The Joker Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I have no idea if this is the right forum to post this in, so you mods can move it if you need to. Anyways, I'm getting into the beats business, producing hip hop beats & stuff. I already got some buyers, but I don't really know how to go about pricing them. Like, how much should I charge for just a regular license, or exclusive licenses? Any help would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Prophecy is the man to go to, this is what he's been doing lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustin Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 You shouldn't charge money for music. It should be free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesPip Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 You shouldn't charge money for music. It should be free. I think that depends entirely on its useage and stuff. If the final product will be free or very inexpensive, then yeah, it should be free. But, if whoever you're selling said beats to [ie: anyone an an actual label] stands to gain financially from the final product, then by all means, charge away. Keep in mind, this is if they're actually profiting, excluding the amount of work they put into the album. For example, if they were to put in days upon days of work into the album, then sell them at $10/copy and only sell a couple of hundred tops, I'd say don't charge them. BUT, if it's a real label and they sell 10K+ @ $15/disc, by all means, charge them as much as you think you can get out of them. I'm sure they can afford it, considering the cost of producing cds professionally. e: all IMO of course. And I dunno specific numbers. Though on a small tangent, I've always, ALWAYS hated when peoples' reason for liking rap is "It's got a good beat!" That's bullshit. You want a good beat? Listen to techno. Rap beats are techno beats only minus 4/5 layers. God I hate the normal person's sense of logic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IC Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Though on a small tangent, I've always, ALWAYS hated when peoples' reason for liking rap is "It's got a good beat!" That's bullshit. You want a good beat? Listen to techno. Rap beats are techno beats only minus 4/5 layers. God I hate the normal person's sense of logic. Geez man. Chill out. Hip hop is just another way to present, and I think can give the listener the feel of a 'good beat' just as much as (and often more than) techno. Just cause a song has five more 'layers' doesn't mean it has a better beat. Check your logic, bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesPip Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Though on a small tangent, I've always, ALWAYS hated when peoples' reason for liking rap is "It's got a good beat!" That's bullshit. You want a good beat? Listen to techno. Rap beats are techno beats only minus 4/5 layers. God I hate the normal person's sense of logic. Geez man. Chill out. Hip hop is just another way to present, and I think can give the listener the feel of a 'good beat' just as much as (and often more than) techno. Just cause a song has five more 'layers' doesn't mean it has a better beat. Check your logic, bro. The thing is, it's too basic. 9/10 POPULAR rap songs [i emphasize popular because most of the people who use that logic are only interested in 50cent and all that bullshit] are just a PAINFULLY simple beat that...I can't even think of a way to describe how simple most of them are. Too simple to have any artistic merit, anyways. Some RESPECTABLE rap and/or hip-hop doesn't fall into this category, of course. Also, simple beats can be overcome by lyrics that arent about bling, bitches, and drugs, ie: actual artistic prose, essentially. I stand wholly by my comments, but I suppose they also weren't as specific as they should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabricated falisy Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 there are plenty of hiphop beats that have many layers and show awareness of the 'rules' of music in general (el-p from def jux is a great example) but there's more to a hiphop beat then layers, effects, time signatures, and the like...its about digging...searching for the perfect break, that lost jem that no one knows about, and making something that will compliment the MC. techno doesn't have an MC to think about...the focus is on the beat/song itself and keeping the kids who forgot their riddlin entertained. but yeah...pop hiphop productions sucks that of a black hole who whores herself to wandering asteroids. damn 3 key progressions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Joker Posted July 19, 2006 Author Share Posted July 19, 2006 Um... okay. anyway, the beats are for a local indie label. Radio stuff & CD's. So, I'm going to charge for them for that reason. I'm not really into rap & stuff, & I used all the things I've learned making electrica to make the tracks. So, yay! Anyway, I'll be sure to ask Prophecy. Though any more help here would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vagrance Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 STOP CALLING IT TECHNO!!!! The original Hip-Hop/Rap stuff (I'm talking Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambataa) took after Electro (like Kraftwerk, Herbie Hancock's Rockit and the like. Turntablism also got started somehwere around there too. Since then, Hip-Hop has become more and more similar to breakbeat, while still mantaining an electro base. Hip-Hop is damn far away from Techno in terms of sound, the only place where they come close in the early Techno stuff (Cybotron - Clear) sounded a helluvalot like Electro in its early stages, but since then they've both gone in two seperate directions. Hip-Hop remains influenced by jazz, funk, and partially electro, while techno is influenced somewhat by electro, and house, but in the end is a hard, mechanical style of music. I haven't heard a single Rap song that I can think of that even sounds close to modern day Techno. While most modern mainstream Rap stuff is extremely underproduced, it still provides a somewhat shout-back to the original days of Hip-Hop where a lot of tracks would just be a drum machine, a turntable, and an MC. That said, I personally can't stand most mainstream Rap songs simply because the lyrics are extremely unimaginitive and take little skill to produce. There are some Hip-Hop producers that could walk all over some Electronic producers though, like RJD2, Blockhead, DJ Shadow (although he's kinda in between Hip-Hop and Electronic), MF Doom, DJ Premier, Timbaland, Cut Chemist, Beastie Boys, Mario C, Dan the Automator, Danger Mouse, and The Roots (Yes, I know they're a band, but when they produce shit its hot too, although I like it whenever they just jam out instead). Now that the rant is over, iirc I think you might want to contact Zircon about it too because I think he does similar stuff too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooPKiD Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 OMG, why am I getting the feeling people are relating a simple produced song to a song that sucks ass.. Say if a hiphop beat got that (simple) nasty hook, aren't you still diggin' it?? In the end it all comes down how the song is received by the public. The complexity of your production doesn't tell you how great the song is. You can make the most difficult production ever and still make it sound whack.. So what's the point then?