How Can I Distribute a Release That Includes a Leased or Purchased Beat?

If your release uses an instrumental leased or purchased from a producer, keeping the licence documents ready helps your release pass review and avoids copyright disputes.

Understanding beat licences

A beat licence gives you permission to record vocals over an instrumental and distribute the resulting song. Unless you buy all rights, the producer keeps ownership of the instrumental.

• Exclusive licences: You hold the sole commercial rights to the instrumental under the agreed terms; the producer cannot license the same beat to others.
• Non-exclusive licences: The producer can license the same instrumental to many artists at the same time.

Lease contracts (such as those from BeatStars, Traktrain or direct producer invoices) often include limits on:

• Streams and sales: A cap on total streams, downloads or physical copies.
• Term: A fixed licence period before renewal is required.
• Performance and broadcast rights: Permissions for radio play, live performance or sync.

Content ID and Meta Rights Manager

Tracks made on leased beats are not eligible for YouTube Content ID or Meta Rights Manager. These services require 100% ownership of both the master and the publishing.

Because the same instrumental can be used by other artists, enrolling a leased beat causes false copyright claims against other legitimate licensees. Content ID and Meta Rights Manager are on by default for eligible releases, so turn them off in the Additional Delivery section of the release wizard. Ineligible tracks can be charged a fee of up to €100 per track.

Providing your beat licence

1. Keep your agreement ready: Save a PDF or screenshot of your lease agreement, invoice or producer contract.
2. Upload it if asked: If our review team needs proof, your release status changes to Needs Docs. Upload the agreement in the release's Documents tab. For questions, open a support ticket or email support@distrovibe.com.