Opinion: Are Free Beats Killing THe Music Industry

This post is going to be dedicated to the age old question that we all have been answering since the advent of blogs and youtube. "Are free beats killing the music industry and hindering chances for music producers?"

To tell you the truth, there are many ways to go about this. One can say they are because when you give away beats for free, you (as a producer) are missing out on opportunities to make cash. Other reasons include it allows the artist to have control of the producer and the product that he holds within his brand; and only selling your beats to famous artists makes perfect sense. 

To be completely honest, these reasons are full of crock. You cannot make somebody control you of your actions to give away free beats, so why do it? You are in control of your productions and which ones are that are worth giving away. If you want to have power as a music producer, it is a solid yes or a solid no when an artist asks a request from you, whether it is a free beat or not. You are not missing out on any opportunities to make money because there are other forms. Maybe you need extra money to start your career off properly or you may need a job to support your family at the moment. So the opportunities are there to make money, just not in music production. The opportunity to sell your beats to famous artists is a very poor idea because what makes them think they will buy from you if you have never had the experience in selling a beat to a local/middle class artist, or selling anything at all. Just because you make hot beats, doesn't mean they will fly off the shelves on your own terms [when you say so]. Famous artists like Drake and Nicki have labels and managers organizing their beats for them anyways, so you would have to get in good with 3 people [at least] before you ever think they will hop on your track.

So now to answer the question....should you give free beats away?

The answer is [drum roll] OF COURSE. you need to give free beats away in order to build a buzz and reputation for your music production career and brand. If you don't give free beats away then you are not going to get anywhere. People only buy from people they trust. Why do you think you are entitled to sell your beats 2 months in as a producer when no one knows who you are yet? The most simplest way to start selling your beats is to give them away first but here is the trick...

You give a free beat away for exchange of something....email, contact info, acapella etc.

When you get one of these things from your remitter, then it is completely okay for you to give your beat (not beats) away, one beat per one item. You are indirectly selling them but without the use of cash. The trick is to build a relationship with someone before you have them even think about buying beats from you in large amounts. You have to be a trusted name first before you think to give beats away for a price tag. 

So on that note, sell your beats but when you give them away for free get something in return.

- CSum

---