We’ve implemented major improvements to enhance your experience. These updates are designed to not only simplify your workflow but also to help you more effectively sell your catalog and grow as the entrepreneur we know you can be.
Why are we making these changes?
There are several key reasons behind this upgrade. First, we want to provide a more streamlined process for uploading tracks and enhance your overall experience. We also aim to give our Pro users access to all the essential tools for monetizing, registering, publishing, and tracking their music across the internet—consolidated into one easy-to-use platform.
In essence, Studio is an all-in-one solution that empowers you to run your business more efficiently from a single hub.
What’s new?
The 2024 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards just wrapped, with an array of BeatStars community members taking home wins for their outstanding contributions to the music industry. This event, which acknowledges the most-performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs of the year, saw multiple BeatStars members take center stage.
BeatStars Publishing member HitKidd secured an award for his work on "F.N.F. (Let's Go)" featuring GloRilla. Producing sensation CashMoneyAP took home a win for "Slut Me Out" featuring NLE Choppa & Amritvir “Finesse” Singh. And finally, Adelso Sicaju picked up an award for "Favorite Song" featuring Toosi & Tatiana Manaois
"We're immensely proud of our producers' achievements at the BMI Awards," Abe Batshon, CEO and founder of BeatStars. "These wins reflect not only the individual talents of our community but also the supportive ecosystem we've built for them at BeatStars."
At BeatStars, we continue to invest in tools and services that empower music producers, with BeatStars Publishing standing out as a key resource for anyone looking to maximize their potential in the industry, complete with a support network, royalty collection, and exclusive opportunities to collaborate with established artists and producers.
Click below for more information about BeatStars Publishing and how it can support your music production career.
It’s been a big week for the BeatStars family. We won TWO BMI Pop Awards with producer Dan Darmawan for the chart-topping hits "Romantic Homicide" and "Here With Me" by d4vd. Two multi-platinum tracks that were both discovered and licensed on BeatStars!
We've also hit a special milestone - $325 MILLION paid out to our music creators worldwide.
Additional 2024 highlights:
From collabs with Grammy-nominated artists to #1 hits internationally, BeatStars creators continue to dominate in the industry.
"After sixteen years of working with creators from the ground up at BeatStars, it’s an honor to be a part of helping them realize their dreams. These incredible milestones not only reflect our commitment to supporting the creative community but also signify the immense potential and growth ahead for BeatStars.” - Abe Batshon (CEO, BeatStars)
We're on a mission to empower creators and change the game in the music industry. This is over a decade in the making, but these milestones are just the beginning.
BeatStars is where the stars find their beats. Discover more today.
Picture this: your loops, beats, or hooks become the backbone of a chart-topping hit, but without your permission. What if you're left out of the credits, or worse, the profits? Imagine your work fueling the next viral sensation, yet you're left knocking on doors for your rightful share. It's a scenario we've seen all too often, leaving many creators feeling disheartened and ready to throw in the towel. But here's the thing: giving up isn't in our vocabulary.
Take a look at some of the victories we've celebrated with our creators, proving that perseverance pays off in the music royalties negotiation process:
Fortnite - The Squabble EMOTE (Official Fortnite Music Video)
Rylo Rodriguez - "Equal Dirt" (Official Music Video)
ThxSoMch - SPIT IN MY FACE! (Official Music Video)
So, how do we ensure you get credited and paid fairly? Here are the top strategies from the Creator Rights Agency:
Never make the first offer when negotiating terms
In our work with creators, we've found that diving into deal discussions with your terms can be tempting. However, a large part of our strategy involves a bit of patience, allowing the other side to lay their cards on the table first. This approach often unveils terms and opportunities we might not have considered, ensuring we're not just closing deals, but securing the right ones for our creators with the best music legal guidance.
Always ask for a fee, master points, and your fair share of publishing
Every time we sit down to negotiate, we're not just talking numbers; we're there to ensure that every facet of your contribution is recognized and rewarded. Our stance is clear: a fair deal encompasses an upfront fee, master points, and a rightful share of publishing. Accepting anything less is a compromise we're not willing to make on behalf of our creators.
The importance of a letter of direction and securing direct payments
Our experience has taught us that the path to receiving payments can be fraught with delays and complications. That's why we insist on a letter of direction for our creators, a practice that streamlines the payment process directly from labels and platforms like SoundExchange, ensuring you get what you've earned without the runaround.
