You found a beat you love and decided to buy it, but then you're hit with options like "Basic," "Premium," and "Exclusive." These license types don't just set the price; they also define what you're actually allowed to do with that beat. Starting out with the wrong license can lead to serious copyright headaches if your song takes off. In this guide, we'll break down each license type, the rights it grants, and when to choose which one.
What Is a License, and Why Does It Matter?
When you buy a beat, you usually don't own it; what you get is the right to use it under specific conditions. The producer still holds the copyright to the work. The license is the contract that spells out those terms: how many copies you can sell, how many streams you're allowed, whether you have commercial rights at all. It's all written right there.
Buying without reading the license is like trying to sell a house you're only renting. So before you hit that buy button, always read the license text.
Basic (Non-Exclusive) License
The Basic license is the most affordable and the most common option. It typically delivers an MP3 (sometimes a WAV) file and grants non-exclusive use, meaning the same beat can also be sold to other artists.
What a Basic license usually covers:
- Personal and limited commercial use
- A set stream/sales cap (for example, 5,000 copies, 50,000 streams)
- Demos, mixtapes, and social media posts
- A requirement to credit the producer (usually "Prod. by ...")
A Basic license makes sense for new artists, experiments, and low-budget projects. But if your song unexpectedly blows up, you'll need to upgrade once you hit the limits.
Premium License
The Premium license is the bridge between Basic and Exclusive. It offers higher limits, usually WAV + trackout (stems) files, and broader commercial rights. It can still be non-exclusive, so the beat may still be sold to others, but the range of use you're granted is much wider.
Rights you'll commonly find with a Premium license:
- Higher, or near-unlimited, stream/sales limits
- Radio and podcast airplay
- Music video use
- The ability to remix using the trackout files
For independent artists who release regularly and have a growing audience, Premium is usually the most balanced choice.
Exclusive License
An Exclusive license means you and only you get to use that beat. Once you buy it, the producer pulls the beat from the Beat Store and won't sell it to anyone else. The copyright often stays with the producer, but the usage rights are largely transferred to you.
An Exclusive license is essential when:
- You want to make the beat a signature part of your brand
- You're putting together a high-budget, professional album
- You don't want anyone else making a song over the same beat
Exclusive is the priciest option, because the producer is giving up all the potential future sales from that beat. The price varies significantly based on the beat's popularity and the producer's reputation.
Which License Should You Choose?
To decide, answer three questions:
- What's the scale of the project? A TikTok experiment, or a commercial album?
- How much play/sales volume do you expect? Will you blow past the limits?
- Does exclusivity matter? Would it bother you to hear the same beat on someone else's track?
For short-term, low-risk projects, go with Basic; for growing careers, Premium; and for signature projects, Exclusive is the right call.
Common Mistakes
- Buying without reading the license. Limits and rights differ from producer to producer.
- Forgetting the credit. Many Basic licenses require you to give the producer clear credit.
- Putting off the upgrade as you grow. Going over the limits can get your content pulled from platforms.
When you start out with the right license, you won't have copyright worries as your music grows. On RITM, every beat's license terms are clearly stated on the purchase screen, so be sure to review them before you decide.