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navi Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 ong rap bias. check www.futureproducers.com it will have any info you need to get started selling, and if it doesn't, make a post. the people there are some of the most experienced and helpful people i've ever encountered online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Prophecy post in this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghetto Lee Lewis Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 OMG, why am I getting the feeling people are relating a simple produced song to a song that sucks ass..Say if a hiphop beat got that (simple) nasty hook, aren't you still diggin' it?? In the end it all comes down how the song is received by the public. The complexity of your production doesn't tell you how great the song is. You can make the most difficult production ever and still make it sound whack.. So what's the point then?! You guys are so narrow minded. Good music is both catchy AND complex (emotion also makes a song good). All great music is defined as great by possessing these three elements. However, most music that is catchy is extremely simple. It's very difficult to have both complexity and catchiness in the same song. The is GLL's theory of great music. Emotion is usually added by the rapper/MC, but can sometimes be found in the beat itself (i.e. sad/angry strings, piano and stuff). There is such a thing is great rap music, but it is very rare, and somewhat a matter of opinion/taste (although not entirely). Almost every mainstream rap song is more or less shit. Techno is often the same way. Usually there are tons of shitty techno songs for every good one. Back to the damn topic: What you charge for the license depends on several things: Is the artist well known already? Have they been involved in the release of any albums or live performances before? How much attention did they get? What will the license be used for? I wouldn't recommend an unlimited license unless it's a very shitty production/arrangement and you're getting a large % of royalties or whatever. Probably the best bet is to charge a base rate + a percentage of their profits. Also make sure you get the proper credit wherever the song is distributed/performed so the artist can't take credit for it. The base rate should be larger if the artist is well known. If it's some unknown amateur you might not charge them upfront and only charge a percentage of their profits. That's just what I think. Find something that's fair to both you and the artist. If you still want you can ask DJ Prophecy, but he had to figure all that shit out at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 There are some Hip-Hop producers that could walk all over some Electronic producers though, like RJD2, Blockhead, DJ Shadow (although he's kinda in between Hip-Hop and Electronic), MF Doom, DJ Premier, Timbaland, Cut Chemist, Beastie Boys, Mario C, Dan the Automator, Danger Mouse, and The Roots (Yes, I know they're a band, but when they produce shit its hot too, although I like it whenever they just jam out instead). DJ Shadow is a hack. I have no idea how he managed to develop such a cult following despite the fact that his music (if you can call it that) is complete and utter shite. By the way, how come there is no Kool Keith on your list? P.S. Timbaland admitted that his music is influenced by d'n'b and breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vagrance Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 There are some Hip-Hop producers that could walk all over some Electronic producers though, like RJD2, Blockhead, DJ Shadow (although he's kinda in between Hip-Hop and Electronic), MF Doom, DJ Premier, Timbaland, Cut Chemist, Beastie Boys, Mario C, Dan the Automator, Danger Mouse, and The Roots (Yes, I know they're a band, but when they produce shit its hot too, although I like it whenever they just jam out instead). DJ Shadow is a hack. I have no idea how he managed to develop such a cult following despite the fact that his music (if you can call it that) is complete and utter shite. By the way, how come there is no Kool Keith on your list? P.S. Timbaland admitted that his music is influenced by d'n'b and breaks. Argh! Forgot about some dudes (Kool Keith, Jazzy Jeff, Prince Paul, RZA). I personally love DJ Shadow, but I can see why other people don't, at the end of the day though, he has got to be one of the best people at sampling. I also don't like Venetian Snares but I can see how some people would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xelebes Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 STOP CALLING IT TECHNO!!!! No, we are actually talking about techno here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vagrance Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 STOP CALLING IT TECHNO!!!! No, we are actually talking about techno here. I hope you're kidding because the differences between Breaks, Techno, and Hip-Hop are huge, as I've already pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realpolitik Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 STOP CALLING IT TECHNO!!!! No, we are actually talking about techno here. I hope you're kidding because the differences between Breaks, Techno, and Hip-Hop are huge, as I've already pointed out. Xelebes actually knows his techno. youd best drop out while you still have hope doomsday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xelebes Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 STOP CALLING IT TECHNO!!!! No, we are actually talking about techno here. I hope you're kidding because the differences between Breaks, Techno, and Hip-Hop are huge, as I've already pointed out. It would be a fallacy to say that techno beats are any less complex than hiphop or breakbeats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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