While speaking with an artist who usually shops for beats on BeatStars and Airbit, he inquired of why he couldn’t find any of my beats on either site. He informed me that it made me appear to be less legit as a beat maker to him. I could see where he was coming from. Afterall, BeatStars and Airbit have carved out a reputation for themselves as being the goto marketplaces for beats. Even still, I prefer selling beats from my own website. Below is why I don’t use BeatStars to sell beats online.
I Can’t Blog on BeatStars WITHOUT Paying Them
When it comes to selling beats online, having the ability to blog is a must. Not being able to create content where I sell online is a major handicap. Especially if I have to pay to do it.
Having my own independent beat store enables me to publish unlimited blog posts. Unfortunately, I’d have to pay BeatStars $240 per year to be able to blog.
Blogging allows me to create engaging content that keeps potential customers on the website longer. The longer they’re on the website, the more my chances increase for getting a beat sale.
Blogging enables me to better target the specific audience I want to reach.
This occurrence is a result of my content containing some of the same exact keywords and phrases my audience uses to search for the type of content I create and/or product I sell.
This is a science known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By optimizing my content; I can increase the probability of getting my type of content in front of those who are looking for it.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so important that the music producer below explains that it is the main reason why he stopped using BeatStars to make money selling beats online.
TURN UP YOUR VOLUME & PRESS PLAY
BeatStars Doesn’t Allow me to Monetize Content
Another blogging benefit is that by being a Google Adsense publisher, I’m able to monetize the content I publish on my site.
This is similar to the YouTube Partnership Program, where advertisers pay Google for utilizing ad space on my site. Google in turn pays me for the views I get on my website.
There are days where Google will pay me $200 + for just 1000 views to my site. That’s more than what your favorite recording artist gets paid for 1500 streams.
So even if I only get 10% of those 1k views to my website, I’ll still get 10% of that $200. This means even if I never sell a beat, I still can make some money for driving traffic to my website.
As long as I’m creating insightful content that drives traffic, I can still make a healthy living just talking about music production. This is one of the most important reasons why I don’t use BeatStars to sell beats online.
I Have My Own Beat Store Marketplace
Having my own beat store marketplace means that just like BeatStars, producers can sell beats on my site. So for every sale they get, the site is a reasonable commission.
What this does is add value to my website for artists who are looking to purchase beats. It also increases its revenue probability and profitability, because it’s guaranteed to keep visitors on the site longer.
Not being able to do that on BeatStars is another reason why I don’t use BeatStars to sell beats online.
Affiliate Program to Help Me Make Money Selling Beats
Being an affiliate marketer myself, I know the power of having several people market a product as opposed to one person doing the product marketing.
The power of marketing is exponential. People are more than willing to promote a product that is going to give them a cut of the sales.
By having my own affiliate program, I can sell more beats and pay a commission to those who help me make a living selling beats online.
So when I saw that BeatStars didn’t have an affiliate program for producers, it was a major turnoff for me.
BeatStars is TOO Expensive for Me
For what BeatStars charges for a year’s worth of access to their full suite of services, I can provide those same services myself at just a mere fraction of the price. Below is a chart of how BeatStars’ pricing goes.
Though I can’t distribute to the streaming platforms from my site, the $19.99 it would cost for month of the BeatStars Pro Page would cover 1 year of digital distribution with Distrokid.
I Can Sell What I Want in My Beat Store
As you can plainly see above, if I wanted to get into selling sound kits on BeatStars, I’d have to fork over $10 per month.
Currently, on the Put It Out There TV Productions site, I’m able to sell whatever I want within the music niche.
I can sell chord packs, courses, sample packs, sound banks, sound kits, and other music related products.
There’s Too Much Competition on BeatStars
As you may well be aware, BeatStars is a Marketplace, a digital Fleamarket packed with producers. I have a strong inclination that there are very few artists with profiles.
In fact, I’ve never even heard an artist say they’ve purchased a beat from a producer on BeatStars.
At least on my website, I have no other producers to compete with. When rappers comes to my site, they’re coming to either shop or digest some helpful content.
Either way, I get paid.
Is BeatStars a Good Place to Sell Beats?
Despite what I don’t like about BeatStars, it is a good place to make money selling beats.
Especially for the beat makers/producers who aren’t ready for their own website and complicated sales funnels. Those are the producers I’d recommend BeatStars to.
But for me, already experienced in internet marketing and sales; it’s only logical to sell beats from my own website.
A Personal Website the Best Way to Sell Beats Online
In my experience of selling products on the internet, the best way to make money selling beats online is by having your own website.
By having your own website to sell beats, you run the show. You have total control over every policy.
There is no being subjected to the unfettered whim of some faceless BeatStars site administrator.
