Cash Rulez!!!!!

[drebeatz]

Yo! Got a question...I'm working with this guy I know that raps. Dude is is crazy wit the lyrics. He got an inside track to a major label. He is getting ready to record his demo now. He came to me for beats. We discussed the project, and i fronted him three tracks because he is my friend. Three tracks turned to ten.....(thats my stupid mistake), now he wants me to help him pay for the studio time too. I feel as though I should get some type of understading in writing. How should I approach this issue......or is it too late? Help me out!!!

 

[L. Soul]

Friends are friends but you gotta separate business. If you help him pay get in writing what he will owe you. Perhaps mixtape spots (asking for an album nice buta major label probably wont let that happen) whatever

 

[bigdmakintrax]

Lesson 1. = Start them paying....keep them paying....I am telling you from years of hustling beats.....they will always act like they dont have the money....your part of the business just like any sales biz or subscription type service is keep them paying and collect...soon as you start to slack trust me they will never pay you again....LOL

 

[drebeatz]

Yo ! good lookin on the advice......I'm torn between the lesser of two evils cause I laced him wit some heat...now I got other artist wanting to buy the same tracks. So i'm like should i wait it out or should I pull my tracks. I dont want to seem like I do bad business, but at the same time I got a wife and kids who like to eat, so something gots to give.....but good looks tho'.

 

[L. Soul]

Well personally unless you specifically leased the beats to him I wouldn't pull and resell. If I was the original MC I'd be pissed. But if you did lease then you have the right to resell

 

[FSC]

Give him the first three tracks... But keeps the masters to the other 7... And lease the other tracks out since they are only gonna be on a demo..

 

[BlackSox]

Sell them and forget your friend, unless he wants to pay you. Give them to your friend for cheaper but at least this will get him payin.

my .02.

-black

 

[Hypnotist]

Sell them and forget your friend, unless he wants to pay you. Give them to your friend for cheaper but at least this will get him payin.

my .02.

-black

Seriously. He doesn't own the rights to the beats. You still own the copyright to them, even if you haven't copyrighted them yet.

It's okay to give away a few beats here and there. That's how you get to a better level to make demands from. But, there is a point where you say:
"Okay, I gave away some beats out of the kindness of my heart, and now you want all this extra. I can't do anything else for you. Go work your ass off like I did and make money to pay the studio time and be patient until you can do so. And by the way... I also gave your beat to Busta Rhymes, then, once I could brag about my industry game, I sold another beat I gave you to Sean Paul, who gave me $10,000 and a point on his album."

Give beats to the right people and you'll do well. Don't sell yourself short, but be reasonable. If your entire client list is 19 and still has an allowance, then make deals.

Also... you should have different contracts written up for licensing beats, with different plans.

1) License this beat for 1 year, solely for the purpose of the song titled "I'm the Shit". When the terms of this contract expire, I will retain full rights to this beat, and I have the option to resell it, blah blah blah...

2) License this beat for a market area where you have exclusive territory, but not exclusive rights to this beat. I can still license this beat to Boise, Idaho and other areas for demo purposes.

3) Buy all rights to this beat for $1,000. (This includes the artistic value of $500, plus 25 hours of work at $20 per hour). You have exclusive rights to this beat, and can resell, distribute, copy, manufacture, manipulate, jerk off to, and destroy this beat.

4) Steal this beat and make a million dollars, but just give me credit on the album cover

5) Buy this beat for limited rights, for a limited time, and we'll talk about renewing this contract when it expires.

6) Have sex in the champagne room to this beat, and nothing more, nothing less.

Just some ideas I came up with. #6 is my favorite. Hope this helps, although I'm giving away my recipes.

 

[drebeatz]

Also... you should have different contracts written up for licensing beats, with different plans.

Hypnotist, Where can I get contracts like these? And good looking on the advice from everyone!!1

 

[BrothaMann]

business never personal!

 

[Shonsteez]

HOnestly, Hypno - what youve written really helps a lot of people, myself included. I think that information is kind of the holy grail of knowledge when it comes to the business side of things becuase most people learn by default or dont learn at all. I for one have always sold to fairly close people so theres never been any contracts or any of that, just cash in my hand and a beat in the other, so when things start getting serious - which happens for most of us eventually this kind of information is horribly valuable....So thanks.

You know, you should write a article for Fade about selling beats, i think just about everyone would commend you. Anyways, good job.

SHONSTEEZ

 

[Hypnotist]

Hypnotist, Where can I get contracts like these? And good looking on the advice from everyone!!1

If I were you I would write them up myself. And if you want, send a draft to me and I'll check it out for you and proof it. It should come from you, being that it's your shit being sold, and all the particulars should come from you.

Just know... any contract is valid and it doesn't have to be extremely professional. It doesn't even need fancy words and phrases like "mandatory annulment of contract under breach of clause 834, section 4-C, whereas the contract will rescind if you sell my shit mofo" You just have to cover all your bases, and if signed, you're pretty much protected.

It wouldn't hurt to attend a class or workshop on some legal contract shit. I'm sure they're out there somewhere and you can google it.

But outline what your demands are, and try to put them in what you think is contract form, and send me a copy and I'll proof if you want. I'd send you one of mine, but the sucky thing is: I had all these contracts that I wrote on this old PC that crashed on me and I don't feel like writing new ones cuz I haven't sold a damn beat since God knows when.

Yo Duece, good loox on the proppage.

 

[drebeatz]

Yo son, good lookin. I'll do that!

1

 

[booya_nang]

Lesson 1. = Start them paying....keep them paying....I am telling you from years of hustling beats.....they will always act like they dont have the money....your part of the business just like any sales biz or subscription type service is keep them paying and collect...soon as you start to slack trust me they will never pay you again....LOL

I agree wit this, take charge now otherwise he jus gonna be hustlin u outta money