1. What type of ways can I license a beat for commercial use?
There are two types of purchasing methods — non-exclusive rights and exclusive rights. Exclusive rights will grant you unlimited rights in all aspects. You would technically be “buying out” the beat. Non-exclusive rights, on the other hand, have limitations. Shadowville offers three types of non-exclusive licensing: blanket license (also known as a “lease”), performance license, and synchronization license. A blanket license covers multiple rights that can be done with a song using the beat including 2000 copies of physical or digital sales, three radio station rotations, $1,000 in show/concert earnings, and two soundtrack uses. A performance license will allow you to make unlimited earnings in one live show/concert (suitable for large shows). A synchronization license will allow you to use the beat itself, not a song over the beat, for soundtrack use on one medium. For more detailed information see our licensing information page.

2. What if someone buys the exclusive rights license after I already bought a non-exclusive rights license to the same beat?
Nothing. As long as you made the purchase before the exclusive rights being sold off, all your rights remain intact as described on your contract. However, you will no longer be able to purchase additional rights to the same beat if the exclusive rights to it has been sold. We encourage you to buy the exclusive rights as soon as you realize you need such rights due to this first-come first-serve policy.

3. Does buying out exclusive rights prevent people who have bought non-exclusive rights from using the beat further?
See answer to question 2 above.

3. Can I buy the exclusive rights later on if I purchased a lease first?
Yes, we will only charge you the difference in price from the lease you purchased for the exclusive rights if you decide you need the exclusive rights later down the road. However, because our public beats are sold on a first-come first-serve basis, we encourage you to act quickly as soon as you realiez you need the exclusive rights.

4. Are sound tags or producer signatures removed after purchase?
Yes, any sound tags or producer signatures are removed from the beat in the higher quality .wav file when you purchase the beat.

5. How come I can’t buy exclusive rights to certain beats?
The offering of exclusive rights is under the discretion of the producer. In this case, the producer has elected not to sell exclusive rights automatically through Shadowville.com, and would like to manually negotiate a price. If you are interested in such a beat, please contact sales @ shadowville.com.

6. Why should I license a beat if other people can license the same beat?
There are two primary reasons why blanket licensing/leasing works. First, the 2000 copy limit imposed basically discourages someone from distributing a song with the beat on a nationwide or worldwide basis and limits it to a more local basis. ‘2000′ is an estimated number that minimizes the chances of two songs clashing with the same beat. This creates fair play amongst all of our clients who license a track non-exclusively. If a person is ready for more than 2000 copies, we encourage that he or she purchases the exclusive rights. The second reason is that talent, skill, and exposure plays a large role in buying a blanket license. We believe if you have these any of these three key factors, it should not concern you that other people are buying a license for the same beat. If your song becomes a hit, the audience will think that other people on the same beat are using “your” beat.

7. Can I license beats for non-artist or non-performance purposes such as a soundtrack for deo games or film?
Absolutely. Just select the Synchronization License option during the checkout process.

8. What are the exact steps to purchasing a beat?
You can browse through the beats in the Beat Genres and then click the ‘BUY LICENSE’ button corresponding to the desired beat. Payment options include all major credit cards or Paypal. For alternate payments such as money order, Western Union, or Moneygram, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com. As soon as payment is received and cleared, you will be able to immediately download the high quality master file in wav format and the contract in PDF format. You can optionally request a CD and a paper-based contract in the mail certifying the rights you have just licensed for a small fee of $9.99 during the checkout process.

9. Do you offer discounts if I purchase in bulk?
The more tracks you license, the cheaper the entire package will be. For custom bulk purchases in excess of $300, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com. Returning preferred customers occasionally receive coupons which grant even greater discounts. Shadowville will regularly offer sales promotions where beats are sold at discounted prices.

10. Do you design beats the way I want them?
Custom beats can be designed and made just for you, the way you want it to be. No one will hear them until you have decided to release it. No one will have access to your custom beats except you. A non-refundable deposit of $250 is required beforehand, to show that you are serious about this deal and that you will not drop out of the deal at the last second. Three production hours will be committed to your project. There is also an additional fee of $100 per additional hour invoiced and a $750 charge upon completion. Custom beats will be tailored to your exact description and details. Obviously, the more time it takes to make these beats (or more complex), the more expensive the beat will be. Once the beat is complete, and payment is made, you will receive the exclusive rights to the track. If you are not satisfied with the finished product, you will not be charged the final amount over your initial deposit (the finished product will automatically be converted to a blanket license for you). If you are interested, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com.

11. When can I expect my beats after making payment?
The fastest form of payment is by credit card or bank funds via Paypal. Upon successful authorization of payment, you will immediately receive a download link to obtain the master file of the beat you purchased. Track separation will arrive digitally from our studio within 1-5 days. All other forms of payment have a clearance time before we send out your package. You can optionally request the tracks on CDs and paper-based contract certification for delivery within 4-10 business days (7-14 days for international) as soon as payment is received and cleared. Payment options include credit card and Paypal funds. Please contact us if you wish to use certified check, money order, or Western Union/Moneygram payments. Your order will not be mailed out until payment is received and cleared.

12. I’ve decided I don’t want this beat anymore — can I refund it or exchange it?
Because our instrumentals are considered ‘intellectual’ property, it is difficult for us to allow refunds or exchanges in order to prevent confusion, infringement, and theft of rights. For example, it is not fair for someone to purchase a license, and then decide to trade it back in the future for a “hotter and newer” beat.

13. Can I have a license to a beat for free, trade a beat for yours, or pay you in royalties?
No. Commercial licenses for our beats are not given for free, unless specifically designated to be. We do not trade any beats or accept “possible” royalties with no upfront fee. If you are serious about making money off your music and would like to establish a legitimate reputation, then you should not mind investing in a license.

14. What about downloading a beat just for listening or freestyling?
Yes. This is allowed for beats that have not been exclusively sold. If you use this beat to record on, it must remain strictly for nonprofit and noncommercial — you may not even make money to cover CD pressing or promotional costs. Acceptable nonprofit and noncommercial formats include posting on your personal webpage or community page, burning CDs for your friends and family, putting out a showcase demo on a limited basis to record labels. Anything that seems commercial, profitable, or large-scale to you is probably not acceptable — please use common sense. Lastly, you must remember to give credit to the producer and provide a link to www.shadowville.com. For details, please read the Free Beats Policy.

15. Why are some beats on the website marked as “Unavailable”?
This usually means the beat has already been sold exclusively and is no longer offered for sale by us. Although it is still available to listen to, it is no longer able to be downloaded or purchased.

For any additional sales questions, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com, Monday through Saturday, 11AM-7PM EST.