Always follow up
Following up might seem like a basic task, but it's an art we've refined over countless negotiations. Ensuring our creators' deals and payments move forward requires just the right balance of persistence and tact—every 9 business days, to be precise. It's this meticulous approach that helps us secure what's due without becoming a nuisance.
Foster industry relationships
In the tight-knit world of music, the relationships we build today can define opportunities tomorrow. Our team approaches every interaction with a blend of professionalism and warmth. It's not about being pushy; it's about being personable and respectful, ensuring that doors remain open for our creators now and in the future.
Wondering how to put all this into practice? That's where the Creator Rights Agency (CRA) comes in. We've crafted CRA to safeguard your interests, ensuring you're fairly credited and compensated. By joining the CRA, you're not just securing your rights; you're joining a movement dedicated to protecting and promoting the creative community.
Ready to secure your future in the industry? Join the Creator Rights Agency today and make your next hit, your best move.
Producers:
Producer:
Album: Her Loss by Drake & 21 Savage
Producer:
Album: Heroes & Villains by Metro Boomin
Co-Producer:
Album: I Told Them... by Burna Boy
Producers:
These nominations are not just personal triumphs for the producers but also a testament to the thriving creative community on BeatStars. Their stories, from initial beat-making to Grammy-nominated success, are a source of inspiration for every member of our community.
As we celebrate their achievements, we are reminded that the BeatStars platform is more than just a marketplace; it's a launchpad for talent and dreams. We are committed to continuing to provide the tools and opportunities for all our members to reach their fullest potential.
Looking ahead, we're excited to see more of our community members achieve their dreams. BeatStars will keep fostering a space where creativity, collaboration, and passion lead to incredible achievements like these Grammy nominations.
Conclusion:
Congratulations to all our Grammy-nominated producers! Your journey and success are what make BeatStars not just a platform, but a community of dreamers, achievers, and trailblazers. Here's to many more beats, collaborations, and celebrations in the future!
Call to Action:
Engage with us in celebrating these incredible producers. Check out their profiles, listen to their beats, and draw inspiration for your own musical journey. Remember, every beat you create on BeatStars could be the start of something Grammy-worthy!
BeatStars, the world’s most popular marketplace for buying and selling beats, announced a partnership with software developer Resonant Cavity, creators of the popular mobile recording studio and vocal effects app Voloco. The collaboration between these two best-of-breed platforms promises to deliver game-changing, seamless integrations to enhance accessibility, productivity, and creativity for musicians across all skill levels and genres. The initial feature integration between the BeatStars marketplace and the Voloco app will begin rolling out in January 2024.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the talented team at Resonant Cavity to bring mobile convenience, innovation, and inspiration to our community.“ - Abe Batshon, Founder and CEO, BeatStars
“Our mission is to empower creators in every way possible – integrating with Voloco will bring our community closer to enjoying an accessible, one-stop ecosystem for trying out beats and collaborating with each other,” Batshon added.
With over 67 million downloads, more than 70,000 recordings generated every day, and over 500,000 beats played daily, the Voloco app delivers studio-quality audio processing and has become an essential tool and viral sensation among musicians, songwriters, and vocalists worldwide. The integration and interoperability between the BeatStars marketplace and the Voloco app will bring the global creator community exciting opportunities to try out beats, share ideas with friends, collaborate with other creators, capture inspiration in the moment, and produce instant viral hits – all from the creator’s mobile device.
“Our collaboration with BeatStars will bring the world’s best beat catalog into the world’s most powerful mobile recording studio.” - Patrick Flanagan, Founder and CEO, Resonant Cavity
“As artists experience studio-quality vocals from Voloco over top-tier beats from BeatStars producers, they’re going to be inspired to create something exceptional,” Flanagan also said.
Stay tuned for more details about this incredible collaboration coming soon!
Last spring, neural net pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed “the godfather of AI,” quit his job at Google to speak freely about what he perceived as the long term dangers of AI. Now, the head of the audio team at Stability AI, Ed Newton-Rex, is speaking out after resigning because the company trained generative AI models on creators’ works without their permission.
“Companies worth billions of dollars are, without permission, training generative AI models on creators’ works, which are then being used to create new content that in many cases can compete with the original works,” Newton-Rex wrote in an op-ed article published this past week in Music Business Worldwide. “I can only support generative AI that doesn’t exploit creators by training models – which may replace them – on their work without permission.”
