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What's the best alternative to BeatStars?

Are you creating your own beats and want to find a platform where you can sell your beats and instrumentals, knowing they’ll be appreciated for their originality? Or maybe you’re a buyer who’s tired of shady licensing terms and endless mediocre content?

You’re quite possibly familiar with BeatStars, the digital marketplace where producers can submit their own beats to be licensed to interested artists. It’s the industry standard destination for beatmakers, and it’s fun to explore.

However, BeatStars boasts over a million users, which is not necessarily a good thing if you’re looking to stand out from the crowd. Here are the top 3 BeatStars alternatives.

Beathunterz

Beathunterz is a fast-growing new platform that is becoming one of the best places to buy and sell beats. It has a massive selling-point: Each beat bought via Beathunterz can only be sold once, ensuring the buyer gets a truly original instrumental that has never been, and will never be, used in any other song. The copyright and master ownerships are also transferred to the buyer, so you won't have to pay additional royalties or credit the producer, ever. It’s similar to what’s known as ghost production, and it’s the hassle-free license option.

Beats are priced anywhere from $199 to $999, which compensates beatmakers for their intellectual property. Feedback has shown this business model to be very beneficial, both to buyers and sellers.

Once the beat is purchased on Beathunterz, the buyer can instantly download track-out stems, master and no-master files, and all the necessary legal documents to transfer copyright from seller to buyer. This means they get all the source files to work with and no anxiety about being sued by a third party.

SoundClick

SoundClick boasts more than 10 million registered users and enjoys millions of visitors every day. Originally launched in 1997, it’s beginning to show its age, with an outdated interface and complex user experience; both of which can be off-putting to buyers.

You can upload unlimited beats into your SoundClick account. You can also generate your own widgets and MP3 store. The site’s built-in search engine optimization allows your music to be seen by millions of people around the world.

Unfortunately, many of SoundClick’s features aren’t free. There’s a paid option for $8/month which allows you to customize your artist profile layout and make ads. But you still have to pay 15% to 30% commission to SoundClick on each sale. A higher $15/month tier removes the commission requirement.

The free account may already provide the necessary tools for you to get started and be viable, especially if you’re a beginner.

Airbit

Airbit is an excellent platform for music makers to let the world know about their beats. It’s a good alternative to Beatstars and has social media integration, allowing you to advertise through your social channels for free. The store is convenient and user-friendly.

You promote your beats in the Airbit Marketplace and share commission with the website every time your beat is sold. Email list integration with MailChimp means you can connect directly with your clients from Airbit.

Content creators, producers, and entrepreneurs come together on Airbit to buy and sell beats; buyers can even request custom commissions.

Conclusion

Whichever you choose, no site is perfect. For example, if I needed to get my beats heard by more people, I’d choose SoundClick, because of the number of users on the platform. If I prioritized a user-friendly artist page and automated tools for my website or socials, I’d go for Airbit. If I just wanted to make music and not spend half my life self-promoting, I'd go for Beathunterz and let them do the marketing for me.

If at first you don't succeed, don't worry: Most successful beatmakers started at the bottom. Keep creating unique, beautiful beats and finding ways to expose your content, and soon, people will discover your talent.