trading beats for exposure

[trez260]

sup yall
here's a topic i'd like to get some feedback on. this may have been discussed already and if i missed that topic somewhere, mybad yall.
what are yall(producers out there) giving your beats to cats solely for gettin the exposure and some promo with the track. i read what God was talkin bout in regards to producers/artist/business/creating. but i also understand that you have to start somewhere and that you have to make a name for yourself. i've seen on soundclick alot of cats are jus giving beats away. i also understand that for the most part, in the under underground market(the aspiring and up and comers), cats avoid tryin to get sample clearances. but still would like to make a name for themselves and have the intention of making some money doing what they love. just like to get some thoughts, suggestions, words of wisom on this topic. holla back. one.

 

[bigdmakintrax]

I GIVE away tracks, I mean got a share of Wack shidd and a very good share of hot beats....you need to decide how you might be handing those freebies out.....because even a wack beat can blow.....but look I get to know who I deal with for the most part, and I have certain artists that know me I give beats or they throw some dollars my way......but recently I have all contracts, and even if its Free I keep a contract handy to keep myself in the loop for publishing at least.......I sell tracks, there are two indie labels I just inked in contracts this past weekend to make tracks on a regular basis......I also throw in some free tracks....but remember that nothing comes for free.....and you should always find a legal way with paper to keep yourself tied to the beat with copyrights and publishing.....in case it gets a lot of exposure and blows........but there is nothing wrong with giving away free use of your beats as long as you have a contract.....but if you start giving away FREE beats.......it is going to be hard not unless you make it understood, to get artists to even see why they should pay you.....

 

[trez260]

i feel that. i was thinking that..hell..who's gonna give u $100..200..or more for a track when they aint never heard of u..i definitely feel that the track should speak for itself..but some dont see it that way..ur name has to buzz ina couple spot before they take u seriously. this is the perception i have right now. i'm giving this one cat a track..local cat. he's the second person i've given a track too with the intention of gettin my name out in his area because the hip hop culture is poppin out there. cat's is on that realness out there whereas the city i'm in..all cats wanna do here is be gangsta and talk about stuff they havent done...i intend on taking that tracks that i've given to peeps and put'em all on one disc..so when i hit a show or sum'n..peeps can check my work wit vocals on'em so they can really get a visual of my work. i believe i'm making a worthy investment in doing so. but i'm new to this arena right now so any kinda insight i'm definitely taking heed too..i feel in regards to having a paper trail to your work..my problem..i sample..lol..how do i get copyrights without sample clearances?? nahmean? plus..i dont' have alot of loot for contracts..publishings..etc...i'm jus startin. i don't think things is gonna take off this soon..but if it does..whatever knowledge a brotha can share i'm definitely willing to accept. good lookin out d. holla back. one.

 

[Chedda]

bigd, how did you get into selling your tracks and ish? like, how did you approach the situation the first time you sold one or whatever?

 

[young_keyz]

Me myself the only shit i give away free is the artist im working with who is also my partner in the music business. If i was to give away a beat to somebody else they would have to let my artist get on the song or promiss a remix. I think alot of young people think just giving away beat to a artist and theyre gona come looking from them. I like to bulid relationships with the people. I like to be introduce to others in your crew or what not.

 

[bigdmakintrax]

I just started working with some camps and one in particular has their shidd together and they are an Indie label, they like to deal with me even when there might be a producer that has a hotter material, this game is also about relationships too, that's the same thing in the Major labels......relationships....if you got peeps you can work with then that makes it easy....but I started taking out a 25$ ad in the local paper just advertising and then when people call I set up a listening session for them......they pick up a couple of beats there and I make it seem like a sweet deal.......tell em normally the tracks are like 100 each to lease and then I throw in an extra track or two so they get a deal.....but the other thing is you have to sell yourself, if you know where there are open mics or showcases go there........find artists, hand out flyers get your beats heard bottom line......you have to be active in pushing your product so it does start a buzz, just so people know you produce.

 

[Guevara]

MY WHoLE THiNG iS THAT YoU HAVE To CRAWL BEFoRE YoU CAN WALK, i GoT ABoUT 10 SoNGS DoNE AND iM JUST GETTiN oN To MY FEET, iVE BEEN BLESSED To FALL iNTo A CAMP oF TALENTED PEoPLE AND ARTiST. THE THiNGS i Do MAKE THEiR WAY ARoUND THE CiTY AND MY NAME iS BUZZiNG.WE GoTTA REALiZE THAT U CANT WAKE UP AFTER YoUVE MADE A BEAT AND SAY oK i WANT 500 FoR THiS SHiT.YoURE CRAZY AND YoURE GoING To BURN YoUR BRiDGES LiKE THAT, AND RELATiONSHiPS.i HAVE ABoUT 3 ARTiST THAT i WoRK WiTH THAT iD NEVER CHARGE FoR A BEAT BECAUSE i KNoW i NEED THEM AS MUCH AS THEY NEED ME, MAYBE MoRE. LiVE WiRE BEiNG oNE, WE BoTH TWo BRoKE ASS, BUT TALENTED iNDiViDUALS AND HES BEiNG SCoUTED BY SomE MAJoR NiGGAS NoW.iD RATHER GiVE MY NiGGAS FREE TRACKS THEN SELL SoMETHiNG To SoMEBoDY HALFWAY ACRoSS THE GLoBE BECAUSE i KNoW WHAT iM GETTiN.AND THRUGH MY RELATiONSHiPS WiTH THESE ARTiST iVE MADE SoME iNDUSTRY CoNNECTiONS.
BUT U GoTTA BE CAREFUL ABoUT WHo U GiViN TRACKS To.i GAVE A HoT TRACK To oNE oF THE NiCEST NiGGAS iN MY HoOD AND i STiLL HAVENT HEARD ANYTHiNG, iM SURE WHEN iT GETS DoNE iT WiLL BE A HT SoNG BUT iTS TAKinG ToO LoNG AND i CoULDVE DoNE oTHER SHiT WiTH iT, BUT iTS A LEARNiNG EXPERiENCE.
*BUT oN THE otHER HAND iF YoU FEEL LiKE U CAN GET SoME DoUGH oUT oF SoMEBodY, Go FoR iT.BUT ANALYZE YoUR SiTUATiONS, DoNT APPRoACH EVERYBoDY THE SAME WAY.CiTY

 

[CooGi_dice]

i would never give a track away for free, ima true to the art producer and provide the full package unless im making a song for an artist with the intent of letting them take the song where they want to.

the idea of giving tracks away for free just seems assbackwards to me IN MY OPINION... i put to much time effort hard work and more importantly heart and soul into my music to just hand it away for free.

i have a minumum price i charge for a hip-hop artist if they just want a track, i dont do that with any other genre i produce for creative and buisness reasons.

i do produce entire songs with artists for free, but those are my artists.

in the end though its all up to the individual, if your local hip-hop sceen is poppin and your producing quality joints at or above the level of your local compation there is no real reason to give anything away for free.
just hit the streets and grind, my belief is there are many aspects to being a producer and having a strong and powerfull buisness mind set is one of them.

one.

 

[Equality 7-2521]

id never give a track away for free....unless it was to a madness madness MC. id want my name credited though

 

[Decibal]

I compose beatz and let my homies spit over them for free. I haven't got coin for a beat yet, but I'm just getting heard. If and when my homies make it somewhere, they want me to compose their beatz for them. I make beatz in my spare time right now, hopefully someday soon I can do it full time. I live beatz and they are my passion.

Peace out

Decibal