Like many GenAI companies who are racing to compete in this new frontier, Stability uses the ‘fair use’ doctrine to justify its practices, taking the position that training AI with copyrighted work meets the ‘fair use’ criteria – including the socially beneficial use of existing content – and therefore doesn’t represent any infringement on the creator. By invoking ‘fair use,’ companies believe no permission or payment to the creator is required. “I’m sure I’m not the only person inside these generative AI companies who doesn’t think the claim of ‘fair use’ is fair to creators,” Newton-Rex writes.
Like Hinton before him, Newton-Rex remains supportive of AI – when built responsibly and trained ethically. “It will have many benefits,” he states. “But … training generative AI models in this way is, to me, wrong.”
This past June, to set the standard for ethical AI in music, BeatStars announced the formation of a strategic partnership with music AI startup Lemonaide. Both companies are led by tech entrepreneurs who started as musicians and continue to put the creators’ rights at the forefront of their missions. Through their partnership, the two companies have established the music industry precedent for training AI responsibly and ethically.
Both BeatStars and Lemonaide are committed to using only ethically-sourced AI to empower creators – where the AI is trained through a voluntary community of producers who not only grant their permission, but are also compensated for sharing their work. With Lemonaide’s ground-breaking “Seeds” product, which is fully integrated into the BeatStars platform, the role of AI is limited to short musical ideas that spark inspiration and expand creative boundaries for the individual creator. BeatStars’ and Lemonaide’s approach is to generate AI that is transparently and collaboratively created by musicians for musicians, specifically to inspire producers with idea starters rather than generate complete works that could replace producers in the creative process.
“I started BeatStars out of a personal passion to empower creators in every way possible, whether it’s helping them find new revenue streams or providing them with new tools to inspire their best work.” - Abe Batshon, Founder & CEO, BeatStars
“Everything we do is community first, that will never change – the way we’re approaching AI is no different,” Batshon added.
“There are companies out there right now taking a more secretive approach to training datasets, and they’re taking advantage of artists.” - Michael “MJ” Jacob, Co-Founder & CEO, Lemonaide
“I started off as a musician, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we protect the musician, especially with technologies like AI,” says Jacob.
The AI debate is just getting started, but one thing is clear – AI can be supportive or destructive, depending on how it’s being developed and deployed. Both Lemonaide and BeatStars are committed to leading the supportive side of the AI revolution. "Whether we like it or not, AI is coming to music creation,” Jacob says. “We want to be the ones who define the proper paths to take in utilizing new technology advancements, to use AI in helpful ways, while always keeping the artist front and center as the ultimate decision maker."
For more information on “Seeds” by Lemonaide, visit the link below.
We kicked off our panel, “Can Producers and AI Co-Exist?,” featuring the lineup of Abe Batshon (Founder & CEO, BeatStars), Michael “MJ” Jacob (Founder & CEO, Lemonaide), Tantu Beats (BeatStars Producer), Helen Mubert (Founder, Mubert), and Jay Pulman aka “Capsun” (Creative Director, Splice).
Moderator Matthew Adell (Co-Founder/COO, SOMMS.AI) started the discussion by asking whether AI would ever replace music producers. The conversation morphed into the benefits of how AI could assist music producers and help them create more catalogs that could be further monetized. While concerns surfaced about creators not being protected and compensated fully for their music, Tantu said that as AI infiltrated the music space, the true, unique creators wouldn’t go unnoticed.
“For the people who use music to connect the world in a better way and tell their stories that people are eager to hear, the cream will always rise to the top.” - Tantu Beats, BeatStars Producer
Next up, BeatStars hosted the highly informative panel, “The Money Flow of Music Publishing for Creators,” featuring Bonnie Tilley (Executive Partner to the CEO, BeatStars), Abe Batshon, Tantu Beats, and Kyle Brown (Associate General Counsel, BeatStars).
