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. This website only handles non-exclusive licensing transactions. With non-exclusive rights (also known as a lease), you are allowed to make one master recording for profitable commercial or broadcast purposes, but you are limited to duplicating/replicating/pressing that recording for no more than 2000 copies/units through a profitable medium (i.e. LP, EP, mixtapes, commercial demos). For further details on non-exclusive licensing, please see our Purchasing Information section. With exclusive rights, you can make multiple master recordings (technically known as vocal ’synchronizations’) for profitable commercial or broadcast purposes. Exclusive rights also guarantees that the beat will no longer be sold to anyone else. Any form of license may not be resold whatsoever. Here is a preview of the contracts: Non-Exclusive Rights | Exclusive Rights

2. How am I able to purchase exclusive rights?
To discuss purchases for exclusive rights, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287).

3. What if someone buys out the exclusive rights after I already bought a lease?
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.

4. 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, if someone else purchases the exclusive rights before you decide to, you would have to try to obtain permission from the new exclusive rights holder to re-assign or transfer the rights (which is very difficult or extremely expensive). We can still certainly create a custom beat in the same tempo and similar feel if you desire at our custom beat rate. The other option is to purchase our Right of First Refusal service at a one-time charge of $25. With this feature, if at any time someone else tries to purchase the exclusive rights to the beat you leased, Shadowville will inform you and give you the opportunity to purchase or bid for the exclusive rights first at an equal or greater price within 3 days. You can order the Right of First Refusal option during the checkout process when buying a beat on www.shadowville.com. To add Right of First Refusal service to a previously purchased non-exclusive license (as long as the beat isn’t sold exclusively yet), e-mail sales @ shadowville.com or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287).

5. Why should I license a beat if other people can license the same beat?
There are two primary reasons why non-exclusive licensing/leasing works. First, the 2000 copy limit we impose basically discourages someone from distributing a song with the beat nationwide or worldwide and limits it to a more local basis. ‘2000′ is a statistically calculated number that minimizes the chances of two songs clashing with the same beat. This creates fair play amongst all of our clients who lease a track. We feel if a person is truly ready for more than 2000 copies, they will purchase the exclusive rights. Additionally, we generally do not sell a beat to multiple clients in the same city. The second reason is that talent, skill, and exposure plays a large role in buying a lease. 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.

6. Can I license beats for non-artist or non-performance purposes such as a soundtrack for video games or film?
Absolutely. You can request that the standard mechanical license/performance license agreement (which allows you to make a “master” song) to be changed to a synchronization license agreement (which allows you to use the beat as a soundtrack). For specialty or customization in licensing rights, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287).

7. What are the exact steps to purchasing a beat?
You can browse through the beats in the Beat Genres and then click the ‘Buy A License’ button corresponding to the desired beat. Payment options include all major credit cards, Paypal funds (payment @ shadowville.com), and money order (in US Dollars only). For alternate payments such as Western Union or Moneygram, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287). 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 during the checkout process.

8. 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 or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287). Returning preferred customers occasionally receive coupons which grant even greater discounts. Shadowville will regularly offer sales promotions where beats are sold at discounted prices.

9. 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. There is also an additional fee of $50 per hour invoiced and a $750 charge upon completion. Custom beats will be tailored to your exact description and details. 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 transacted, you will receive a work-for-hire contract, which holds even more authority than an exclusive license — the beat is truly yours, copyright and all (except we still ask for credit as creators of the beat). If you are not satisfied with the finished product, you will not be charged the final amount over your initial deposit. If you are interested, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287).

10. 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. All other forms of payment have a clearance time before we send out your package. You can optionally request the paper-based contract certification for delivery within in 3-7 business days (7-14 days for international) as soon as payment is received and cleared. Payment options include credit card, eCheck, and Paypal funds. Please contact us if you wish to use personal check, money order, or Western Union/Moneygram payments. Your order will not be mailed out until payment is received and cleared.

11. 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. However, refund and exchange requests will still be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. If an exchange request is indeed approved, there is a $20 exchange charge.

12. Can I have a license to a beat for free, or trade a beat for yours?
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.

13. 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 Shadowville Productions and provide a link to one of our websites, preferrably www.shadowville.com.

For any additional sales questions, please e-mail sales @ shadowville.com or call 1-888-43-BEATS (432-3287), Monday through Saturday, 11AM-7PM EST.