So, you're ready to start selling beats online and making money from the music that's just sitting on your hard drive. There are lots of different marketplaces where you can sell your beats, but the 2 most popular options are Airbit and BeatStars. In this guide, I compared Airbit vs BeatStars to help you decide where you should sell your beats.
Airbit vs BeatStars: Which is Better?
There are many things to consider when deciding which beat selling marketplace to go with, from pricing, functionality/features, number of active users, and more. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to consider your unique needs when deciding which site to choose.
In this guide, we'll cover all those important factors to help you make the most informed decision possible to get started on your beat selling journey.
After you’re done reading, don’t forget to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials guide where you'll learn about all the necessary gear you need to get started on your music production journey.
With all that said, let's get into our comparison of Airbit vs BeatStars.
Airbit is one of the most widely known names in the beat marketplace industry. They've been helping artists sell their beats online since all the way back in 2009, so they've had a lot of time to establish their site as an industry leader and to hone in the functionality and features available.
Let's get into some of the specifics about Airbit.
Pricing: Airbit offers 1 free plan and 1 paid plan ($19.99/month, $7.99/month if paid annually). The free plan is nice for those who just want to test the waters with a few uploads, but the free plan is capped at 10 beat uploads, making it a non-viable option for those who are looking to become successful long-term beat sellers.
This makes the paid "Platinum" plan the only realistic long-term option. Some of the most important features included in the Platinum plan are:
Unlimited beat and sample pack uploads
Pre-built website for your beats (where you keep 100% of beat sale revenue)
Accept PayPal and Credit Cards
Custom Licenses & e-Signed Contracts
Social Unlock Free Downloads
And more...
All these features are excellent inclusions and make the beat selling process incredibly streamlined. You can check out their Pricing page to see the full list of features.
However, one of the downsides of Airbit is they take a commission (20% for Non-Exclusive Licenses, 10% for Exclusive Licenses) on each sale that occurs in their Marketplace, even if you're signed up under the Platinum plan. To be clear, there is no commission on sales that occur on your custom site. BeatStars does not take a commission under any of their paid plans.
All-in-all, Airbit is a really solid, trustworthy marketplace for you to consider for your beat selling business. However, it's not without its downsides, which include commissions and a smaller active user base.
You can learn more about Airbit by exploring their website via the button below.
BeatStars has solidified itself as one of the top dogs in the industry since its founding in 2008. After the #1 hit song Old Town Road by Lil Nas X was created using a beat from its marketplace, BeatStars exploded and has become one of the fastest growing and most innovative beat marketplaces out there.
Let's get into some of the specifics about BeatStars.
Pricing: BeatStars offers 1 free plan and 2 paid plans. The free plan is nice for those who just want to test out the platform, but, similar to Airbit, the free plan is capped at 10 beat uploads, which will certainly limit those who are looking to turn their beat selling into a successful long-term business.
The first paid plan, called "Marketplace" ($9.99/month, $7.99/month if paid annually), is a great "middle-of-the-road" option, offering:
Unlimited beat uploads
Ability to sell sample packs and services
Ability to upload track stems
PayPal and Stripe payment acceptance
Premium statistics
And more...
The second paid plan, called "Pro Page" ($19.99/month, $14.99/month if paid annually), is the highest tier available, offering:
All the features from the Marketplace plan
Your own custom beat-selling website
Unlimited monthly private messages to other users
Unlimited number of license agreement options
And more...
The custom pre-built site looks very professional and the ability to offer an unlimited number of license agreement options gives potential customers more options based on their available budget when purchasing your beat, making the Pro Page plan intriguing.
You can check out their Pricing page to see the full list of features for all the available plans.
Active Users: While neither site makes their active user data public, we can make an inference as to which site is more popular by comparing their brand names on Google Trends.
As you can see in the chart, BeatStars (blue line) has much more search interest than Airbit (red line) worldwide over the last 12 months. Additionally, a quick comparison of their Instagram followers (BeatStars: 529k followers, Airbit: 6,216 followers) can also give us another clue as to which site is more popular.
Using this data, we can assume the site with more active users is definitely BeatStars, meaning there's likely more potential customers to reach on their platform, which is something to consider when making your decision.
If you decide BeatStars is the right platform for you, you can use our code BPG10 when checking out to get a 1-month free trial of any of the paid plans to make sure it's a good fit for you before you purchase.
Final Thoughts
Both beat marketplaces offer excellent features that will empower you to launch and maintain a successful beat-selling business, so long as you're willing to put in the work to do so! However, if I had to make a singular recommendation, I'd have to go with BeatStars, mainly due to the greater popularity of the platform at a similar price point to Airbit.
That said, I think either marketplace will allow you to be successful on your journey, so choose whichever platform you're more comfortable with and can see yourself using long-term. Best of luck to you on your beat selling adventure!
Enjoyed this guide? Make sure to check out our Bedroom Producer Essentials Guide or some of our reviews/buyer's guides.
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