The conversation dove deep into how music publishing royalties are collected, AI’s impact on music publishing, catalog sales, and more. The panel also touched on the biggest misconceptions in music publishing. Kyle Brown had this to say:
“If it’s not in the contract someone sends you, it doesn’t exist. It’s very important to have someone who understands a contract to explain to you what you need.” - Kyle Brown, Associate General Counsel
When asked about how BeatStars Publishing came to be, Abe replied with:
“We kept seeing producers getting taken advantage of, and it needed to stop. Having a team like BeatStars Publishing to look over things for you, give you advice, and help with any challenges is a part of our mission.” - Abe Batshon, Founder & CEO, BeatStars
Next came our “Breakthrough with BeatStars” listening session, moderated by Bonnie Tilley, Lee Owen (Product Owner & Producer, BeatStars), and BeatStars music producers Sekko, Freek van Workum, and Accent Beats. During this session, the panelists and audience had a chance to hear some incredible music and gave great feedback to everyone who played their tracks.
The day ended with our community meet-up, where all the creators who participated in the events throughout ADE got to network! Seeing genuine connections being made was priceless, supporting the fact that music can bring people together, even in the most challenging times.
Look out for BeatStars at next year’s ADE, as well as other future events! To learn more about BeatStars Publishing and how to collect your music royalties worldwide, check out the link below.
While hindsight may be 20/20, what if I told you that 1990 is here again, but instead of the World Wide Web being the main attraction, artificial intelligence is? What would you do, and how would you proceed to ensure that you don't miss out on another world-changing phenomenon?
Together, we’ll explore some key developments related to AI and provide you with the critical pieces of knowledge you need to create other unique intellectual property.
In the ever-evolving landscape of AI, questions surrounding intellectual property, specifically copyright, have become the new frontier of legal disputes. As the digital world continues to blur the lines between human creativity and machine-generated content, the courts echo debates over what can and cannot be copyrighted when dealing with AI.
While copyright law has been a trusted guardian of creative works for decades, it is struggling with AI’s rapid rise. When you think about creating music using AI, consider what happens to your copyright. In the United States, a copyright is a legal protection granting creators exclusive rights over their original works, including reproduction, distribution, and public performance. It automatically applies at creation and lasts the creator's lifetime plus 70 years.
Interestingly enough, U.S. copyright law has yet to address AI specifically. The Copyright Office has weighed in on the matter, issuing guidance on registering works containing AI-generated material. Here are the key takeaways:
Here's where things get interesting – how much human intervention does it take to infuse an AI-generated work with copyrightable essence? After all, according to the Copyright Office's guidance, the human touch is your golden ticket to copyright protection.
The key takeaway is that technology can play a pivotal role in the creative process, but the human hand wields the magic wand. The decisive factors are the extent of creative control and the depth of human involvement.
As AI marches forward, so do the courtroom dramas. One case that has grabbed the spotlight is Thaler v. Perlmutter, where a federal judge ruled in favor of the Copyright Office, which rejected an application for a musical work exclusively created by AI with zero human collaboration.
While this ruling provides some clarity, it's one verse in a long song. Numerous other lawsuits are making their way through the legal symphony, each with its unique tune. As these cases continue to unfold, we'll better understand how the courts harmonize AI and copyright issues.
In this legal maelstrom, one thing remains clear: AI and copyright are still uncertain. The best advice? Get a lawyer. The more human influence you infuse into your AI-generated work, the better your chances of securing that elusive copyright.
BeatStars has announced a strategic alliance with AI music startup, Lemonaide, which has developed an ethical AI-powered plugin called Seeds that generates ideas for beats. Seeds limits the role of AI to short musical ideas that spark inspiration for producers, not full production tracks, in order to empower creators, not replace them. At this time, the extent to which the finished track can be copyrighted depends on how much you modify the bars from Seeds after you import them into your DAW.
Learn more below to get started with AI in your music creations.
