The 6 best websites to sell beats online

Making a great beat is easier than it’s ever been. This isn’t to say it doesn’t take skill, but everywhere you turn, there are great tools at your fingertips – sample packs, MIDI chord packs, ultra-powerful software synthesizers that cost a fraction of classic hardware, and more.

The greater challenge, for most, will be figuring out how to market and sell their creations. In a noisy world, there are plenty of distractions competing for people’s attention.

The good news is there are several great websites you can use to sell beats online, and chances are you’ve been using some of them already.

Most of them fall into two groups. Beat marketplaces help buyers find you, while your own website keeps your earnings and fan relationships in your hands. Let’s take a look at six of the best places to sell your beats, starting with the one you fully control.

1. Your website
2. Airbit
3. BeatStars
4. YouTube
5. Facebook and Instagram
6. SoundCloud

1. Your website

Your own music website plays a central role in you selling beats online, and if anything, it’s more important than it’s ever been.

Social media platforms may come and go, search engine algorithms may change, and even laws and regulations may restrict access to certain websites…

But if you have your own website, you can mitigate against risk and ensure that you always have a relevant online presence you can send prospects and buyers to. Plus, you have complete control over your own platform.

Your music website lends credibility to your name because it elevates your status as a pro. If you take the time to create a brand, you can also build a loyal following.

Be sure to capture the emails of your visitors by offering something for free (e.g., opt-in offer), because long-term your email list will become your greatest source of opportunity. Add a mailing list signup form to your store page, too, so beat buyers hear about your next release. For example, say an artist finds your beat on YouTube and clicks through to your store. They can buy the lease, join your list, and browse your other beats in one visit.

With a Bandzoogle website, you can set up a beat store and sell your beats commission-free as MP3 or WAV digital downloads. You also have control over the price, where you might not have the same control with other marketplaces mentioned below.

2. Airbit

Airbit is a beat marketplace with its own search tool, so artists hunting for their next instrumental can find your work there.

You can start selling on Airbit for free if you’d like to see whether it’s for you. The free Basic account lets you upload up to 20 beats to your Airbit Marketplace profile, and Airbit no longer charges a marketplace commission. That makes it an easy way to test the platform before you commit.

If you become ready to upgrade, their Platinum plan is $7.99 per month when billed annually, or $19.99 if you pay monthly.

To choose between the free plan and Platinum, compare each one against how often you upload new beats. Airbit’s marketplace has over 800,000 users, so your beats can reach artists who are already searching for something to record on. You can sell each beat as a non-exclusive lease, which lets several artists use it, or as an exclusive license for a single buyer. 

To make the most of Airbit, use the platform regularly, upload new beats on a steady schedule, build contacts, and promote your work. Basically, you get what you put into it, but if you take it seriously, you’ll see results over time.

Plus, if you're using your own Bandzoogle website to promote your music, Airbit is an integrated feature, so you can add your Airbit store quickly. It’ll match your existing website design and let you sell beats directly.

3. BeatStars

BeatStars is one of the largest beat marketplaces online, and it’s often compared with Airbit. Like Airbit, it brings built-in buyer traffic to your beats, along with licensing tools that let you set clear terms for each sale.

Here’s how to get started: upload tagged previews of your beats, so artists can hear the idea without taking a clean file. A tag is a short voice drop that marks the beat as yours. Then set up your lease and exclusive options, and add your BeatStars profile link to your beat website, social bios, and video descriptions.

Weighing Airbit vs. BeatStars? You don’t have to pick one right away.

For example, say you list the same 20 beats on both platforms for three months. Check which one brings in more plays, messages, and sales, then put more of your time into the one that works best for your sound. Keep your beat titles and cover art consistent on both, so buyers recognize your work.

If you have a Bandzoogle website the choice is obvious, since you can easily integrate your AirBit store to any of your website pages using the built-in AirBit feature.

4. YouTube

If you hit the right topical vein, YouTube can give your beats a big burst of exposure— even more than just about any other social media or video sharing site out there.

Here’s the catch: a brand new channel without a clear focus may only get a handful of views per upload. That might be enough to attract the occasional buyer, but it’s not going to be enough for critical mass.

Basically, building a YouTube channel can be a slow burn. That said, if you find your voice, format, and content focus, you can start growing your channel more consistently.

You’ll need a good concept for your channel, so here are some content ideas to get you started:

• Talk about your favorite beats
• Demonstrate the process behind making a beat
• Talk about your favorite recording gear, DAW, VST plugins, MIDI packs, etc.
• Share about artists you love or have been influenced by
• Make a beat with a collaborator and document the entire process

Titles matter on YouTube, too, because many artists search for beats using phrases like “[artist] type beat.” Title your uploads the way they search, such as “Drake type beat” plus a mood or tempo. Put your store link at the top of every video description, so viewers can buy or lease the beat without scrolling.

5. Facebook and Instagram

Facebook wants to be the one app people open for nearly everything they do online. With friends, games, groups, and classified ads all in one place, Facebook is a natural place to spread the word about your next beat.

The regular round should be par for the course: set up your profile, page, and group, post daily, and interact with other people’s posts. Connect with friends, ask them to spread the word, and send direct messages (DMs) to targeted prospects, even if it’s just to get an interview.

Instagram, which is also owned by Meta, works well for short beat previews. Post 15 to 30 second Reels of the strongest part of each beat, and point viewers to your store link in your bio.

Beyond that, Meta ads let you get your beats out to a larger audience on both Facebook and Instagram with a relatively small budget. If you’re serious about using Meta ads to promote your beats, be sure to study up on how they work before you spend. Keep in mind that Meta ads keep getting more complex and pricier, so expect to adjust your campaigns often before they bring in steady sales.

A simple Facebook page is still worth creating, even if you only use it to share updates and draw traffic to where fans can buy your beats.

6. SoundCloud

SoundCloud’s player remains a favorite for streaming audio, with comments right on the waveform and easy embedding. For that very reason, in addition to artists and beat makers, it has also gained favor with podcasters.

You are going to find plenty of other creators on the platform, but it’s safe to say there are also fans regularly searching for new music on SoundCloud, and if they come across your music, they may become a fan.

A more proactive approach to building a following usually works better. It’s hard to know what sort of return on investment you’re going to get on SoundCloud. Some hit it big, but they are the exception.

SoundCloud is still very useful, though, whether it’s for networking, or for sharing your beats with bloggers and reviewers.

Put your store link in your profile and in every track description, so listeners who like a beat know exactly where to buy it.

More places to sell your beats online

You can sell your beats just about anywhere online if you approach it the right way.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s

• Bandcamp,
• Traktrain,
• Soundee,
• Instagram,
• TikTok,
• X (formerly Twitter),
• Telegram,
• or elsewhere.

Traktrain and Soundee are beat marketplaces worth testing alongside Airbit and BeatStars. On X (formerly Twitter), your greatest traction will come from networking with potential collaborators, artists, and music bloggers.

If you can create content that engages, you can post your work or promote it through advertising on most sites.

With a focus on attracting an audience through popular platforms and sending the traffic back to your beat website, you can continually grow your email and prospect list.

It can be a lot of work, but if you maintain your focus, publish quality content, be sure to network, and engage commenters and those who message you, you can build up your beat making business in a relatively short amount of time.

David Andrew Wiebe is the Founder & CEO of The Music Entrepreneur HQ and author of four books, including the much-praised The New Music Industry: Adapting, Growing and Thriving in The Information Age. Wiebe has built an extensive career in songwriting, live performance, recording, session playing, production work and music instruction.