3 new joints on it!!

What did he sell?? like 300,000 this first week??

All he doin now is stackin his money of that mixtape for his next LP which will have a huge budget with big boy production..

And he grinded... so it's whatever...
 
Doing stuff for free to build your resume has always been a part of the entertainment industry. Most people had to do it at some point.
 
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