November 15, 2017, was a regular morning for me. After taking care of my normal morning rituals, I got to work on the BeatStars social media and objectives for the day. As I was going through different social media channels I started seeing a lot of R.I.P. posts for someone named Lil Peep. While I heard the name before, it wasn't something that resonated with me on a personal level. Ignore it and proceed with my day, right? Nope. Something about this pulled me in and insisted I dig deeper. So I did. His songs "Awful Things" and "Brightside" were two songs that popped up after I searched his name, and provided me with an idea of who he was musically. A sound with a rap/rock vibe and pretty dope harmonies, but I could tell there were underlying issues personally based off of his lyrics and persona. After that, I decided to search for who he was and the cause of his death. A simple google search provided me with a ton of info. Lil Peep's real name was Gustav Åhr. He just turned 21 years old on November 1st, he liked tattoos and was popular in the underground music scene. His fanbase was dedicated, invested, and supportive. Oh, and he released a ton of music on Soundcloud! I liked the few songs I heard but wasn't blown away. But again, something told me to dig deeper. I think it was because I could hear the potential, I could hear the passion, I could hear the pain and I could tell something was special about him. While searching more, I came across the news that he potentially overdosed on Xanax (Benzodiazepine) or Xanax laced with Fentanyl...The point of this article and interview is not about the details of his passing, so I won't dive too deep into that side of things, but the reason I mentioned these details is important. I lost one of my best friends on August 27, 2012. He had a lifelong fight with prescription medicine and ultimately left us after overdosing on Opiates and Benzos. So Lil Peep's passing definitely resonated with me, as I know the struggle oh too well. So I dug deeper. I came across a song called "Star Shopping."
This is the song that made me get it. This is the song I would tell anyone who never heard a Lil Peep song before, to listen to. The comments on this video are amazing. The majority of them were about how the song saved their life, helped them get through a difficult time, and stopped them from committing suicide. How many songs can you show me that have that same feedback and response? I know there are others out there, and I'm not saying Lil Peep is the greatest artist of all time, but it speaks volumes about WHOLil Peep was. Drugs or No Drugs, Lil Peep was human. He made mistakes. He was not perfect. And unfortunately, he died way too young. But he also touched people. He reached people and helped them with their problems while he struggled internally with his own. And songs like "Star Shopping" will be around forever to help people, even if Lil Peep is not. That's powerful to me. That's what music is about to me. It's supposed to touch people, it's supposed to give you goosebumps, it's supposed to be so relatable that you would cry over someone you never met. I continued to check out more songs, and the more and more I listened, the more I was impressed. Yes, there were songs I didn't like, but for the most part, Lil Peep gained another fan. I always want to know WHO produced a record. A huge hit or a newly uploaded BeatStars beat. Production interests me and it's something that has been part of my life since a very young age. I found out a 23-year-old producer from Nashville, Tennesee named Kryptik produced "Star Shopping" and three other tracks for Lil Peep. I decided to hit him up a few days after Lil Peep passed away to send my condolences and see if he would talk to me about Peep, their relationship, and his role in the music. Kryptik responded and agreed to talk to me, and what I found out was amazing. The power of music, technology, networking, and creating is insane. Two Soundcloud accounts in 2015 turned into this.
It's what we are doing at BeatStars. It's what we strive to accomplish every day. Connecting artists and producers, helping people provide for themselves, and pushing innovation. And most importantly, making incredible music. So without further adieu... Shout out to everyone makin' my beats, you helpin' me preach,This music's the only thing keepin' the peace when I'm fallin' to pieces - Lil Peep on "Star Shopping"
Trampe: Right off the bat, how long have you been producing? Kryptik: I started producing instrumentals about 2 years ago, but I put out my first beats in 2012. I started out making EDM before I really figured out my own sound which I'm sure will be an ever-evolving process. Trampe: I have my own feelings about your beats, but how would you describe your sound? Kryptik: Overall, I would say that my sound is mostly sad/melodic, but it honestly varies based on what I'm feeling when I sit down to start a session. Sometimes I've had something running through my head for a bit and it all comes together when I go to work. Other times I start with a blank slate and just build as I go. Trampe: What is in your creative arsenal currently? Kryptik: I pull everything together on my Mac Mini using Logic Pro X for my DAW and an Alexis Q25 midi controller. For my sound I have my KRK Rockit 5 G3 speakers are sent through my PreSonus audio box. Trampe: So let's talk Lil Peep. I think the main thing I (and a lot of people) want to know is HOW did you meet him and start working with him? Kryptik: I first discovered Lil Peep on SoundCloud in September 2015. He'd just posted "Praying To The Sky (Prod. Greaf)" and I commented on the post "you're about to blow". I guess he checked out my music and asked me to make a beat for him. I put together the instrumental for "Star Shopping" the following day and sent it to him. The very next day he sent me the FINAL version with his vocals. He said his mic had broken halfway through the recording, but we were excited about what we had and went ahead and posted it anyway. The rest is history.
Trampe: So just like that you guys connected, vibed, created, and literally changed people's lives. WOW! That blows me away. Kryptik: Yep. We collaborated on this song without ever sitting down together, but I can tell you that I remember it giving me chills when I heard my beat with his lyrics. Lyrics were definitely his thing, and hearing the finished product made me realize that making music is what I REALLY wanted to do. Trampe: So not only did it change tons of other people's lives, it changed yours too...Wow. So what went into this beat? Kryptik: I was browsing through different music to help me get a starting point for this new project and stumbled upon the track “Never Mess With Sunday” by Yppah and loved the guitar, so I sampled it. I wanted to put emotion into the beat but also wanted to keep it simple. I have to admit that I was very new to making instrumentals, so I didn’t really know what I was doing, but it seemed to work this go around. Trampe: So you were a brand new producer who met Lil Peep on Soundcloud? Then made a beat the next day and are part of one of his most popular songs? Crazy! Kryptik: Yep. Gus and I actually worked together through SoundCloud when we were both new to the scene. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to meet in person, but we had a really good connection when it came to making music which allowed us to work together on several songs. The internet has opened a lot of doors for people everywhere to work together on projects without being limited to where you live.
Trampe: Absolutely. It's a beautiful thing. And it's crazy how a song can affect someone. What do you think about all the comments on "Star Shopping?" Kryptik: It's amazing how much a song can affect a person when they can relate to what it's about. Life can become overwhelming and know that you're not alone in what you're going through can be a relief. Peep really had a way with words, and his lyrics helped give solace to those who were going through similar things. I still receive messages all the time saying “You and Peep saved my life with that song”, telling me that we helped them through a time when they were depressed/suicidal. The feeling you get reading messages like those is indescribable. I never thought I could make such a difference to people and would like to thank Gus for that opportunity. It was very exciting seeing him getting so close to really making it in the business. I have to say that I do really regret not taking the time to meet him in person and shake his hand and thank him for making me who I am today. Trampe: That's real man. It's amazing how all this played out and affected so many people positively in the process. It sucks he had to go so early, what were your thoughts when you got the news? Kryptik: It's terrible what happened. There's no way around that, but hopefully, we can all learn something from this ordeal. He'd just turned twenty-one, was young, and had a lot promised to him. Drug addiction and depression are at an all-time high in America right now, and these issues do not discriminate and affect ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE. We all need to think about and acknowledge the issue. More and more people struggle every day, many never getting the help or support they need because it can be so overwhelming to everyone involved. Like many, I understand these frustrations because I've been there too and IT IS HARD. It's easy to say "I'll just quit", or "I'll just keep toughing through because one day I'll be happy" but it's hard to actually DO those things. I just want to make sure that people know that if you need help and you are willing to do what it takes to change things, that there are people there that will help you. Trampe: I can 100% relate and agree with you totally. I'm glad we got the chance to talk, thank you for doing this Kryptik. I know you did other joints with Peep and have some other music coming out, please tell us about that. Kryptik: For sure man. Thank you too. Yea, I produced a total of 4 songs for Lil Peep. It all started with "Star Shopping" then "The Way I See Things", "Nothing To You" and "Give You The Moon". Unfortunately, I do not have any unreleased songs with Peep and it's sad that we won't have any more opportunities to work together. I'm working with some awesome artist's rights now with some new collabs coming out very soon, so keep your eyes open. I'm also releasing an EP titled "goodbye..." in early January on SoundCloud and YouTube (and possibly other streaming services) so also be on the lookout for that. Thanks again, BeatStars.
Dear BeatStars Community,
Music has a unique way of bringing us together, bridging gaps, and telling stories that words alone cannot capture. Today, we gather in the collective embrace of music to honor one of our own brightest luminaries - Soulker.
The news of Soulker's untimely passing due to meningitis has deeply touched all of us at BeatStars and the broader music community worldwide. At just 22, he may have left our world, but his beats, the songs he made with artists around the world, and his legacy will live on forever.
BeatStars has been privileged to be a part of Soulker's journey. His unparalleled talent made him a cornerstone of our platform and one of the top creators in our history. The beats he produced were more than just sounds; they were expressions of his soul, bringing stories to life that inspired millions of artists. Every beat echoed his passion, innovation, and commitment to his craft.
We have been deeply moved by the flood of heartfelt messages from our community and beyond. Soulker's mother has been sharing updates on his socials and sentiments on his behalf, and the wave of condolences and warmth from all of you has been overwhelming. This unity in grief and love is a testament to the many lives Soulker touched with his art.
To ensure that Soulker's beats keep echoing, we've decided to keep his BeatStars account active forever. Furthermore, his mother will be granted full access, ensuring that the bond between Soulker, his music, and all of us remains unbroken. It is a small gesture, but one that we believe upholds the principles of unity, love, and continuity that BeatStars and our community stands for.
In recognition of his monumental impact on our platform and the music world, we are also dedicating an official day August 16th on BeatStars to honor Soulker. This day will be a testament to his enduring legacy, a day to celebrate his music, and the countless souls he's touched.
As we remember Soulker, let us also remember the power of music to heal, to inspire, and to unite. Let's continue to support, collaborate, and create, ensuring that the rhythm of life, love, and music never ceases.
Thank you, Soulker, for sharing your beautiful art with us. Your legacy will forever be a part of BeatStars, echoing in every beat, every song, and every heart. May God rest your soul and give your family all of the strength they need to mourn your loss. We will never forget you and will always cherish the time we had with you.
With deepest sympathy,
Abe Batshon
CEO, BeatStars
For a community-oriented company like BeatStars, extraordinary growth can be a blessing and a curse – the blessing is being able to support the aspirations of millions of additional creators around the world, and the curse is the growing pains that come with scaling properly to provide that support. As we move aggressively forward in our mission to empower music creators worldwide, including new features and capacity to match the needs of our growing community, we’re also balancing the realities of what it takes to scale our platform at such a breathtaking pace.
Over the last few months, we have begun investing heavily in our platform to upgrade to a whole new technology stack that powers the BeatStars Marketplace and Studio. We acknowledge that this transition has caused some unacceptable product quality lapses that have let you, our community members, down. We also acknowledge that these product quality lapses have overwhelmed our support staff right when community members need answers most. Rest assured that we are fiercely committed to improving product quality going forward. In fact, we have been making fundamental changes to our product development process so that we can sustain improved product quality from now on.
BeatStars has been blazing new trails and serving the creator community since 2008, and every year we’ve significantly increased the supply of beats on our marketplace without adding additional fees. Now, to support the stunning growth we’ve experienced over the past few years, we’ve instituted a marketplace service fee that helps us offset the costs associated with storing tens of millions of additional high definition audio files on our platform. The marketplace service fee also allows us to invest in building a world class shopping experience for everyone on our marketplace. You’ll learn more about these upgrades, and see more new features to enhance your experience, in the months to come. It is important to note that the 12% marketplace service fee, which is added to the total purchase price during the check-out process, does not apply to purchases on Pro Page sites or in Blaze players.
We’ve also heard your concerns about the elimination of Stripe as a payout option, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. PayPal remains the primary payout option where you’ll continue to keep 100% of your sales. Please note that our new PayPal integration processes credit card payments directly in the cart with collaboration payments, unlike Stripe. It also enables more payment options than Stripe (such as Venmo, Pay Later, and more global options). To be clear, customers can still purchase using a credit card even without PayPal. To learn more about the payment methods available to customers, please visit our support article here.
Finally, we’ve heard some misinterpretations regarding the pricing of our new subscription plans. To clarify, we’ve reduced the price of our former Marketplace plan, lowering the cost from $95.88 per year to just $19.99 per year, which works out to significantly less than $2 per month, while keeping all the benefits of the old plan and adding no-cost Publishing as well as Seeds by Lemonaide. Although we’ve kept the pricing of our new Professional plan the same as the former Pro Page plan, we’ve again kept all of the prior plan’s benefits while adding access to free PROkits from top producers – along with over $120 worth of value in the form of credits and discounts for Promote and Beat ID. All of this follows up on our reduction this past spring in the price of Beat ID, from $10 to just $2 per scan. We have not raised the price of any plans or features.
Our commitment to you, the creator community, runs deeply through every member of the BeatStars organization. Your success is our success, that’s our mindset. As your collaborator and partner, we appreciate hearing from you, whether in the form of compliments or criticism. Keep sharing your concerns with us, and we’ll continue doing our best to support you.
Thank you again for being a part of this incredible community, and allowing us to support you in your musical journey.
For more information on our new subscription plans, visit: www.beatstars.com/studio
Sincerely,
The BeatStars Team
BeatStars Founder and CEO Abe Batshon and Lemonaide Co-Founder and CEO Michael “MJ” Jacob were musicians long before launching their respective music tech companies. That’s not the only thing the two have in common – both started their entrepreneurial journeys on a mission to empower other aspiring creators to overcome barriers, including those held back by an archaic system that made it challenging for up-and-coming talent to succeed.
“I started BeatStars out of a personal passion to empower creators in every way possible, whether it’s helping them find new revenue streams or providing them with new tools to inspire their best work. - Abe Batshon
"MJ and the Lemonaide team share the same passion and mindset – we’re on a unified mission to support and protect creators while empowering them to create their best music,” says Batshon.
The fact that these two visionaries have come together to form a strategic partnership seems practically pre-ordained – Lemonade’s Michael “MJ” Jacob started his music career as a BeatStars member. “This really feels like a full-circle moment,” says Jacob. “I can’t wait to see the creativity sparked among the BeatStars community as a result of our partnership.”
The partnership between BeatStars, the global leader in the new beat economy, and Lemonaide, a ground-breaking new startup in music AI, is exciting news for both the industry and individual creators. But what makes this strategic alliance so compelling is the commitment of both companies to set the ethical standard for the music industry’s adoption of artificial intelligence.
BeatStars and Lemonaide are committed to using only ethically-sourced AI to empower creators. What does that mean, exactly? That means the AI is trained through a voluntary community of producers who are compensated for sharing their work, and whose feedback is openly encouraged. As Batshon points out, “Our approach, as always, is to treat our community as partners.”
Ethical AI also means purposefully limiting the role of artificial intelligence to short musical ideas that spark inspiration, expand creative boundaries, and break producers out of the dreaded “beat block.” Lemonaide’s ‘homegrown” AI is created by musicians for musicians, specifically to inspire producers with idea starters to help them develop their best work, rather than generate complete works that could replace producers in the creative process.
“There are companies out there right now taking a more secretive approach to training datasets, and they’re taking advantage of artists,” says Jacob. “I started off as a musician, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we protect the musician, especially with technologies like AI.”
Jacob knows that, for creators, this latest technology evolution can be supportive or destructive – both Lemonaide and BeatStars are committed to being on the supportive side. "Whether we like it or not, AI is coming to music creation,” he says.
“We want to be the company that defines the proper paths to take in utilizing new technology advancements, to use AI in helpful ways, while always keeping the artist front and center as the ultimate decision maker." - Michael "MJ" Jacob
BeatStars started 15 years ago with the same mission in mind – to support the creator community – which is why the partnership between the two companies presents such a powerful alliance for music producers, creators, and artists. “Everything we do is community first, that will never change” says Batshon. “The way we’re approaching AI is no different. We’re setting the standard.”
For more information on Lemonaide, visit their website here.
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On the SEASON FINALE of the Pay The Creators Podcast, BeatStars Founder and CEO, Abe Batshon, chats with Swisher Beats about his origin story. Swisher was born in the UK and had lived in various places across the United States before settling in Austin, Texas. He shared that living in Austin, a city with a vibrant music scene, is an honor, but he also acknowledged that it can be challenging to break out from there.
Later on, they discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the music industry. According to Swisher, everyone was forced to grow during the pandemic, and while some people were positively impacted, many others were affected economically. Fortunately, his business grew, and certain beats started topping the charts on the BeatStars Marketplace, generating more revenue year over year.
Another topic that was brought up was what a top-selling beat looked like. Swisher revealed that one of his beats, a Kanye West-style instrumental made on his laptop in just 30 minutes, has grossed nearly $60,000 in a year. Swisher also explained that he no longer sells exclusive rights to his beats unless it's for a massive artist.
“That Kanye West beat is coming up on $60,000. It’s still selling, my top one for sure and it’s a year old now, so that’s why I don’t worry about how old a beat is. If it’s an old beat that makes no money though, like, what am I losing?” - Swisher Beats
Swisher's achievements on BeatStars are a testament to the growing demand for beats in the music industry, particularly in the age of digital streaming. For aspiring producers, Swisher's journey is proof that success can come from dedication, hard work, and producing quality beats that resonate with artists and listeners alike.
Episode 8 of Pay The Creators featuring Swisher Beats is available on all streaming platforms. Tune in and learn more during our SEASON FINALE now!
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